What is sustainability?

Improving the quality of life while living within the earths carrying capacities.

What is sustainable development?

To meet the needs of today without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. (Brundtland Report, 1987) Need = something one cannot do without, such as food and water.

Sustainable?

What are the needs of today?

Health and welfare Social needs Economic needs Political needs Environmental needs.

It is not possible to meet all of these needs today or in the future in urban areas as they consume non renewable resources, pollute the environment and embody risk.

 Ecological footprint:
How much land it takes to provide the resources used by, and to dispose of the waste produced by individuals or groups of people. The total ecological footprint of London is around 125 times the citys built up area.

The creation of a sustainable city would require

Changes in production and consumption Changes in the behaviour of the population especially consumers Resolution of conflicting interests Broadening of public participation Reshaping of institutions Reform of the planning process to take into account physical and social aspects.

Complete the table by giving examples for each of the above. Figure 5.41 on p204 and fig 5.44 on p205 of the textbook may help you.

It is more realistic to focus on ways in which we can make urban areas more sustainable.
We need to take the following courses of action: o Minimising the ecological footprint. o Improving the quality of the living environment o Waging war on deprivation and discrimination. o Raising public participation in government and decision making. o Ensuring a sound economic base.

Complete the input, internal and output actions table.

Making Urban areas more sustainable

Input actions Conserve natural resources Ensure efficient use of resources Protect biodiversity Respect environmental capacity

Internal actions

Recycle waste Provide green infrastructure Make living spaces healthy and secure Reuse brownfield sites Make urban areas more compact Reduce use of private car Create a fairer society Encourage wider participation in decision making

Output actions

Minimise emissions and pollution Restrict use of greenfield sites Meet leisure and recreational needs

Improving sustainability
Legal controls, e.g. a ban on leaded petrol Planning and design, e.g. integrated transport planning Education and publicity e.g. an advertising campaign on the need to recycle our waste Technology e.g. using solar power Economic measures e.g. increasing fuel taxes or introducing road charges

Complete activity 2 in your booklet

Attempts at sustainability have been made

at a variety of levels.

Very local

The CH2 building in Melbourne Australia

District schemes
Chicago

Hammarby Stockholm Sweden

Beddington Zero Energy Development (BedZED)

Individual city schemes Curitiba, Brazil

Individual city schemes

Complete activity 3 in the booklet. You will need a laptop

Authority level schemes Eco towns

Following the Rio Earth Summit in 1992. The UK had to draw up a plan for sustainable development. It was called Local Agenda 21. At its core was the involvement of the community in the planning of any development. It was replaced by the Nottingham Declaration in 2000. This was aimed to tackle climate change and reduce emissions.
Eco town plans Complete Activity 4 in the booklet

Examples of sustainable towns and cities:

Curitiba Brazil Chattanooga USA Putrajaya Malaysia Research one of these cities paying particular attention to how it is managed to ensure sustainability. Organising your research under these headings may help Waste Water Energy Transport