13 February 2012 | Linton Nightingale
Carbon, Sustainable Cities

 

One would easily be forgiven for thinking that a sustainable city was simply another term for reducing carbon emissions, but creating a sustainable city involves a plethora of processes. Some cities have taken this to heart and made significant strides, whereas others have made particular progress in one area or another, but are yet to bring this together into a coherent vision for a sustainable city.

So what makes a sustainable city? How many different aspects of sustainability are there? Of course the answer depends on the city in question, but there are some general themes one can pull out.

Sustainable building and retrofitting, combined with sustainable transport are key. A city where the citizens cannot move freely around will waste significant productive time and create pollution. Similarly a city with a majority renewable energy powered grid may not be as energy efficient as a city with an insulation scheme.

Yet renewable sources of energy are indeed important. Citizens in the US for example are using around six times as much carbon per capita than the planet can sustain. This is completely unsustainable, especially with the developing world rapidly catching up. The use of micro-generation and large scale renewable energy plants are essential in this regard, meaning people can continue to use power hungry consumer goods, without creating huge amounts of emissions. This is sometimes known as carbon intensity, i.e. less carbon is generated for each unit of electricity.

Carbon emissions are not the only indicator for sustainability however. Modern day consumer goods are using up vital and irreplaceable resources, such as Nobel gasses like Helium, which is due to run out in the next 50 years, and rare earth metals like lanthanum, cerium, tantalum, neodymium and europium. These elements are crucial to some green technologies, like solar panels and consumer electronics. New sources or a means to recycle them need to be developed urgently, especially when countries like China hold 85% of the worlds reserves of rare earth metals, and the United States hold most of the world’s Helium.

So it is clear that making one part of the chain sustainable is an oxymoron. There are many places where emissions can be cut and savings can be made however. Smart technologies and ICT can change the way people work, cutting the need for transport and energy use.

Water will be an essential part of future cities. As populations grow and climate change reduces the available supply in some parts, the strain on water supply means that cities will need to adapt to the change. Encouraging the use of water saving technology and intelligent use of waste water is essential. Similarly, waste management technology needs to be up to the task of dealing with sewage from larger, denser cities.

To create a sustainable city, one has to also address other pressing issues. High crime rates and poor standards of emergency services limit the performance of a city in the same way that a clogged roads system would, reducing the productivity of its citizens. One could also categorise social justice in this bracket.

Perhaps more important than all of this, is how the process of becoming a sustainable city is managed. To create a sustainable city, one needs a competent city council able to make progress happen. Finance is also key, with the city able to gain grants and loans which enable them to move forward with sustainability plans. Development banks can be key players in this area.

It therefore takes a multitude of aspects to create a sustainable city. It is a complex redesign of how the city functions, and in that respect, perhaps one more factor should be considered. Cities must be able to work together to create sustainability. Cooperation and knowledge sharing is crucial. Some cities are considerably less able to make large scale changes, and so support must be available to them to create sustainable change.

Image 1: Perth City Scape | Steve | Wiki Commons

Image 2: Helium | Vuerqex | Wiki Commons

Image 3: Police Bicycles | Les Chatfield | Wiki Commons

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