The Myth of Sustainable Cities: Losing the Holocene (Routledge Explorations in Environmental Studies)

These foreboding times are producing an understandable sense of urgency, a desire to envision and enact alternative systems as soon as possible.This book is written for readers who wish not just to understand the roots of our current political and environmental dilemmas, but for those seeking a new path toward reconciling humans and the planet. High energy cities have been normalized across the world and touted as the ultimate home of humans.We’ve all heard the claims that dense cities with their shared infrastructure and public transportation are one of the key solutions to the climate crisis.But what if cities are not just part of the problem, but are making things worse?What if these arguments for cities are obscuring real problems - and real solutions?Stephanie Pincetl presents a counterhegemonic argument about cities and development.Pincetl explains how the intrinsic energy needs of cities cannot be sustained in a post-hydrocarbon future without continuing the unequal extraction o