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July 1, 2020

Sustainable urban systems


How can transformations in cities help achieve the world's sustainable development goals? Princeton University professor Anu Ramaswami, lead principal investigator and director of the NSF-funded Sustainable Healthy Cities Network, explains the concept of sustainable urban systems, which goes beyond the urban environment to look at the larger systems connecting cities and the environment. Her research group works closely with city planners and policymakers worldwide to optimize the sustainability of urban infrastructure, including food, water, energy, shelter, mobility, waste management, and the open spaces that provide health and well-being. Ramaswami is also lead investigator for a $2.5 million project funded by Innovations at the Nexus of Food, Energy and Water Systems (INFEWS), a joint program of the National Science Foundation and the U.S. Department of Agriculture's National Institute for Food and Agriculture, to develop a scientific process for establishing sustainable urban food systems.

Credit: Princeton Environmental Institute


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