Cities can be great hubs for ideas, culture, science, productivity, commerce and social development, offering citizens diverse opportunities for employment, education and lifestyle. The potential of cities is under threat, however, from unprecedented urban growth and an exponential increase in the global urban population. In many cities worldwide, the well-being of communities is at risk to escalating pollution, environmental degradation, demand for water, food and energy, and unemployment, and there is a lack of high-quality public spaces for socializing and recreation.

Many city administrations are struggling to respond to the demands of their rapidly growing populations, especially in lower- and middle-income countries, where urban population growth has often not gone hand in hand with socio-economic development.

Solutions are at hand, however. In recent decades, some cities have started to change towards a greener, more sustainable anddmore resilient model of urban development. They are investing in forests, wetlands and other green spaces – “green infrastructure” – to tackle urban issues previously addressed with engineered solutions that often involve concrete, asphalt and steel.

Through this book, FAO presents the experiences of 15 different-sized cities from various regions around the world with trees and forests andshows how this green infrastructure has helped address urban challenges.