Developing a Roadmap for Resilient, Innovative, and Sustainable Cities: Toward An Energy, Water, and Food Nexus Approach and Beyond

In the 21 st century, shaping a future of resilient, innovative and sustainable cities through integrated approaches to energy, water, and food (EWF) systems and services poses unique challenges and opportunities (Brugmann et al., 2014). Urban EWF systems approaches are a high priority, especially as urban settings host the majority of the world's population. Cities and their EWF systems will also continue to evolve due to three emerging and not-yet-well-understood dynamics of 1) urbanization (UN-Habitat, 2016), 2) environmental change (Seto and Solecki, 2015), and 3) globalization (World Economic Forum, 2016). Responses to these three transformative forces (among others, e.g. rising living standards, rapidly growing EWF demands, ageing systems) could lead to very different futures. One future may be more urban sprawl, energy-water use, emissions, food insecurity, funding gaps toward infrastructure maintenance, and unhealthy /vulnerable individuals, communities, and cities. Another future may bring multiple benefits, from more choices, larger investments, greater affordability and accessibility, to healthier, more livable and resilient cities, along with less resource use and fewer greenhouse gas emissions. Within this context, this paper offers a synthesis and road map on energy, water and food nexus approaches toward desired futures of sustainable and resilient cities, based on initial literature review and key knowledge gaps identified.