Livable cities don’t just happen!

Livable cities are the work of business, government, nonprofit, and community leaders who pool  ideas, resources, and capital to solve problems and create opportunities for everyone.  Future-oriented leaders know that collaboration and cooperation within make a city stronger in a global economy of cities competing for resources and talent.
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  CITYLABS
   A Johns Hopkins Carey Business School
   community collaboration
   building livable cities since 2012.

GLOBAL CHALLENGES ARE CITY CHALLENGES

​Urban challenges reflect larger global challenges. CityLab is a future-oriented model engaging the world’s first Urban Generation of business and society leaders in reinventing cities for the future. As catalysts of commerce, culture, and community, cities now account for:
  • 2% of global land mass
  • 54% of humanity (66% in 2050)
  • 60% of global energy consumption
  • 70% of greenhouse gas emissions
  • 70% of global waste
  • 70% of global GDP
Global challenges are city challenges. The future of humanity and the planet hinges on our ability to manage challenges that threaten habitats, people, communities, civic order, and economic security in cities throughout the world.  Fortunately, the resources for solving global challenges are also concentrated in cities; we can build more livable cities.

focus on neighborhoods
​Neighborhoods are the organic cell structure of cities.  A livable city is a dynamic, organic network of urban villages: Eco-communities of nature, places, people, institutions, cultures, and commerce that enable the present generation to flourish without compromising capabilities and opportunities for future generations.  Building livable cities requires knowledge, strategies, and practices that address challenges of place, people, communities, citizenship, and prosperity. 

Strategies for
​livABLE CITIES
Place: Foster healthy habitat
  • Stewardship of nature and the natural ecosystem in and around the built environment
  • Attractive, safe, walkable streetscapes, public spaces, and multi-use destination venues
  • Buildings that blend with the natural environment to enhance historic roots, local culture, and social infrastructure
  • Smart infrastructure design and execution that harmonizes with natural habitat and human activity
  • Safe, attractive, affordable homes for diverse homeowners, renters, ages, incomes, and lifestyles  
People: Foster human wellbeing 
  • High quality, accessible, affordable health and wellness care
  • Nourishing, affordable, abundant, and accessible food
  • High quality, enriching, affordable childcare, family support systems, and developmentally-appropriate education for a lifelong love of learning 
  • Healthy growth opportunities for people of diverse ages, traditions, incomes, and lifestyles
Community: Foster human connections and social cohesion
  • Inclusive social infrastructure of accessible, welcoming places and spaces for informal communication, interaction, and neighborliness
  • Inclusive collaborative practices for sharing ideas, values, goals, and concerns
  • Branding/bonding events, places, and spaces that celebrate community identity, values, traditions, milestones, and connections to place
Citizens: Foster civic conscience and engagement 
  • Education for personal agency, active citizenship, and civic leadership
  • Inclusive social infrastructure for exercising civic responsibility and action
  • Responsive and proactive public officials, policy, and services 
Prosperity: Foster inclusive wealth creation
  • Education for economic competence
  • Entrepreneurial, conscientious, and adaptive business community and workforce
  • Diverse mix of business, professional, and nonprofit enterprises
  • Robust public, private, and social investment partnerships
  • Innovative capitalization of undervalued assets and public goods
  • Innovative business and financial models