Griffith Review 20: Cities On The Edge

For the first time in history most people in the world now live in cities. This is an enormous change of profound importance. The sheer pressure of numbers will test the old adage, that cities are the heart of civilisation. Many already teeter on the brink of chaos. Climate change is the great new challenge confronting cities and the billions of people who live in them. The lead essay by outstanding urban planner Brendan Gleeson examines this and other stress points and suggests solutions to make cities better places to live and work. His expansive essay sets the big agenda for a new generation of thinking about the increasingly complex nexus with Nature. Making cities more liveable, more sustainable and more fun is one of the great new global tasks. The human, cultural and environmental implications of the global drift to cities are evoked in moving essays by outstanding writers including Margaret Simons, Robyn Davidson, Sally Breen, Nadia Wheatley and Creed O'Hanlon. Award-winning short fiction offers an intimate feel for city life. Highly-functioning cities are inspirational places - they allow creativity to blossom, cultures to flourish and communities to thrive. Getting this mix right is crucial to a viable future for Cities on the Edge. Other contributors include James Woodford, Peter Meredith, John Kinsella, Wendy Steele, Kate Fitapatrick, JT Glazebrook, Gabrielle Gwyther, Adam Aitken, Marcus Westbury, Chris Womersley, Hamish Townsend, Brett Caldwell, Tony Barrell, Jorge Sortirios. Poems by Gregory Day and Geoffrey Lehmann. Photo essay by John Wright.