SUSTAINABLE CITIES Assignment 2 Learning & Communication – Online Informational Resource

By: Diane James

Tabitha Watson

CONTENTS

Introduction Definition A Sustainable Home Sustainable Cities Index and A.C.W Werribee Plains Project Sustainable Energy Going Dutch – Cycling

in the Netherlands Sustainable Water

Solution in Adelaide Conclusion

INTRODUCTION

Sustainability, eco-friendly, climate change! So much negative press abounds about the horrors we face without humanity changing its attitude towards the

environment.

We are mother’s and we are conscious of the state of the world and what will inevitably be our family’s and future generation’s inheritance if the world does not

embrace sustainability especially in our cities.

BUT We are in no way experts on the issues!!!

We are keen to highlight some of the positive changes being embraced and experimented with around the world; turning our cities globally into

(more) sustainable cities.

DEFINE SUSTAINABLE CITIES A sustainable city is designed with consideration of environmental impact,

inhabited by people dedicated to minimization of required inputs of energy, water, and food, and waste output of heat, air pollution – CO2 and methane and water pollution.

The field of industrial ecology is sometimes used in planning these cities. There is no completely agreed upon definition, but experts agree that it

should meet the needs of the present without sacrificing the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. The idea is to create the smallest possible ecological footprint, to produce the lower quantity of pollution possible, to efficiently use land, compost used materials, recycle or convert waste to energy, thus the cities overall contribution to climate change will be minimal.

Urban systems can be more environmentally sustainable than rural or suburban living. With people and resources located so close to one another it is possible to save energy and resources , things such as food transportation and mass transit systems. Finally, cities benefit from locating in one relatively small geographic area.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/sustainable_city Diane James

HOW TO CREATE A SUSTAINABLE HOME

Australia is the biggest per capita emitter of greenhouse gas in the world.

On the following site, there are some suggestions on how to build a sustainable home. For example; how to orientate it taking advantage of the sun; to build a smaller home; thermal performance of materials; embodied energy- energy consumed by all the processes associated with the production of a material.

For more information there are sites on “Department of Climate Change” and Sustainable Energy Association”.

There is also a Perth based design firm called “Solar Dwellings”, run by Griff Morris.

onegreenstep.com.au/wordpress/tag/sustainable-cities

Diane James

SUSTAINABLE CITIES INDEX AND A.C.F SUBMISSION

The Sustainable Cities Index measures the largest twenty cities across fifteen indicators using environmental quality of life and resilience performance as indicators.

This is from the ACF (Australian Conservation Foundation) website. There is an interesting Australian example of sustainability here on the Werribee Plains Project.

In March 2011,the federal government invited submissions on the development of national urban policy. A.C.F’s submission had the following key elements for making our cities more ecologically sustainable and liveable: Develop sustainability framework with indicators and targets. Vastly improves our cities planning and land use regimes. Increase funding for public and active transport and clean distributed energy. Ensure rapid progress towards carbon neutral cities. Find ways to create a step change increase in energy and water efficiency. Invest in behaviour change and education training. Government, industry and community collaboration.

We will have to watch this space to see how our country responds to these challenges. Referencehttp://www.acfonline.org.au/be-informed/sustainable-living Diane James/

WERRIBEE PLAINS PROJECT Werribee is located on the western outskirts of Melbourne. A.C.F. developed a framework for Werribee Plains which explores a

range of practical yet ambitious solutions to massively reduce the ecological footprint of the region. Funded by the Victorian Government.

It is one of Victoria’s fastest growing areas, home to 650,000 people, and growing to over one million by 2030.

More people means more land, buildings, transport, and energy. The local economy is good, and the idea is to protect the fragile areas of native grassland. It also has unique state and National Parks, RAMSAR listed wetlands.

They developed a model which used targets to address issues such as water management, transport, land use change, biodiversity, and climate change.

Funded through Dept. Of Sustainability and Environment. Six Publications were created for Werribee. One example of what occurred as a result was the Werribee District

Recycled Water Scheme. http://www.water.vic.gov.au/initiatives/recycling/werribee Diane James

WERRIBEE IRRIGATION DISTRICT RECYCLED WATER SCHEME This scheme supplies millions of litres of class A recycled water

to farmer’s for irrigating crops. This scheme began in 2005, and has economic, environmental and social benefits as follows:

It provides Werribee market gardener’s with a secure supply of high quality water.

Eases pressure on existing water supplies Reduces the amount of treated water discharged into Port

Phillip Bay. Recycled water is produced from treated water, that would

normally be discharged into the bay. No longer regarded as waste but as a valuable resource. It is a drought prone area, and the supply of recycled water is reliable and much less affected by drought.

The water produced at a recycled water plant built by Melbourne water. It uses state of the art technology to meet strict EPA requirements. Some of this water is pumped back to the recycling plant where it is treated with ultra violet light and chlorination systems, then pumped to Southern Rural Waters existing distribution system, where it is mixed with river water.

This recycled water can be used to support sustainable development in the Werribee area. It could be for tourist areas to provide water for gardens and toilet flushing in the new housing developments and to provide a secure source of water for industry.

http://www.water.vic.gov.au/initiatives/recycling/werribee Diane James

SUSTAINABLE ENERGY

“Electricity is the lifeblood of our modern society. Whether we like it or not, we have become dependant on energy to power our homes, cars and industry. With major energy shortages combined with the need to take a hard line on climate change, there has never been a better time to embrace clean and sustainable technology. With our government failing to act on smart energy options for our future, as consumers we are left with little choice but to instil a bottom up approach to change. This involves everything from deciding on energy sensitive items from the supermarket to installing solar panels on homes. It is also important to understand that there is a vastly untapped free energy out there which we do have the technology to access cheaply, safely and efficiently for many decades to come. With energy shortages and the brink of irreversible climate change just over the horizon, it is in our national and global interest to understand, harness and embrace sustainable energy alternatives”.

Taken from : http://www.sustainableenergy.com.au Diane James

GOING DUTCH – CYCLING IN THE NETHERLANDS

A 2009 report by the Dutch Ministry for Transport and Water (http://www.fietsberaad.nl/library/repository/bestanden/CyclingintheNetherlands2009.pdf) asserts that cycling is the cleanest most sustainable, let alone the healthiest and most relaxing transportation method. It is quiet and, by all accounts, cycling puts the cyclist in a good mood in preparation for the work/school day.

Cycling has become so successful and so widely accepted in the Netherlands that the Dutch now actively support and promote cycling to other countries around the world because of its sustainability as a method of transport.

I really wanted to embed this YouTube clip from the Netherlands ‘Rush hour in Utrecht’ but it’s not working, sorry, the link is below:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n-AbPav5E5M&playnext=1&list=TL0qLRgzT2fdQ

GOING DUTCH – CYCLING IN THE NETHERLANDS

The report goes on to further discuss the evolution of cycling in Holland, claiming the Dutch became advocates of cycling originally not because of the positive effects on the environment but rather the Netherlands, in places, has an environment and layout conducive to cycling with cities and urban hubs built on flat terrain creating ideal cycling environments.

However an article in the Guardian Newspaper (UK) says the shift to cycling in urban centers in the Netherlands occurred in the 1970’s as backlash against a ‘child-killing car centered policy’ http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/bike-blog/2011/oct/27/bike-blog-going-dutch-lanes

GOING DUTCH – CYCLING IN THE NETHERLANDSNow other cities looking to promote sustainable methods of transport look

to the Netherlands and rightly so. The lessons learnt in the Netherlands are applicable across the world, if cycling is to be promoted then

governments must have a strong cycling policy that is ‘pro-cycling’. Policy must also include development and maintenance of good cycling

infrastructure, paths, roads and signs easy for cyclists to see etc.

As far as the sustainability of the economy there was fear that cyclists would contribute little to the economy, especially within

the retail sector compared to someone driving a car. This has been found true per purchase transaction but over time cyclists frequent retailers more often so the difference in spending per

transaction is accounted for.

GOING DUTCH – CYCLING IN THE NETHERLANDS

Cycling ticks many sustainability boxes, and more offering relaxation and promotion of good health. Something to pursue in most cities (even hilly

Sydney, maybe not San Francisco). In Australia on weekends especially, many cyclists can be seen out and about.

One downside in Australia is covering the distance between major cities. Perhaps stronger public transport links could be developed to connect cyclists from major city to city, there is no scope in the assignment to discuss how.

SUSTAINABLE WATER SOLUTION IN ADELAIDE

Predominantly Adelaide, the capital city of South Australia, receives water from the Murray River and Mt Lofty Ranges catchment http://www.abc.net.au/am/content/2007/s1903154.htm. However, councils within the city of Adelaide have created ways of obtaining water from other sources to meet rising water demands within their council areas.

South Australia has what is termed a ‘Mediterranean Climate’ and historically has seen very hot summers matched with very cold winters. Rain on average has fallen in the winter months and occasionally during summer time

One such working example is the Water Proofing the West program put in place by the City of Charles Sturt who developed and implemented a system of Aquifers that lie beneath sections of the Old Port Road median, a road that runs from Adelaide city westward towards Port Adelaide. The projects aim:

‘...Water Proofing the West – Stage One Project is creating the first stage of a region-wide system that harvests, treats and stores stormwater and distributes recycled water through western Adelaide sustaining a growing economy and enhancing our natural environment.’(http://www.charlessturt.sa.gov.au/webdata/resources/files/Old_Port_Road_Fact_Sheet.pdf)

SUSTAINABLE WATER SOLUTION IN ADELAIDE

The City of Charles Sturt Council identified a sustainable opportunity to capture storm water run off which will be stored in limestone aquifers under the western plains (http://www.charlessturt.sa.gov.au/page.aspx?u=609) & (http://www.waterforgood.sa.gov.au/wp-content/uploads/2009/06/part-4-managing-our-water-future.pdf ).

The water once harvested will be classified as ‘recycled water’. Currently recycled water is used for: Irrigation Industry Groundwater replenishment Non-drinking residential purposes

(e.g. garden irrigation, toilet flushing) (http://www.waterforgood.sa.gov.au/wp-content/uploads/2009/06/part-4-managing-our-water-future.pdf )

SUSTAINABLE WATER SOLUTION IN ADELAIDE

CONCLUSION

Sustainable cities are the way of the future, perhaps the distant future, but it is clear there are aspects of sustainability that many developed countries are exploring and incorporating. The limit of this assignment has only allowed us to touch briefly on the topic of sustainable cities and we have not been able to fully explore both the positives and negatives involved in each of the different topics discussed. Or discuss how long we have before it is too late to make a change to be 100% sustainable across the world.Our focus instead was on the highlighting some positives, like the water policy in Adelaide. And as we said in the beginning, we are just two mums conscious of the state of the world and anxious to provide our children and generations to come, with a future.