Cities must be viewed as metabolic systems; organisms that absorb, alter, and expel matter and energy in intricate, interrelated ways, rather than merely as constructed settings in the era of resource shortage and climatic crises. By redefining the city as a living system with inputs and outputs, similar to an ecosystem or biological creature, the idea of urban metabolism is presented (Zou et al. 2022). The energy fuels that illuminate our homes, the materials that shape our buildings, the water that nourishes our bodies and green areas, and the associated outputs—carbon emissions, solid waste, heat, wastewater—that are frequently externalized or disregarded are all made apparent by it. Rethinking urban metabolism is a prerequisite for rethinking urban sustainability.