For about a decade, cities, urbanization, and urbanism have taken center stage in international discussions about solutions regarding the management of human societies’ transformation towards global sustainability. In April 2012, two months before the Rio+20 United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development, then-UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon set the tone by making the following remarks:

“Let there be no doubt: we live in an urbanized world. […] Our struggle for global sustainability will be won or lost in cities. […] By prioritizing sustainable urbanization within a broader development framework, many critical development challenges can be addressed in tandem. […] Our goal is a fundamental “reset” of the global development agenda. […] Cities have a central role to play in making this paradigm shift a reality […] Sustainable cities are crucial to our future well-being.”