Use of timber for the sustainable city growth and its role in the climate change

According to the predictions of United Nations (2017) there are more than 7 billion people on Earth and this number will reach 9.7 billion by 2050. Today, most of the population lives in the urban areas and the rapid growth entails more construction in a housing sector. Since the industrial revolution the world has experienced countless technological attainments and on the other hand risky increase in natural resources use, energy consumption, greenhouse gases emission, ozone depletion, toxification and global temperature rising. The question how the cities can respond to urban growth is related to the sustainable goals of Agenda 2030. This research discusses potential of the usage of timber as construction material and it also brings the answer to this question. The wood is 100% renewable, recyclable and nontoxic material with capacity to absorb CO2 and perform low embodied energy. The increase of timber use in the construction contributes to sustainable development and to the reduction of waste, CO2 emission, as well as energy consumption. The aim of this paper is to discuss the advantages of using timber as a sustainable solution in urban context, in comparison with most commonly used concrete. The findings demonstrate the value of timber as sustainable construction material.