ABSTRACT
Managing the urban environment requires both policy makers and managers to take into account the complex cross-media effects of urban pollution. Policy options that pay their own way by recovering costs are inherently more financially sustainable than those that must be subsidized. The main human development issues that have emerged from urbanized environmental challenges are greater vulnerability of the urban poor, problems of inadequate access to basic services, exposure to natural and anthropogenic risks, and insecurity from global environmental threats. The dynamics of urbanization and environmental change are driven by a number of factors: the quality of consumption, production, and economic growth; a city's ability to cope with population growth; relations between ecosystems and land use patterns; and governance arrangements. These dynamics have resulted in a set of human security issues—increased vulnerability of the urban poor, problems of inadequate access to services, greater exposure to natural and anthropogenic risks, and heightened global environmental threats.
