Sustainable Urban Development in Emerging Economies in Times of Globalization and Digitalization (Draft)

In developed and underdeveloped countries as well as in emerging economies sustainable development has become a much-articulated goal of policy makers across the world. Sustainable development is a complex policy field at all tiers of governance, whether defined narrowly in its ecological dimensions or more broadly and holistic. Sustainable development is both a moral imperative and a business.However, to come from theory to practice, from knowledge to action, requires multiple efforts. While the knowledge on the ecological, social, cultural and economic dimensions and challenges of sustainable development is rising rapidly, the contradictions between ecological resource conservation and economic development in globalizing market-led economies are difficult to bridge. Urban planners, who guide the development of cities and the use of land in market-led economies to sustain and improve the quality of life of citizens, are confronted daily with the contractions of ecological aims versus economic interests. The role of urban planning in local development planning and decision-making processes is crucial, tough planners are well aware that their power is limited. They know that sustainable development depends much on national or even international agreement and regulation. What can urban planners at the local level really do beyond lip-servicing sustainable development The paper will suggest some pragmatic pathways to local sustainable development. It will give some examples from German cities, where local planners successfully addressed the challenges of sustainable urban development.