USR – Urban Social Responsibility is a project partnered by LEIF Ethics Lab at the University of Catania. The project stems from research in Urban Ethics and aims to foster communication and further research on this field.
Particularly, USR considers the necessity to monitor urban development in the diverse sectors, from public policies to architecture, from urban design and engineering to local administrations, from environmental to socio-economic issues, in order to guarantee that the criteria of sustainability are kept as a priority.
Urban Ethics is a multidisciplinary field where several competences merge. As such, it involves different professional and public key-figures and invites an open and ongoing speech on the issues concerning the future of the cities.
According the UN, about 70% of world people will live in urban contexts. It’s fundamental to recognize the urban life as a central aspect of current and future issues. No proper policies or projects in favor of sustainability could have any significance if they would ignore the urban background.
Urbanization tells us that the protection of the environment, the planet, and nature isn’t split from our protection of societies, people’s rights, political participation, healthcare, education, working conditions. Our attention to sustainable energy sources, food production and distribution, waste management, pollution, alternative mobility, smart working, e-learning and digital life in general calls for an integrated approach. Environmental issues cannot be discussed and faced without including typically urban issues.
This is the reason why we think that the urban issues must be discussed in terms of and towards Urban Social Responsibility, similarly to what is taken into account in the field of Corporate Social Responsibility.
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