Urban Sustainability Flashcards
What are the aims of North West Bicester creating 6000 new Eco-Towns?
To create a vibrant and sustainable neighbourhood where:
- Families can afford to live
- Jobs are created for local people
- Children can play outdoors safely
- Wildlife can thrive
- And there’s a strong community spirit
What standards does a town have to meet to become an eco-town?
Homes = at least 30% should be affordable (economically sustainable) Employment = There should be at least one job per household which is in walking distance. Energy = The town should be carbon neutral so that it uses no more energy than it produces. Services = Schools and other essential services should be within walking distance of homes Space = At least 40% of the town should be green open space. Transport = Less than half of all journeys should be by car. Waste = The town should have above average re-cycling rates.
Challenges to Sustainability
- Poor quality housing in inner cities or shanty towns and high youth under employment and unemployment
- Lack of universal water supplies (LICs) and inadequate waste management/disposal practices. Over consumption (HICs)
- Increasing wealth gap between poorest and wealthiest in urban society. Social polarisation.
- Lack of access to nutritious affordable food for poorest citizens. High quantities of food waste in landfill.
- Use of polluting energy sources (coal) leading to air pollution (NICs). Energy wastage through poorly designed buildings
- Higher rainfall, increased flood risks. Higher temperatures and consequent use of air conditioning.
Opportunities to Sustainability
- To regenerate areas suffering through deindustrialisation (HICs) or shanty towns which develop through rapid urbanisation (LICS) to create improved homes and employment opportunities
- To improve recycling and waste management systems and to reduce over consumption. This to be done through incentives to householders and subsidies to companies.
- To increase employment in new service occupations (HICs) and in formal occupations (LICs). Investments in green infrastructure and strategies to create sustainable employment
- To invest in urban intensive agriculture, reduce food subsidies and develop organic/composting strategies
- To invest in green energy solutions such as solar panels, solar cookers (LICs) and wind turbines. Improved building design and insulation.
- To invest in green energies, reduce use of cars in urban environments. Subsidies for green public transport. All to reduce carbon outputs
What are the features of a sustainable city?
- Green and efficient transport systems = This is likely to focus on public transport but can include restrictions on car usage. Integrated transport systems are ones which are connective
- Green built environments = which use energy and water efficiently and produce low amounts of MSW. Carbon neutral developments are the aim.
- Planned urban expansion = with a focus on compact cities in which brownfield sites are regenerated before greenfield sites are used
- Green spaces = are preserved and enhanced creating by SuDs and wildlife habitats to reduce flood risk and enhance biodiversity
- Historic and cultural sites = are preserved and made accessible to the community to develop a sense of pride and attachment
Define Liveability
This refers to the features of a city which determine the quality of life for its inhabitants.
What are the features of liveability?
Liveability includes:
•Economic prosperity
•Built and natural environments
•Social and political stability
•Cultural and entertainment opportunities
•Infrastructure including transport, education, access to services and health care
What does a sustainable city provide?
A sustainable city provides the following for all of its citizens:
•Employment and a high standard of living (Ec)
•A clean, healthy environment (En)
•Good governance (So)
In other words it looks after the social, economic and environmental ‘well being’ of its population now and in the future. All 3 ‘dimensions of sustainability’ must be considered.
Define Ecological Footprints
This is a way to measure the environmental impact of a city. It is the area of land and water needed to produce the resources a population uses and absorb the waste it produces.
What type of areas have a high ecological footprint?
• Urban areas have a greater footprint than rural areas. The wealthier the city the larger the footprint as more resources are consumed and more waste produced.
Example: London’s footprint covers an area twice as big as the whole of the UK
Why are Cities a Threat to Local and Global Environments?
- Cities are a threat to both local and global environments
- They consume 75% of the world resources and generate most of the world’s waste and air pollution
- The impact of a city can be measured using something called an ecological footprint. The average person’s global footprint is 2.7 GHa
Describe A Sustainable City as a System
A sustainable city is a circular system.
Where there are inputs of people, food goods and conservation + use of renewable energy
There is recycling of inorganic waste (e.g paper and plastic) and organic waste (e.g Water and compost)
Therefore, there is reduced Outputs
These are called green/eco-Cities
Examples: Curitiba in Brazil
Describe An Unsustainable City as a System
An unsustainable city is a linear system.
Where there are inputs of people, food goods and conservation + use of non-renewable energy
There is no recycling of inorganic waste (e.g paper and plastic) and organic waste (e.g Water and compost)
Therefore, there are outputs of waste (inorganic and organic waste dumped in Landfill and rivers), air pollution (releasing carbon, nitrogen and sulfur dioxides), and wealth, goods, services and sprawl
These are usually in mega-cities
Examples: London, England
Why is it easier for urban areas to become sustainable rather than rural areas?
- Governments may invest more in urban sustainability initiatives than rural ones as it benefits more people
- Understanding of the importance of urban sustainability has increased – this encourages more research and investment into how urban areas can be more sustainable
- People are more densely concentrated in cities than in rural areas, so provision of services and public transport is easier and cheaper
Why is it difficult to achieve urban sustainability?
- Requires significant investment (some cities can’t afford it)
- Cities are growing, services need to expand rapidly to meet needs
- Some people are unwilling to change habits e.g. drive less
- Some cities don’t have appropriate infrastructure e.g. roads too narrow to build cycle lanes
