Geography - Urban Livability/SUD

Question 1

Negative effects of Cities

Answer 1

• Occupy 2% of world’s surface, but uses 75% of world’s resources
• Consume two-thirds of world’s energy
• Produce over 70% of CO2

Question 2

Fear – reduced due to lighting

Answer 2

In 1970, installation of high intensity lighting in Columbia decreased crime rates by 30%

Question 3

Defining urban is difficult – demographic discrepancy

Answer 3

250 people in Denmark

30,000 in Japan

Question 4

Air Pollution – Beijing

Answer 4

In Jan 2013, Beijing

• prolonged bout of smog
• hazardous particles 40 times level deemed safe by WHO (world health organization)

In Dec 2015, Beijing issued red alerts for pollution

Question 5

Urbanisation – Definition

Answer 5

-an increasein the proportion of a country’s population that is classified as urban

Question 6

Percentages of urbanisation

Answer 6

1800 - 3% of world’s population
1998 - 48%
2025 - 60%

Question 7

Trends of urbanisation

Answer 7

LDC

• tremendous growth since 1950s
• since 1960s, 95% of urbanisation is due to LDCs
• 36% of people in LDCs lived in cities in 1995 (except Latin American Countries)
• In Brazil alone, between 1950-1975, total population increased by 400 million

DC

• tremendous growth since 1800, slowed down since 1980
• 73% of people in DCs lived in cities in 1995

Question 8

Master Plan 2008 in Singapore

Master Plan 2014

Answer 8

• focused more on livability (i.e. short term economic growth - built more petrochemical industries
• did not focus on sustainability

Question 9

Needs – employment

Answer 9

60 million new jobs need to be created every year

Question 10

Sino-Tianjin Eco City
(balances economic, environmental needs)

vs. The Compact City
(sustainable, but not livable – traffic congestion, high density housing)

Answer 10

• In 2009 - one-third of land is wasteland
  NOW
• 100% rainwater recycled
• more than 60% of waste recycled
• non-pollutive sectors; generated 4.1 billion

Question 11

2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development

Answer 11

17 SD goals (by 2030) to:

• end poverty
• inequality
• climate change

Question 12

Why focus on urban sustainability?

Answer 12

• Demographic pressures
• rise of megacities
• inequality
• environmental pressures

Question 13

European Green City Index

mainly environmental

Answer 13

• 30 European cities
• 30 indicators to compare
• done by independent agency – EIU

Question 14

Ecological Footprint (EF)

Answer 14

-Today’s ecological footprint; 23% larger than what the planet can regenerate

Question 15

Factors influencing EF

Answer 15

• Technology (efficiency resources are used)
• Development and Consumption (widening gap)
• Population (pop. growth)

Question 16

EF of different countries

Answer 16

EF of:

• Africa/Asian – less than 1.4 million ha per person
• European – 4.0 ha per person

Note: more than 1.9 ha is unsustainable

Question 17

Agenda 21

• Green
• Brown
• Blue

Answer 17

UK Green Agenda (economic and environmental)

• more individual based
• carbon credit card

Question 18

Define SUD

Answer 18

Development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of the future generations to meet their own needs

Question 19

Population Growth

Answer 19

• 7 billion today

- 11 billion in 2100

Question 20

Urban metabolism

Answer 20

The sum tool of the technical and socioeconomic processes that occur in cities, resulting in growth production of energy and elimination of waste

Question 21

Urban as a physical entity

Answer 21

Need clear definition and criteria

Question 22

Urban as a quality

Answer 22

Related more to the meaning of urban places and the effect of the urban environment on people’s lifestyles