CUE 3238 (Sustainable Urban Developments)

Question 1

Approximately how many people live in cities today?

Answer 1

Over half of humanity - 3.5 billion

Question 2

How much of urban expansion takes place in the developing world?

Answer 2

95%

Question 3

How many people worldwide live in slums?

Answer 3

828 million

Question 4

The world’s cities occupy _% of the Earth’s land area.

Answer 4

3%

Question 5

How much % of carbon emission does the world’s cities account for?

Answer 5

75%

Question 6

What does rapid urbanisation put pressure on?

Answer 6

Fresh water supplies, sewage, the living environment and public health.

Question 7

What is a city’s ecological footprint?

Answer 7

The area of land or sea that’s needed to produce aka the inputs a city uses and to dispose of its outputs.

Question 8

What’s the relative size of London’s ecological footprint?

Answer 8

Much larger than the city itself. It’s around twice the size of the UK’s and spreads globally.

Question 9

Why can a city’s ecological footprint spread globally?

Answer 9

Because it includes the places where it’s incomes come from and where it’s outputs end up.

Question 10

To develop a more sustainable city, a city must…

Answer 10

• have the aniline to use the surrounding countryside to feed the urban population (to reduce the distance from field to fork).
• use renewable sources of power to meet the needs of the population and industries in the urban area.
• reduce the ecological footprint to a small a size as possible.
• produce the smallest amount of pollution by making use of efficient recycling methods.

Question 11

Describe the strategy of carbon neutral developments.

Answer 11

To achieve a zero carbon footprint.

Question 12

Describe the strategy of conserving buildings and open spaces.

Answer 12

To protect existing and create new green spaces that are valued and made use of by all members of the community.
Also to support high levels of biodiversity within urban ecosystems.

Question 13

Describe the strategy of economic opportunities.

Answer 13

To provide a range of local opportunities including new opportunities in a “green economy”.

Question 14

Describe the strategy of planned expansion.

Answer 14

To encourage ‘compact cities’ and planned expansion, rather than uncontrolled and unrestricted urban sprawl.

Question 15

Describe the strategy of improved transport.

Answer 15

To expand and develop existing transport infrastructure and networks to meet demand.

Question 16

Describe the strategy of greener built environments.

Answer 16

Places that use water and energy efficiently, reduce urban waste and increase recycling.

Question 17

Define sustainability

Answer 17

Urban development which meets the needs of the present without sacrificing the ability of future generations to meet their needs.

It considers natural, physical, social and economic.

Question 18

Define ecological footprint.

Answer 18

It is a measure of the demands we place on the ecosystems which support us.

It is the amount of biologically productive land that is used to produce the resources we consume and to absorb the waste we generate.

Question 19

What is liveability?

Answer 19

It refers to the locations which provide the best and worst living conditions globally.

Question 20

Define carbon neutral.

Answer 20

Having zero carbon footprint.

This is by balancing the amount of carbon released with an equivalent amount of offset.

Question 21

What is an eco-city?

Answer 21

A city that aims to provide a healthy environment for its inhabitant without using more resources that it replaces.