BACKGROUND INFORMATION ON

CITIES AS SUSTAINABLE ECOSYSTEMS

Cities are pollution sources and sinks, and people living in them utilize resources and
generate waste. Due to inadequate systems and poor planning, cities are
disproportionately driving global warming, deforestation, and increasing water scarcity.
The world’s cities take up just two percent of the Earth’s surface, yet account for roughly
78 percent of the carbon emissions from human activities, 76 percent of industrial wood
use, and 60 percent of the water tapped for use by people.

Cities import resources and export pollutants, but have limited carrying capacities. If the
carrying capacity of a city is eroded, it becomes increasingly difficult, if not impossible, to
achieve sustainable development goals. For example, the trucking of garbage to
landfills outside of a city becomes increasingly costly, the further from the city the
landfills are located. Also, the importation of fresh water to replenish a city's depleted
supply becomes increasingly costly, the greater the distance the water must be piped.
One of the challenges for the future will be our ability to reform urban systems so that
they mimic the metabolism of nature. Rather than devouring water, food, energy, and
processed goods, and then belching out the remains as pollutants, cities need to align
their consumption with realistic needs, produce more of their own food and energy, and
put much more of their wastes to use.

There is a need for environmentally sound technologies (ESTs), however this must be
underpinned by the concomitant development of more holistic urban environmental
management strategies. Similarly, without the research and development of new urban
environmental management methods and approaches there is a danger that the same
problems of environmental degradation and ecological impoverishment will continue.
Given that past environmental problems have arisen primarily because of inappropriate
management and a lack of understanding of the impact of management practices upon
the environment, it is essential that such management methods and tools be developed
and applied. Unless cities change their management practices, the resources they
expend on protecting the environment will be wasted.

The concept of “Cities as Sustainable Ecosystems”, or CASE, has been developed by

the International Environmental Technology Centre of UNEP to provide a framework for
examining and understanding the interactions of urban activity and the environment and
how these can be transformed into a sustainable relationship. CASE is the
multidisciplinary study of urban and economic systems and their linkages with natural
systems. It incorporates, among other things, research involving energy supply and use,
new materials, new technologies and technological systems, basic sciences, economics,
law, management, and the social sciences. CASE provides a conceptual framework
upon which understanding and reasoned improvement of current practices can be
based.

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Specific areas where the concept of Cities as Sustainable Ecosystems (CASE) can be
applied include the following:

• Environmentally sustainable buildings and infrastructure – Buildings,

infrastructure and the environment are inextricably linked. Energy, materials,
water and land are all consumed in the construction and operation of buildings and
infrastructure. These built structures are also part of our living environment,
affecting our living conditions, social well-being and health. It is therefore
important to explore environmentally and economically sound design and
development techniques to ensure that buildings and infrastructure are
sustainable, healthy and "affordable". There is a need to improve and strengthen
the capacity of administrators and decision makers in local authorities, institutions,
NGOs and communities in the identification, assessment, evaluation and selection
of appropriate building technologies and infrastructure. This requires the
development and implementation of programs and activities at the municipal and
local level for the adoption and use of environmentally sustainable, healthy
building and infrastructure technologies, practices and systems.

• Energy and transportation – Climate change has become the world's most
pressing environmental challenge, and energy management is a priority issue for
city managers. Energy efficiency in city operations and energy demand
management, which includes raising public awareness about ways and means to
save energy, are two important areas. Urban transportation is another key issue.
As more people migrate to cities, particularly in developing countries, the design of
transportation and communications systems to mitigate GHG and other emissions
is crucial. Transportation planning and traffic management are both important
areas that need to be addressed.

• Urban water – The conventional approach to water supply management tends to

define water usage as a requirement that must be met, and not as a set of
demands that are variable and changeable. This can and often does lead to
overuse of water resources, overcapitalization of infrastructure, waste and other
problems. Governments are now beginning to understand that solving these types
of problems requires fundamental change. Increasingly, the water demands
themselves, not structural supply solutions, are becoming the focus of policy and
decision-making. This alternative policy approach focuses on water demand
management and relies on proven, cost effective approaches for modifying water
demand patterns and lowering these demands substantially. It also involves
innovative strategies for augmenting water supply through techniques such as
rainwater harvesting and wastewater reclamation and reuse, as well as through a
mix of incentive structures, public education and regulations.

• Waste collection and treatment – Providing adequate services for domestic and
commercial waste is an ongoing challenge for city managers. In many countries,
dumpsites represent an environmental and health threat. There is an increasing
requirement for decision support tools and training related to waste collection
systems and various waste treatment alternatives, including incineration, biological
treatment, sanitary landfills, recycling and materials recovery.

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• "Brownfield" sites – Brownfields are abandoned, idle, or under-utilized industrial
and commercial facilities where expansion or redevelopment is complicated by
real or perceived environmental contamination. Preparing brownfields sites for
productive reuse requires the integration of many elements - financial issues,
community involvement, liability considerations, environmental assessment,
technology selection and regulatory requirements, as well as coordination amongst
different groups of stakeholders. The assessment and cleanup of a site must be
carried out in a way that integrates all of these factors into the overall
redevelopment process. Innovative technologies for evaluating the nature and
extent of contamination and for addressing the cleanup of brownfields sites hold
promise for reducing the cost of cleanup, protecting groundwater and reducing
barriers to redevelopment, with significant benefits to all stakeholders.

• Biodiversity – The presence of nature within the city can take many forms.
Natural systems tend to persist in the urban setting where strong geological
features (i.e., rivers and geological contours) and land unsuitable for building exist.
The initial concepts instrumental in guiding the construction of the city are also
important factors, given that the density of buildings and infrastructure leaves either
more or less room for nature. In certain cities, zoning regulations call for plenty of
open space, which is usually developed as green space. In other cities, there is
often an unbroken array of buildings, connecting roads and parking areas, leaving
little room for nature. The ecology and biodiversity in a city go hand in hand. In
natural spaces comprised of different types of vegetation, a natural urban
ecosystem can function and varied wildlife can flourish. Urban biological diversity
also plays an important educational role in providing opportunities for observing
wildlife. It sensitizes humans to the green spaces and natural systems which
balance the “inorganic” reality of buildings and urban infrastructure. To enhance
and reinforce biodiversity in the urban environment, new partnerships and
cooperation are needed between city managers and scientific institutions.

• Environmental management systems for cities and local authorities – For

cities and local authorities, an Environmental Management System (EMS)
provides a systematic way to ensure environmental issues are managed
consistently and systematically. Effectively applied, an EMS can help integrate
environmental considerations with overall operations and set out environmental
policies, objectives and targets with pre-determined indicators that provide
measurable performance goals. An EMS focuses attention upon a number of
critical organizational factors, including productive processes and technologies,
management styles and systems, worker education and participation, internal
communications, and relations with regulatory agencies, other governments, and
neighbouring communities. The successful implementation of an EMS can help
create positive change, environmental awareness and continuous improvement
within a city.