Let’s present important definitions of Ethical Cities and Sustainable Cities.

What is an ethical city?

Ethical cities can succeed in enhancing our lives. They improve resilience and quality of life; create productive economies, and reduce the environmental burden for all residents. Joining the words ‘ethical’ and ‘city’, foregrounds questions about ethics and the urban space. This applies to all aspects of city life, for example, shared history, urban form, processes of production and consumption, politics, governance, and the relationships between people and the environment.

Some of the key characteristics of ethical cities are:

• Inclusive: Ethical Cities are inclusive of all people and recognize structural inequalities.
• Address core concerns: Ethical Cities address governance on poverty and inequality, democracy and social inclusion, sustainability, and the climate crisis. This is undertaken in an integrated manner.
• Relational: Ethical Cities recognize the complex relationships between people, social systems, and nature.
• Oriented toward a common purpose: Ethical Cities are based on shared values and aspirations, which may require fundamental economic and political restructuring.
• Transparent and accountable: Ethical Cities hold those in power to account for and work toward ending entrenched power, corruption, and malpractice.
• Evolve through dialogue: Ethical Cities are built upon dialogue with communities at all levels of society.

Every nation, region, and city is different and must create its own ethical frame, based on its own unique population, environment, systems, ethical orientations, and needs.

Moreover, what is a Sustainable City? Understanding this concept is crucial to identifying its importance.

The sustainable city, eco-city, or green city is a city designed with consideration for social, economic, and environmental impact (commonly referred to as the triple bottom line), and resilient habitat for existing populations, without compromising the ability of future generations to experience the same. One of the UN Sustainable Development Goals is to promote sustainable cities, which are those that are dedicated to achieving green sustainability, social sustainability, and economic sustainability. This goal is later explained during this week.