人类进入了城市时代，现在居住在城市的人口迅速增长。“城市地球”面临前所未有的社会和环境挑战。有一个解决办法是显而易见的：如果我们想要一个可持续的世界，我们的城市必须成为生态城市。
作为2017世界环境峰会主办城市墨尔本，参与我们的互动旅程进入生态城市的世界，了解他们为什么要创造一个可持续的未来是至关重要的。
简单地说，生态城市是一个生态健康的城市。因为每个城市都是独特的，有没有一个一刀切的生态模型，或者只是一个方法要从我们现在所处的位置。然而，生态城市的份额基本特征类似于健康的生态系统和生物。例如，一个工作定义为生态城市的建设者和国际生态城市框架和标准采用（IEF）在2010年2月20日在温哥华的咨询团队，加拿大：
生态城市是人类解决仿照自我维持的弹性结构和功能的自然生态系统。生态城市提供健康丰富的当地居民没有消费更多的（可再生能源）比它产生的资源，而不产生比它可以吸收更多的垃圾，并没有被本身或邻近的生态毒性。它的居民的生态影响反映了行星支持的生活方式；它的社会秩序反映了公平、公正和合理公平的基本原则。
there is enough evidence now to show that we're not living sustainably. a we now live in india. village, eco cities are cities that are taking decisive and creative action to make the great economic, social and ecological challenges about time. this is not a slow aspiration. we're in crisis, we're in a planetary crisis, and we need to move quickly towards a more sustainable form of. we can't solve this problem, one like over the time, the creation of vehicle cities of safe climate, cities, resilient cities, zero carbon cities. that's going to require really strong and courageous leadership by government, and by working in close partnership with households and communities and businesses. the challenge is urgent, particularly for those cities on the front line of climate vehicle city. this is not a mystery ideal. this is something real, something concrete. the echo city summit is about generating answers in accumulating wisdom to address these challenges facing our world in twenty seventeen and beyond.
