The “human community” in the eye of the future cities’ vision The VARCITIES Project approach

Abstract

In an increasingly urbanized world, governments and international corporations strive to increase productivity of cities, recognized as economy growth hubs, as well as ensuring a better quality of life and living conditions to citizens. Although significant effort is performed by international organizations, researchers, etc. to transform the challenges of cities into opportunities, the visions of our urban future are trending towards bleak. Social services and health facilities are significantly affected in negative ways owed to the increase in urban populations while issues such as air pollution and urban heat islands are being exacerbated. Nature will struggle to compensate for this in future cities, as rural land is predicted to shrink by 30% affecting livability. VARCITIES puts the citizen and the “human community” in the eye of the future cities’ vision. The vision of VARCITIES is to implement real, visionary ideas and add value by establishing sustainable models for increasing H&WB of citizens that are exposed to diverse climatic conditions and challenges around Europe through shared public spaces that make cities livable and welcoming.