Cue 10 Sustainable Urban Development

Question 1

How do cities impact on the environment at a local scale

Answer 1

1 increasing air and water pollution
2 generating large amounts of waste

Question 2

What does urbanization result in

Answer 2

Loss of open space in the and around cities
Results in loss of habitats and diodiversity

Question 3

What is the impact of urbanization globally

Answer 3

Cities increase the demand for resources like food water and energy
Half the worlds population live in cities but the use 3/4 of the resources-
Cities put pressure on the finite resources leading to food water and energy security
Cities are responsible for 60% of greenhouse gases contributing to climate change

Question 4

What is an individuals ecological footprint

Answer 4

The amount of land needed to produce everything they consume and absorb the waste

Question 5

What does a cities ecological footprint depend upon

Answer 5

1 wealth - consumption and waste production is higher in cities in richer countries
2 size of city - compact cities are easier to travel around by foot and bike so produce less pollution
3 quality of public transport - efficient public transport systems decrease car use and therefore reduces pollution

Question 6

How does a city become sustainable

Answer 6

A city must meet the needs of the people today without preventing future generation needs

Question 7

How sustainable a city is depends on what factors

Answer 7

1 natural
2 physical and economic characteristics

Question 8

Describe natural characteristics

Answer 8

1 natural sustainability is about how the environment resources and waste are managed
2 cities with a high level of natural sustainability rely on renewable energy sources - they produce little waste and reuse or recycle the waste they produce
3 cities where people walk cycle and use public transport a lot produce less pollution so are more sustainable

Question 9

Describe physical characteristics

Answer 9

1 physical sustainability is about how well a city is able to support the people living there
2 to be sustainable a city must provide enough resources to support the population and let them be productive
3 features of physical sustainable cities include plenty of high quality housing and secure supplies of nutritious food safe water and energy for all residents

Question 10

Describe the social characteristics of sustainability

Answer 10

1 socially sustainablity is about how people live together their quality of life an the availability of basic services
2 cities offer good living conditions for all residents with access to basic services that are easy to reach
3 features of a socially sustainable cities are peaceful tolerant respect human rights and are politically stable

Question 11

Describe the economic characteristics of sustainability

Answer 11

1 economic sustainability is about maintaining economic growth without causing long term negative effects
2 cities with high levels of economic sustainability are wealthy, have low levels of inequality and debt, they are hoe to profitable, ethical businesses that offer plenty of well paid jobs

Question 12

Sustainability can effect the liveability of a city - what is liveability

Answer 12

a measure of how good living conditions are in an area

Question 13

What factors does liveability depend on

Answer 13

factors like job opportunities, crime rates, open space and access to education

Question 14

Why is everyone’s view of what makes a city liveable different

Answer 14

because different factors matter more to different people

Question 15

List factors that make sustainable development of urban areas easier than rural areas

Answer 15

1 people are more densely concentrated in cities than rural areas so the provision of services like clean water and public transport are easier and cleaner
2 understanding of the importance of urban sustainability has increase - this has encouraged more research and investment into how urban areas can be more sustainable
3 governments may invest more in urban sustainability initiatives than rural ones because they benefit more people

Question 16

What can urban sustainability be difficult

Answer 16

1 requires significant investment and many cities can’t afford this
2 many cities are growing, public services need to expand rapidly to meet demand of a larger population
3 some people are unwilling to change their habits like driving less
4 some cities don’t have appropriate infastructure some roads are to narrow to build cycle lanes
5 in the developing world urbanisisation is happening at a faster rate in the developed world and growth is often unplanned - making it harder to increase urban sustainability

Question 17

List the different strategies for increasing sustainability used in different cities

Answer 17

1 reducing the number of cars on the road eg cycle lanes and park and ride schemes
2 increasing the amount of green spaces
3 improving urban waste disposal - introducing measures to reduce the waste sent to landfills eg recycling facilities, converting to incineration with energy recovery and encouraging people to compost green waste
4 reducing water use - authorities insist new buildings are fitted with water meters and water - ensuring people use less water
5 making buildings more efficient - governments offer incentives encouraging home owners and businesses to improve insulation and install solar panels.