CUE: Sustainability

Question 1

What is sustainability?

Answer 1

Meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs

Question 2

What is an ecological footprint?

Answer 2

An individuals ecological footprint is the amount of land needed to produce everything an individual consumes - food, water, fuel, etc.
—> the footprint of an area combines the footprints of all the residents

Question 3

What makes a sustainable city?

Answer 3

An urban area which provides residents with employment, a high standard of living, a clean and healthy environment and fair gov for all.

Question 4

What is liveability?

Answer 4

The sum of factors that add up to a communities quality of life - including the built and natural environments, economic prosperity, social stability and equity, educational opportunity and cultural, entertainment and recreation possibilities

Question 5

What does liveability depend upon?

Answer 5

Job opportunities, crime rates, open space, access to education - different factors have different meaning for different people.

Question 6

What are the opportunities of becoming a sustainable city?

Answer 6

• people are densely concentrated in cities so the provision of services can be easier and cheaper than in rural areas.
• understanding the importance of sustainability has grown over the years
• govs are increasingly investing in sustainable ideas in cities as they benefit more people

Question 7

What are some of the challenges in becoming a sustainable city?

Answer 7

• Somethings can be annoying (e.g. cycle lanes)
• requires significant investment
• many cities continue to grow so the issue is ongoing and increasing
• some people are unwilling to change their habits
• some cities have poor or unsuitable infrastructure - e.g. roads to narrow to add cycle lanes, etc.
• fats urbanisation rates makes it difficult to meet the needs of ever-growing population

Question 8

What are some of the environmental features of a liveable city?

Answer 8

• renewable energy (e.g incentives for residents to install solar panels on rooftops)
• developing brownfield sites rather than greenfield sites
• water conservation (e.g. rainwater recycling schemes)
• air quality is high
• recycling collection schemes
• biodiversity is high (e.g. woodlands)
• river restoration schemes put in place
• energy efficiency is prioritised when building new homes, e.g. loft insulation, cavity wall insulation, sun-facing living rooms

Question 9

What are some of the economic features of a liveable city?

Answer 9

• encouraging compact cities - e.g. ‘30 minute city’ concept (all services and work are within 30 minutes of a resident)
• designing and building efficient and affordable public transport (prioritised over cars)
• secure jobs and career opportunities are available to all residents - these jobs are well-paid

Question 10

What are some of the social features of a liveable city?

Answer 10

• good provision of schools and healthcare services
• safe neighbourhoods (crime is low)
• community links are strong and communities work together to deal with issues
• cultural and social amenities available to all - e.g. free entry to museums, galleries and festivals

Question 11

What is the natural dimension of sustainable pity?

Answer 11

Natural sustainability considers how successfully the environment is managed, such as the use of natural resources, waste and ecosystems
- if a city is naturally sustainable, waste and resource use is minimal, emissions are controlled and renewable energy is used.

Question 12

What are the physical dimensions of sustainability?

Answer 12

Physical sustainability is the ability for the city’s resources to support current and future populations
- good housing, transport and amenities should be available to all residents (and generations to come) in order for a city to be physically sustainable.

Question 13

What are some of the social dimensions of sustainability?

Answer 13

Social sustainability is ensuring the residents of cities have a good quality of life, with access to public services, good living conditions and leisure activities.
- socially sustainable cities must also be socially cohesive; people should be tolerant and respectful of each other.

Question 14

What are the economic dimensions of sustainability?

Answer 14

Economic sustainability is the ability for a city to grow economically, and its ability to continue to grow for future generations without causing any negative effects
- access to ethical, well-paid jobs and a well-funded council is needed to ensure economic growth continues.

Question 15

What is the BEDZED London strategy?

Answer 15

• 1st large scale 0 carbon community (mixed use)
• truly sustainable from beginning
• over 100 homes and office space
• insulated and air-tight
• electricity sourced from renewable energy’s (solar panels)
• good transport links (trains and buses)
• car share spot (carpool)
• high density development (yet open-spaces, benches, etc)
• better quality of life (community spirit, etc.)
• very expensive (not everyone can afford it)

Question 16

What is the Santander Cycle scheme in London?

Answer 16

• ‘Borris Bikes’ - he hoped bikes would become as common black cabs and red buses in the capital
• study showed using this scheme, cyclists are 3x less likely to be injured compared to normal cyclists
• 49% say the scheme has prompted them to start cycling
• record for cycle hires in a single day is 73,000
• healthier and more active life and improving the quality of air
• expensive - committed average £154m per year from the major Sadiq Khan for the next 5 years
• could cause more road rage
• bikes are as little as £2 and no need to book
• not a culture of cycling and maybe not a correct infrastructure (e.g. cycle routes)

Question 17

What is the East Village sustainable community scheme in London?

Answer 17

• a sustainable urban community part of the 2012 Olympic legacy. The athletics village was converted into residential housing after the games.
• East village provides 2,800 homes for both new comers and local residents
  High density urban area yet there are 10 hectares of green space (this is more than a third of the area as a whole)
• has a wetland area with ponds where rainwater is recycled for use in homes for flushing toilets
• a large Central Park and playground for children
• green roofs on top of apartment blocks to attract birds and slow water drainage
• shared private green space within each apartment block
• an orchard with fruit trees
• affordable housing
• lists of transport links
• many shops and services and car parks

Question 18

What was the congestion charge scheme in London?

Answer 18

• £11.50 daily charge for driving a vehicle within the charging zone between 7am-6pm mon-fri
• range of exempts and discounts for certain people
• introduced in feb 2003, to combat huge traffic jams that clogged central London
• lead to a 20% reduction in 4-wheeled traffic
• cutting approx 40-50m litres of vehicle fuel consumption inside the zone and total of 100,000 tonnes of CO2 emissions annually across London
• charge raise £122m annually —> implementing in energy efficient transport
• little evidence it actually improves air quality.

Question 19

What are some of the environmental issues in Mumbai?

Answer 19

• 700,000 cars on heavily congested roads - a growth of 57% in 8 years. Middle-class vehicle ownership has increased significantly while there has been limited investment in mass rapid transit systems
• the built environment has increased fourfold since 1925 at the cost of green cover and wetlands
• informal recycling is carried out by some mumbaikers but their is no clear gov separation or recycling
• lacks open space for residents. There is less that 0.03 acres of open space per 100 people. This compares to 12 in London
• Nitric and nitrogen oxide pollution levels are dangerously high - more than 3 x the safe limit
• Mumbai discards 11,000 metric tonnes of rubbish everyday and the landfills are overflowing
• between 2005 to 2015, Mumbai has incurred losses of worth £1.3 million due to flooding

Question 20

Why are their environmental issues in Mumbai?

Answer 20

• there are many social and environmental issues due to the rapid and unplanned urbanisation in and around Mumbai
• infrastructure and regulations have not kept up with the rate of urbanisation and pop growth

Question 21

How can these waste management problems in slums be solved?

Answer 21

• waste segregation and composting - Earth5R team trained many housing complexes to segregate their waste and has installed composting bins to turn composting waste into manure to be used in the community and to grow saplings, etc.
• up cycling fabric scraps into dolls - Earth5R designed ‘coffee dolls’ from fabric scraps and coffee grinds from a local coffee shop. Women in slums are trained how to make them and started their independent businesses by selling their dolls
• up cycling waste paper bags - people in slums trained to make paper bags out of newspapers and sold them, generating good income

Question 22

How may air pollution with transportation be reduced in places like Mumbai?

Answer 22

Mumbai is trying to reduce the falling use of and maintenance of public transport, growth in number of private vehicles and traffic congestion by:
- encouraging the use of public transport by reducing the transit fare
- adopting a 0 emission electric buses in the city under BEST and NMMT (Navi Mumbai Municipal Transport)

Question 23

How does Mumbai use renewable energy and water harvesting?

Answer 23

What are some of the few steps to implement solar energy are already on way with in Mumbai:
- Mumbai Central Railway taking a step towards solar power run railway stations
- Mumbai Western Railway suburbs installing solar-powered charging stations
- Solar panels were installed at the Indian Navys Western Naval Command station in Navi Mumbai. This step will cater to nearly one third of the stations annual requirement
Mumbai experiences monsoon with heavy rains but the city runs dry by the summer next year. Implementing water harvesting practises will greatly help the city.

Question 24

What is the Mithi River Clean Up?

Answer 24

By Earth5R working in partnership with many other supports and aims of the scheme is:
- awareness training and hands on workshops on effective solid waste management
- cleaning the river catchment area to protect ecosystems and ensure a healthy environment
- recycling and converting the collected waste into valuable fuels, chemicals, bio-energy and bio-fertiliser, instead of sending it to the landfills
The system:
- concentrated and collects floating waste in river
- sorts the waste
- recyclable plastics will be recycled
- the low-value/mixed plastic waste will be converted into oil by the process of Pyrolysis (0 emission technology and makes oils with 70% conversion rate and runs on its fuel)
—> this reduces plastic waste entering oceans through the river
—> create a more sustainable circular economy