Careers related to cities for sustainability

Ranjan K Baruah
We should know that over half of the global population currently resides in urban areas, a rate projected to reach 70 per cent by 2050. Approximately 1.1 billion people currently live in slums or slum-like conditions in cities, with 2 billion more expected in the next 30 years. In 2022, only half of the world’s urban population had convenient access to public transportation. Urban sprawl, air pollution and limited open public spaces persist in cities. Today, 85 percent of slum dwellers are concentrated in three regions: Central and Southern Asia (359 million), Eastern and South-Eastern Asia (306 million) and sub-Saharan Africa (230 million).
To achieve Sustainable Development Goal 11, efforts must focus on implementing inclusive, resilient and sustainable urban development policies and practices that prioritize access to basic services, affordable housing, efficient transportation and green spaces for all. Urban sprawl, air pollution and limited open public spaces persist in cities.
Most of the urban growth is taking place in small cities and intermediate towns, exacerbating inequalities and urban poverty. Inequality and the levels of urban energy consumption and pollution are some of the challenges. All these issues will eventually affect every citizen. Inequality can lead to unrest and insecurity, pollution deteriorates everyone’s health and affects workers’ productivity and therefore the economy, and natural disasters have the potential to disrupt everyone’s lifestyles. Air pollution affecting the health of millions is not only an urban problem, but is also affecting towns and rural areas. The cost of poorly planned urbanization can be seen in some of the huge slums, tangled traffic, greenhouse gas emissions and sprawling suburbs all over the world.
This brings opportunity for the aspirants who would like to work for the growth of the city in a sustainable way. We have to make our cities inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable. 31st October is marked as World Cities Day and this year’s theme is focused on youth and the theme is “Youth Leading Climate and Local Action for Cities”. Experts emphasize the importance of involving youth in urban decision-making to harness their creativity and drive sustainable development. World Cities Day 2024, themed "Youth climate changemakers: Catalyzing local action for urban sustainability," aims to showcase the crucial role of local governments and young people in addressing urban climate challenges.
There are different career options related to cities . If we look at the theme of this year then one option could be working with young people for combating climate change . Urban planning can be an excellent career option in a country like India for people who want to plan cities and impact metropolitan areas. Urban planners exercise their expertise to profile the urban landscape by creating plans and policies that advance the quality of life for communities.
In India, Urban Planning or Town Planning is offered by a number of colleges which are affiliated to Institute of Town Planners of India (ITPI) or All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) or state departments. There are institutes like the School of Planning and Architecture and others that offer courses related to planning. One may get a job with the government or private institutions or firms and consultancy agencies. There is much need for experts as we are talking about sustainable development goals and we must make our cities more sustainable and hence there would be more demands for the experts in this field.
 (The write is a Career Mentor and Skill Trainer and currently the Advisor, Skill Employment and Entrepreneurship Department of Bodoland Territorial Council and can be reached at bkranjan@gmail.com or 8473943734)