What does the frugal city look like?

Abstract

Sufficiency as applied at the urban level offers a third-way approach to development, positioned between urban development that consumes huge quantities of natural resources and ultra-local solutions. As Charlotte Halpern explains in this interview, the frugal city encompasses multiple realities and meanings. Sufficiency at the urban level is not confined to an approach rooted solely in individual actions, but is embedded in policies for optimizing resources (water and energy) and managing waste. Structuring a sufficiency program embedded in public policies requires a plurality of political and economic actors, and varies significantly depending on the modes of governance that characterize different countries and regions. While the North/South divide is only partially relevant to analysis of the frugal city, certain specific factors distinguish sufficiency in the Global South, primarily the role of informal workers.