In the next twenty years, the number of urban dwellers will swell to an estimated five billion people. What will this mean for future development and the survival of healthy, sustainable urban areas?
 
Peter Newman, professor of sustainability at Curtin University in Australia, will be addressing this topic at a free lecture January 12 at Seattle City Hall presented by the Mayor Nickels and City Green Building. As part of a book tour across North America to promote Resilient Cities: Responding to Peak Oil and Climate Change (Island Press, December 2008), he will be speaking about the looming peak oil crisis, strategies for building more sustainable cities, and solutions for climate change.