Urbanization and Sustainability

Currently, about 94% of all Icelanders live in urban settings (UN World Urbanization Prospects Report). These urban settings are divided into a few main cities. Iceland's capital city, Reykjavik, is the country's most urbanized city with nearly 120,000 people residing there which accounts for about 40% of their population. Because the majority of people live in urban settings, this gives Iceland the opportunity to target sustainable growth and development in their urban areas. In Reykjavik, geothermal energy is the main source of energy. This powers the buildings, heats houses, and even powers greenhouses which provide food for the city (Blue and Green Tomorrow). Despite their geothermal energy production, transportation is a problem for the country. Car ownership is among the highest per capita in the world because the public transportation infrastructure is not well developed (Forbes). This is also due to the poor layout among cities in the country. It is not easy to travel from one city to another even though the country is not that large. This leads to increased CO2 emissions. According to 2010 data from the Environment Agency of Iceland, road vehicles are only second to industrial processes in terms of emissions from CO2. Currently, Iceland is working to target and reduce these emissions from vehicles as well as incorporating nature into urban planning.

Source: Environment Agency of Iceland