Geography CUE: 3.2.3.8 Flashcards
(14 cards)
Definitions of sustainability
- Meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own need.
- A city that provides employment (economic), a high standard of living, a clean, healthy environment and fair governance (social) for all its residents
Why are cities a problem and what impact do they have?
- Pose a threat to local and global environment
- Consume 75% of the world’s resources
- Generate the majority of waste & pollution
- Rely from energy and resources from all over the world
- Pollution & waste they generate can be dispersed globally
The Ecological Footprint
The area of land or sea that is needed to produce all the inputs a city uses and to dispose of its outputs.
A city’s ecological footprint is always much larger than the city itself. For London, each person uses 6 global hectares (gha). This means London’s total footprint is about twice the size of the UK. In reality, London’s footprint spreads globally to all the places where it’s inputs come form and where it’s outputs end up.
The Ecological Footprint of the Tokyo metropolitan area is almost 3x the land area of the whole of Japan.
Complete the inputs and outputs for a city;
Non renewable energy, Good, Food & water, People –> Pollution, Waste, Money/survives
How would these be different in a sustainable city:
REnewable energy, Locally sourced food, People –> Reduced Outputs e.g. ‘green cities’
What are the ‘needs of today’ in terms of cities?
- Minimizing the ecological footprint (ENV)
- Improving the quality of the living environment (SOC)
- Waging war on deprivation & discrimination (ECO & SOC)
- Ensuring a sound economic base (ECO)
Pillars of Sustainability
SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT
- Green housing & buildings
- Clean water & sanitation
- Adequate provision of schools & services
- Green public transport
- Green energy access
- Availability of food supplies
- Recreational areas & community support
Pillars of Sustainability
ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
- Decent employment and opportunity
- Investment in green technology & innovation
- Production & distribution of renewable energy
Pillars of Sustainability
ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT
- Energy Efficiency
- Forest & soil management
- Waste & recycling management
- Air quality conservation
- Water management
- Adaptation to & mitigation of climate change
Pillars of Sustainability
URBAN GOVERNANCE
- Strengthening of civil & political rights
- Support of local, national, regional & global link
- Adoption of green urban planning & design strategies
- Strategies to reduce Inequalities
What does a sustainable city look like?
- Cultural and social amenities are accessible to all
- Resources and services in the city are accessible to all
- Public transport is seen as a viable alternative to cars
- Public transport is age and reliable
- Walking and cycling are safe
- Areas of open space are safe, accessible and enjoyable
- Wherever possible, renewable resources are used instead of non-renewable resources
- Waste is seen as a resource and is recycled whether possible
- New homes are energy efficient
- Access to affordable housing
- Community links are strong and communities work together to deal with issues such as crime and security
What is liveability?
The characteristics / qualities of a city which improve the quality of life for the people living there.
The Economist Intelligence Unit assess liveability based on the following 5 key characteristics:
- Stability
- Healthcare
- Culture & Environment
- Education
- Infrastructure
Opportunities of the Developing World:
- Invest in urban agriculture
- Invest in infrastructure
- Create jobs to reduce unemployment in slums
- Invest in pensions
- Increase renewable energy options and green public transport
- Upgrade public infrastructure
- Invest in ‘green’ infrastructure
- Extend the working age and retrain elderly workers
- Invest in renewable energy projects
Challenges of the Developing World:
- Improve access to clean energy
- Improve waste management
- Reduce CO₂ emissions
- Reduce youth unemployment
- Reduce poverty
- Promote diversification in the economy
- Improve food security
- Improve access to low-cost housing and basic infrastructure
- Change over-production and over-consumption lifestyles
- Reduce urban employment
- Encourage social cohesion
- Strengthen international cooperation
- Reduce waste
