Sustainable Cities: Balancing People, Planet, Prosperity

1. FEM 3335Sustainable Cities Assoc Prof Dr Sharifah Norazizan Syed Abd Rashid, APPM Department of Social & Development Science Faculty of Human Ecology Universiti Putra Malaysia sharifah@putra.upm.edu.my

2. Content • Sustainable Cities - Why the focus on cities? - Definitions and Basic Principle - What makes a city sustainable? • Urban 21 Conference –Quality of Life • New Concepts Compact City; Eco City; Healthy City; Safe City • Practice

3. Why the Focus on Cities? • The majority of the global population live in cities in 2008 and predictions suggest that the figure will have reached 70% by 2050. • Furthermore, cities are currently responsible for up to 70% of global greenhouse gas emissions but only take up 2% of the world's land area. • This shows that the scale of the sustainability challenge in the urban built environment is vast, tackling it is vital to creating long-term, systemic and sustainable change. Ref: Eugenie Birch and Susan Wachter Global Urbanization

4. Basic sustainability principles In the Sustainable Society, Nature is not subject to systematically increasing... 1 …concentrations of substances from the Earth’s crust. 2 …concentrations of substances produced by society. 3 …degradation by physical means. 4 … people are not subject to conditions that systematically undermine their capacity to meet their needs or the needs of future generations.

5. Sustainable City Being a sustainable city means "improving the quality of life in a city, including ecological, cultural, political, institutional, social and economic components without leaving a burden on future generations...." Urban21 Conference, Berlin, July 2000

6. Pillars of Sustainable City " Economy, ecology and social cohesion are the pillars of a sustainable city. These must be in balance and therefore require an integrated approach. Dialogue is the basic principle for achieving this for Local Agenda 21."

7. Sustainable City Cities have become the focal points as major consumers and distributors of goods and services. However, many cities tend to be large consumers of goods and services, while draining resources out of external regions that they depend on. As a result of increasing consumption of resources, and growing dependencies on trade, the ecological impact of cities extends beyond their geographic locations.

8. Problems and Pressures of Cities • Cities are increasingly becoming the engines of national economic growth and the magnets for new residents flooding in from rural areas. Globalization is having a significant effect on cities, forcing them to compete for international business with other cities worldwide and within their own countries. • As a result, the sustainability of cities is under pressure. Decision-makers at all levels are faced with the task of how to resolve urban problems from transportation to waste management, from drinking water supply to the preservation of urban green space

9. A city is only considered to be sustainable when: • It follows a development path where the present progress does not take place at the expense of future generations (i.e. bad planning, debt, environmental degradation, etc. does not export present problems to the future). • There is an equilibrium between different issues. In other words, the goal is an across-the-board development, instead of handling issues one by one.

10. SUSTAINABLE BALANCE • Environmental Integrity • Economic Vitality • Community Well Being • Cultural Enhancement PEOPLE, PLANET, PROSPERITY AND PRESERVATION

11. http://blog.cunysustainablecities.org/tag/architecture/ http://www.urbanlab.com/h2o/ http://growingwater.com/ http://www.sustainablecitiesnet.com/ http://www.livingcityblock.org/ The concept of Sustainable Cities

12. Urbanization continues to increase steadily and the numbers and sizes of urban areas are growing rapidly, especially in developing countries. What Are the Major Population Trends in Urban Areas?

13. Economy URBANIZATION Population

14. Urbanization Urban growth Natural increase Immigration from rural areas Pushed from rural areas to urban areas Pulled to urban areas from rural areas Half of the World’s Population Live in Urban Areas

15. Four major trends Proportion of global population living in urban areas is increasing Number and size of urban areas is mushrooming Megacities, hypercities Urban growth slower in developed countries Poverty is becoming increasingly urbanized; mostly in developing countries cont

16. Urban Areas in Crisis • Severe air pollution • Water pollution • 50% Unemployment • Deafening noise • Overcrowding • Traffic congestion • Inadequate public transportation • slums (barrios), squatter settlements, ghettos, etc • What progress is being made?

17. Global Outlook: Satellite Image of Major Urban Areas Throughout the World

18. Most cities are unsustainable because of high levels of resource use, waste, pollution, and poverty. But – what’s the alternative? What Are the Major Urban Resource and Environmental Problems?

19. Centers of: Economic development Innovation Education Technological advances Jobs Environmental advantages Urbanization Has Advantages

20. Huge ecological footprints Lack vegetation Water problems Concentrate pollution and health problems Excessive noise etc Urbanization Has Disadvantages

21. Inputs Outputs Energy Solid wastes Waste heat Food Air pollutants Water Water pollutants Raw materials Greenhouse gases Manufactured goods Manufactured goods Noise Money Wealth Information Ideas

22. Permanent damage begins after 8-hour exposure Noise Levels (in dbA) 85 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100 110 120 130 140 150 Earphones at loud level Quiet rural area Boom cars Normal breathing Rainfall Vacuum cleaner Lawn mower Rock music Normal conversation Quiet room Thunderclap (nearby) Chain saw Average factory Air raid siren Military rifle Whisper

23. Slums Squatter settlements Shantytowns Terrible living conditions What can governments do to help? Life Is a Desperate Struggle for the Urban Poor in Developing Countries

24. Global Outlook: Extreme Poverty Forces Hundreds of Millions to Live in Slums

25. Urban area in crisis Severe air pollution Water pollution 50% Unemployment Deafening noise Overcrowding Traffic congestion Inadequate public transportation 1/3 live in slums (barrios) or squatter settlements What progress is being made? Mexico CityExtreme example

26. Compact cities Hong Kong, China Tokyo, Japan Mass transit Dispersed cities U.S. and Canada Car-centered cities Cities Can Grow Outward or Upward

27. Advantages Mobility and convenience Jobs in Production and repair of vehicles Supplying fuel Building roads Status symbol Disadvantages Largest source of outdoor air pollution Accidents: death and injury Helped create urban sprawl Traffic congestion Motor Vehicles Have Advantages and Disadvantages (1)

28. Full-cost pricing: high gasoline taxes Difficult to pass in the United States Strong public opposition Mass transit: not an option in most cities Dispersed nature of the U.S. A tax shift? Reducing Automobile Use Is Not Easy, but It Can Be Done

29. Raise parking fees Tolls on roads, tunnels, and bridges into major cities Car-sharing Charge a fee to drive into a major city cont

30. Bicycles Heavy-rail systems Light-rail systems Buses Rapid-rail system between urban areas Some Cities Are Promoting Alternatives to Car Ownership

31. TRADE-OFFS Bicycles Advantages Disadvantages Affordable Little protection in an accident Produce no pollution Do not protect riders from bad weather Quiet Impractical for long trips Require little parking space Can be tiring (except for electric bicycles) Easy to maneuver in traffic Take few resources to make Lack of secure bike parking

32. TRADE-OFFS Mass Transit Rail Advantages Disadvantages Expensive to build and maintain Uses less energy and produces less air pollution than cars Cost-effective only along a densely populated corridor Requires less land than roads and parking areas for cars Commits riders to transportation schedules Causes fewer injuries and deaths than cars Can cause noise and vibration for nearby residents Reduces car congestion in cities

33. TRADE-OFFS Buses Advantages Disadvantages Can be rerouted as needed Can lose money because they need low fares to attract riders Can get caught in traffic and add to pollution Cost less to develop and maintain than heavy-rail system Commits riders to transportation schedules Can greatly reduce car use and air pollution Noisy

34. TRADE-OFFS Rapid Rail Advantages Disadvantages Can reduce travel by car or plane Expensive to run and maintain Must operate along heavily used routes to be profitable Ideal for trips of 200–1,000 kilometers (120–620 miles) Causes noise and vibration for nearby residents Much more energy efficient per rider than a car or plane

35. Potential Routes for High-Speed Bullet Trains in the U.S. and Parts of Canada

36. Urban land-use planning can help to reduce uncontrolled sprawl and slow the resulting degradation of air, water, land, biodiversity, and other natural resources. How Important Is Urban Land Use Planning?

37. Land-use planning Encourages future population growth Economic development Revenues: property taxes Environmental and social consequences Zoning Mixed-use zoning Conventional Land-Use Planning

38. Smart growth Reduces dependence on cars Controls and directs sprawl Cuts wasteful resource Europe : Compact Cities Smart Growth Works

39. Limits and Regulations Protection Preserve existing open space Buy new open space Limit building permits Buy development rights that prohibit certain types of development on land parcels Urban growth boundaries Greenbelts around cities Public review of new development Taxes Tax land, not buildings Zoning Tax land on value of actual use (such as forest and agriculture) instead of on highest value as developed land Encourage mixed use of housing and small businesses Concentrate development along mass transportation routes Tax Breaks For owners agreeing not to allow certain types of development (conservation easements) Promote high-density cluster housing developments For cleaning up and developing abandoned urban sites (brownfields) Planning Ecological land-use planning Revitalization and New Growth Revitalize existing towns and cities Environmental impact analysis Build well-planned new towns and villages within cities Integrated regional planning State and national planning SOLUTIONS Smart Growth Tools

40. Urban growth boundary U.S. states: Washington, Oregon, and Tennessee Municipal parks U.S. cities: New York City and San Francisco Greenbelts Canadian cities: Vancouver and Toronto Western European cities Preserving and Using Open Space

41. Central Park, New York City, USA

42. An ecocity allows people to: choose walking, biking, or mass transit for most transportation needs; recycle or reuse most of their wastes; grow much of their food; and protect biodiversity by preserving surrounding land. How Can Cities Become More Sustainable and Livable?

43. Conventional housing development Cluster development New urbanism, old villageism Walkability Mixed-use and diversity Quality urban design Environmental sustainability Smart transportation New Urbanism Is Growing

44. Example of planning housing development that gives priority and safeguard the natural landscape – the creek, rivers and pond are maintained.

45. Creek Undeveloped land Marsh

46. Typical housing development Fig. 22-18b, p. 605

47. Cluster Creek Cluster housing development Cluster Pond

48. Ecocities or green cities Build and redesign for people Use renewable energy resources Recycle and purify water Use energy and matter resources efficiently Prevent pollution and reduce waste Recycle, reuse and compost municipal waste Protect and support biodiversity Urban gardens; farmers markets Zoning and other tools for sustainability The Ecocity Concept: Cities for People Not Cars

49. Rooftop greenhouses Sun Works: designs energy-efficient greenhouses Growing Power and Will Allen http://www.growingpower.org/ Hydroponic gardens Skyscraper farms Ecological advantages and disadvantages Growing localvore and organic food movement http://www.foodfightthedoc.com/foodfight.html Science Focus: Urban Indoor Farming

50. Greenroofs – EPA Building in Denver