Uncontrolled urban and tourism growth impacts communities and environment
Regeneration is becoming a crucial focus for both urban areas and tourism destinations. For many years, urban and tourism development have adopted growth-oriented approaches without considering limitations.
Today around 55% of the world’s population lives in urban areas, with this figure projected to increase to 68% by 2050, which, combined with population growth means another 2.5 billion people living in urban areas over the next 25 years.[1]
Tourism is a fast-growing industry which is forecast to grow to 2 billion international trips by 2030, compared to 1.8 billion in 2018. This comes with challenges, particularly impacts on communities and on the environment with tourism contributing 6.7% to global greenhouse gas emissions in 2023[2].
In numerous countries, urban areas have experienced expansion and scattered developments that overlook adverse social and environmental consequences. Uncontrolled tourism growth has led to resistance from local communities who demand respect for their regions and places therein.
Enhancing places where people reside and visit can be achieved through a regenerative approach, emphasising the creation of thriving urban and tourist areas.
Effectively managing continued growth is increasingly essential to ensure growth in numbers is matched by a corresponding growth in quality of life for residents.