Introduction: Anthropocene or urbanocene?

Abstract

The increasing urbanisation trend of the last 50 years has drastically changed the landscape worldwide. The majority of world population is now living in cities and urban population growth is still accelerating, especially in developing countries. This chapter introduces the key concepts discussed in this book-i.e. urban heat island, urban climate and urban metabolism-and provides an overview of all the contributions. The fundamental issue discussed in the introduction and throughout the book is the need to overcome current fragmentation between disciplines and knowledge on cities. A new integrated urban science could effectively support the transition of existing cities toward more sustainable environments and also change our way to envision future cities. In this context, even though predicting the future is not possible, urban energy modelling and simulation could be valuable tools to guide the design and planning of future urban environments.