Abstract

Nowadays, pushed by the belief that the world will dramatically change by 2050, governments from all over the world are searching for new visions to inspire alternative forms of development. These visions are founded on the idea that current development paradigms are deeply unsustainable in terms of energy production and consumption and on the fear that, should these paradigms remain unchallenged, the resilience of our ecosystems will soon be surpassed. The specter of ecological catastrophe (and of the consequent economic and political collapse) has become a dominant element in global development politics, particularly in relation to present and future models of urbanization. According to a number of institutions ..