Urban Futures: Case Studies Flashcards
(18 cards)
What is Sustainable Urban Living?
Where a city can meet its needs without making it difficult for future generations of residents to meet their needs.
What are the 4 strands of environmental Urban sustainability?
1) Water Conservation
2) Energy Conservation
3) Waste Recycling
4) Green Space creation
What are Birmingham’s sustainable initiatives?
Birmingham’s Energy Savers: Replacing gas boilers with new efficient foundations that provide better insulation for residents.
Midland Metro: Producing new tram and light rail networks to create affordable access to the city centre.
District Energy Schemes: Providing energy from sustainable sources that reduce CO2 emissions and will also use burnt waste to generate electricity.
HS2: Improving the transport networks between Birmingham and other cities/towns to create quicker alternatives to road journeys.
How is the Birmingham Library sustainable?
Socially:
- Employed over 250 construction workers
- Provides bike storage for visitors
- 2.5 million yearly visitors: helping to raise standard of education
Economically:
- Efficient use of funds and materials during construction
- Promotes sustainable transport use
Environmentally:
- Has a roof garden to improve local biodiversity
- Uses less water by recycling water and harvesting rainwater
- Minimises carbon emissions with energy-efficient systems
- Reduces energy consumption by making use of natural light + ventilation
General Facts about Birmingham
- Population of over 1.1 million
- It’s a young, multi-cultural city (population from Asia, West Indies and Eastern Europe)
- Migration from Asia and West Indies began in 1950s/60s
- Grew during Industrial Revolution : Metalworking, Engineering (etc.)
- Redeveloped with regeneration of city centre + Bullring (2003 onwards)
What are the projects associated with the redevelopment of the City Centre?
• The Bull-Ring
• Brindleyplace (area around around old canals)
• Gateway Plus (redesigned city-centre train station)
• Library of Birmingham (opened 2013)
• HS2 (planned opening 2026)
How is Birmingham faced with Urban inequality?
Some areas of the city are far wealthier than others and have a much higher quality of life ; linked to levels of unemployment across Birmingham’s wards (eg. Sutton Four Oaks vs Sparkbrook).
What are some indicators of deprivation in Urban Areas?
• Poor quality housing
• Lack of access to good services like health and education
• High crime rates
• Poor-quality physical environment
Where is Istanbul located?
• Across both Asia and Europe (Intercontinental city)
• Separated by Bosphorus Strait : Black Sea to North, Sea of Marmara to South
General Facts about Istanbul
• Population of around 15 million
• Turkey’s Economic, Cultural and Historic Centre
• Heart of Greek, Roman and Ottoman Empires
• Historic centre is a UNESCO World Heritage Site
• Hosts HQs of Turkish companies responsible for more than 1/4 of country’s GDP
• One of the fastest growing metropolitan economies in the world
• 12.56 million tourists in 2015
How has Istanbul grown through migration?
• Majority of growth as a result of National Migration
• Migrants from across Anatolia have moved in since 1950s
• Migrants looked for employment and better living conditions
• Urban population in 2000= 8.7 million, 2016= 14.4 million
Changing growth and Character of Istanbul
• Migrants work in Informal Sector : Street Vendors, porters, waste recyclers (etc.)
• Ethnically diverse city: Largest Kurdish Population in the World (3 million), plus Jews + Greek
• Only 28% of population was born in the city
How has Istanbul changed over time?
• Grand Bazaar dates from 1461; market centre of Istanbul
• As the city has grown, population has shifted to the suburbs (Suburbs pop= 1985: 2.7 mil, 2012: 7.5 mil)
• Growing importance of trade and tourism from Europe through Sea of Marmara
• Main Industries of Textile Manufacturing + Food Processing, but Finance + Tourism are rapidly growing
What are the advantages of Migrants building Gecekondu?
• Affordable housing
• Efficient use of available resources
• Self-reliance and independence
• Builds community + cultural traditions
What are the disadvantages of migrants building Gecekondu?
• Poor living conditions
• Health and safety risks (disease outbreaks)
• Limited access to public transport and services
• Vulnerability to Natural Disasters (eg. Earthquakes)
How are Residents in Istanbul affected by Traffic congestion?
• Severe congestion results in most commuters spending 2+ hours in traffic a day
• Being worsened by a growing number of the population purchasing cars (2/3 by 2025)
• Only 3 bridges across Bosphorus Strait to support 420,000 daily cars
What are the proposed solutions to the growing Traffic Congestion?
1) Increasing the use of Dolmus (shared taxis) and Minibuses
2) Improving quality of Company + school buses to reduce number of commuters
3) Development of underground rail networks
4) Wider availability of ferries across Bosphorus Strait
5) Removing stigma around Bicycles to decrease car usage
What is the Integrated Transport System?
• Linking all forms of transport together
• Marmaray Rail Project to link both sides of the city together
• Providing ferries for commuters (more CO2 efficient per passenger)
