As Greeks Abandon Troubled Athens, Are Cities Really Sustainable?

There's been much talk about the relative sustainability of urban versus rural living. What with the small carbon footprint of New Yorkers, and the tiny fridges of Copenhagen, many commentators argue that cities offer inherently more efficient, compact and therefore sustainable lifestyles without sacrificing quality of life. Yet news comes that young Athenians are leaving their city in droves in the wake of a devastating financial crisis and increasing lawlessness, instead seeking a simpler life in the country. Is this a disaster for sustainability, or the first shoots of a greener, saner path forward?

Reporting over at The Guardian on the ongoing Greek financial crisis, Helena Smith tells us that there is a mass rural migration going on among young Greeks. Struggling to find jobs, worried about increasing crime and unrest, and disillusioned by the idea of Greece as a modern, market-driven economy, they are instead trying to build a more traditional lifestyle:

High in the hills of Arcadia, in a big stone house on the edge of this village overlooking verdant pastures and a valley beyond, a group of young Athenians are busy rebuilding their lives. Until recently Andritsaina was not much of a prospect for urban Greeks. "But that," said Yiannis Dikiakos, "was before Athens turned into the explosive cauldron that it has become. We woke up one day and thought we've had enough. We want to live the real Greece and we want to live it somewhere else."
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http://www.treehugger.com/files/2011/05/greeks-abandon-athens-sustainable-cities.php

and they cannot pay the rent or utilities then leaving the city is cheaper. But if in the future oil depletion is the crisis then being closer together and closer to jobs will make the cities more sustainable. I do not think there is one pill to cure all problems.

that doesn't mean urban life is untenable any more than Mugabe's "land reform" nightmare means rural life is inherently doomed.

I, like many people, was once jumped and beaten up walking down the street -- does that mean that walking down the street is an unsustainable activity in the future?

I mean, they have been, since they're still here, but cities have come at the increasing expense of most of everything around them. So it depends on what the definition of sustainable is. Sustainable from the point of view of the city, or from the point of view of what is outside of the city.

Eco-City will make use of the latest sustainable technologies such as solar power, wind power, rainwater recycling, and wastewater treatment/desalination of sea water. In order to reduce the city’s carbon emissions, residents will be encouraged to use an advanced light rail system, and China has also pledged that 90 percent of traffic within the city will be public transport. The development also features some beautiful public green spaces.

Read more: Tianjin Eco City is a Futuristic Green Landscape for 350,000 Residents Tianjin Eco City – Inhabitat - Green Design Will Save the World

http://inhabitat.com/tianjin-eco-city-is-a-futuristic-green-landscape-for-350000-residents/