The City as a System and Sustainability

AP HUG

Opening Video • BBC Building Better Cities for an Overcrowded World:

http://www.bbc.com/future/story/20130507-challenges-for-the-cities-of-2050

• As you watch, answer these questions based on what the experts say: – What are the greatest challenges we will face in the future

city? – How do cities need to change? – What will the cities be made of?– How will we power our cities?

Introduction

• A system is a simplified way of looking at how things work.

• Systems generally include factors (inputs), processes (throughputs), and results (outputs).

• This systems approach can be applied to many aspects of geography, including cities.

Large Cities vs. Compact Cities• Large Cities

– Often considered to be unsustainable systems because they consume huge amounts of resources and produce vast amounts of waste.

• Compact Cities– Minimize the amount of

distance traveled– Require less infrastructure

(pipes, cables, roads, etc.)– Easier to provide a public

transport network for– Reduce urban sprawl – BUT- if the compact city

covers too large an area, it becomes congested, overcrowded, overpriced and polluted…AND UNSUSTAINABLE

The Rogers Model of City System

• The Rogers Model was created in 1997• It compares a Sustainable City (Circular

Model) with an unsustainable one (Linear Model)

• In the sustainable city, inputs and outputs are smaller and there is more recycling.

The Sustainable City

• Sustainable City or “Eco-City” is a city designed to have minimal environmental impact. It meets the needs of the present without compromising the needs of future generations.

How to Achieve Sustainability

• The following steps need to be taken to achieve sustainability: – Improve Economic Security – Meet Social, Cultural and Health Needs– Minimize the use of Non-Renewable Resources– Use finite renewable resources sustainably – Preserve Green Space

Improve Economic Security• People should have

access to employment and an adequate livelihood

• If they are ill, retired, disabled or unemployed they should be entitled to economic security.

Meet Social, Cultural and Health Needs

• Housing should be healthy, safe, secure, affordable and within a neighborhood that provides piped water, drainage, sanitation, transport, healthcare, education and child welfare.

• The home and workplace should be free from hazards and chemical pollution

Minimize the Use of Non-Renewable Resources

• Reducing consumption of fossil fuels in housing, commerce, industry and transport

• Substituting renewable resources where possible.

• Public transportation should be promoted.

Use finite renewable resources sustainably

• Use only enough water that is needed

• Waste minimization and recycling should be encouraged

• People should be aware of the ecological footprint.

Preserve Green Space

• “The Green Agenda” involves providing and maintaining green space such as parks.

• It also means reusing existing urban sites or brownfield sites

Ecofeminism

• Ecofeminism describes movements and philosophies that link feminism with ecology.

• Ecofeminism argues that there is a connection between women and nature and that women are more likely to be nurturers and preservationists to earth.

Successful Local Programmes

Reducing Pollution:

• The Hoy No Circula (car-free day), launched in Mexico City in 1989, saw air pollution fall by 21% in the first year.

Successful Local Programmes

Recycling:• In Curitiba, Brazil, 70% of households separate

recyclable garbage and in squatter settlements, food and bus fares are exchanged for garbage.