Urban metabolism

Urban metabolism is like the body's metabolism—the ways it processes food and breaks it down into energy. In an urban setting, urban metabolism is the ways that people, animals, and machines use energy and materials like water, energy, and food in order to power their everyday activities. For example, people need food and energy for daily activities like commuting to work, cooking, or running errands. Similarly, machines use energy and materials to make and move objects, like cars or airplanes. Finally, plants, animals, and microbes take in and use energy and materials in the environment too! In an urban setting, all these different activities, machines, and inhabitants interact in a big cycle, or urban metabolism. They use energy, materials, and waste products to help cities and towns function on a daily basis.