Urban Sustianability Flashcards
Explain how housing shortages is a consequence of urban growth
Is will have different effects in different places
Developed countries: children am have to live with parents for longer
Developing countries: more people could end up living in overcrowded shanty towns, which leads to other problems such as poor health (insufficient and unclean water supplies and lack of sewage removal)
What is ecological footprint
Ecological footprint is how much a place will impact on natural resources
Explain how increased ecological footprint is a consequence of urban growth
More power will be needed as populations grow - more fossil fuels are burnt to produce the power, reduces fossil fuel available in the future
Explain how transport problems is a consequence of urban growth
Lots of people use bikes/scooters to get around in megacities in less developed countries, but as more people move in and become more affluent car ownership will increase
Which will cause an increase in pollution and the number of accidents
The transport system may not be able to cope so will find it more difficult to get around the city
Explain how increased effect on climate change is a consequence of urban growth
More greenhouse gases will be emitted because more power is used as the urban areas grow
It could cause climate change to accelerate
Some natural hazards are increasing because of climate change, eg. hydro-meteorological hazards, which means people may be at greater risk
What do urban areas need to become more
Sustainable
What is sustainable development
Growth in a way that people living now have the things they need, but without reducing the ability of people in the future getting what they need
Means developing in a way that doesn’t irreversibly damage the environment or use up resources faster than they can be replaced
Since megacities require so many resources what does this mean
It is unlikely any megacity could ever develop in a truly sustainable way
Eg. develop without depleting any non-renewable resources
Thing can be done though to develop in a way that is more sustainable
Name the things that can be done to make a place develop in s more sustainable way
Build more carbon-neutral homes Generates more power from renewable energy sources Recycling more waste Water conservation schemes Improved public transport
Explain how building more carbon-neutral homes would make a place develop in a way that is more sustainable
Buildings that generate as much energy as they use from sources that don’t damage the environment
Solar panels to produces energy, lots of insulation to reduce the amount of energy lost, e.g BedZED-carbon-neutral housing development in London
Provides homes without increasing technological footprint of the city
Carbon-neutral homes can be expensive to build so cannot always solve the problem
Explain how generating more power from renewable energy sources would make a place develop in a way that is more sustainable
Burning fossil fuels to generate power is not sustainable because they will run out
It also increases the rate of climate change -greenhouse gases produced
Megacities could use more power from sources that do not run out, eg. Los Angles use hydroelectric power from the Hoover Dam
Greater energy needs can be met without increasing the ecological footprint of a city -means people’s ability to generate power in the future is less affected
However, at the moment renewable energy sources cannot generate enough power on their own to support large cities
Explain how recycling more waste would make a place develop in a way that is more sustainable
Increased recycling means less resources used
Tins can be melted down and used to make more tin cans
Less waste produced reduces the amount at landfills -which are unsustainable because it uses up resources -finite resources (eg metal) that are thrown away and the resource of suitable landfill sites
Decomposition of landfill sites releases greenhouse gases
Explain how water conservation schemes would make a place develop in a way that is more sustainable
Only as much water should be taken from the environment as can be naturally replaced
If natural stores (lakes, groundwater) are reduced too much there will not be enough left for future generations
Water conservation schemes reduce the amount of water used, but do not affect how the needs of people using the water are met -eg. collecting rainwater for use in gardens or installing toilets that use less water to flush
Explain how improved public transport would make a place develop in a way that is more sustainable
Using buses, trains and teams that generate little or no harmful emissions
Some buses in London are powered by hydrogen and only emit water vapour
The electrical footprint of the city is reduced because the buses and trams are producing less harmful emissions
The number of buses and trains can also be increased as well as the area they cover
Improved public transport new works will mean fewer cars on the road, so emissions will be decreased further
Where are they attempting to build a sustainable city
China
What are they planning to build in China and what will it be called
An ‘Eco-city’ -a city that is as sustainable as possible
Called Dongtan
Where about in China is the new city to be built
Planned for the island of Chongming near Shanghai
What is the island in China where the city will be built currently used for
Currently wetland use for farming
Purpose of building the new city in China
Help solve problems of urban growth in Shanghai, but I’m a way that will help achieve more sustainable development
What are the plans for the new city in China
Carbon-neutral homes
Renewable energy production
Green transport strategies
Explain the plans for carbon-neutral homes in the new city in China
Housing designed to generate as much energy as possible as it uses
All homes will produce their own power (solar panels) all be well insulated to prevent energy loss (green roofs)
Dongtan will be more sustainable because it will provide housing to help Shanghai’s housing shortage -but the housing will not increase energy use/deplete the recourses availability in the city
Explain the plans for renewable energy production in the new city in China
City designed to generate all its own energy
Power provided by wind turbines outfits the city as well as smaller turbines on the buildings
Biofuels -generating power by burning waste biological materials be produced to provide the need of the population
Using biomass also means less waste goes to landfill
Explain the plans for green transport strategies in the new city in China
City is destined to have very low emissions
Vehicles that run on petrol/diesel will not be allowed in the city
Public transport system will use low-emission vehicles -solar powered water taxis along the canal
More sustainable because few emissions will be produced by the city’s transport system -but shouldn’t affect people’s ability to get around the city
Name the reasons why China’s sustainable urban living plan might not be achievable
Not enough governmental support for sustainable development
Costs a lot and takes a long time to build more sustainable urban areas
Even if all plans carried out in full, it would not be truly sustainable
Difficult to make existing urban areas sustainable
Explain how not enough governmental support for sustainable development may lead to the plan of China’s sustainable living not being achievable
Political leaders need to make and enforce laws to change the way urban areas are developed
Eg. Government has not renewed the planning permission for Dongtan -so some people do not think it will ever happen as it has been planned
Explain how the plan being expensive and taking a long time to build may lead to China’s sustainable living not being achievable
Shanghai’s urban growth problems may need cheaper/quicker solutions, so plans may be compromised to get it finished sooner
Explain how even if all the plans were carried out in full it still would not be truly sustainable may lead to the plan of China’s sustainable living not being achievable
Huge resources would be used to construct the city, and some emissions would be caused by housing and transport
Explain how it being difficult to make existing urban areas sustainable may lead to the plan of China’s sustainable living not being achievable
Even if new urban areas are made to be more sustainable, old urban areas are still unsustainable -they are using up resources and damaging the environment
Name the consequences of urban growth
Housing shortages
Increased ecological footprint
Transport problems
Increased effect of climate change
