The City as a System and Sustainability

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The City as a System and Sustainability

• AP HUG

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Opening Video

• BBC Building Better Cities for an Overcrowded
  World http//www.bbc.com/future/story/20130507-ch
  allenges-for-the-cities-of-2050
• As you watch, answer these questions based on
  what the experts say
• What are the greatest challenges we will face in
  the future city?
• How do cities need to change?
• What will the cities be made of?
• How will we power our cities?

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Introduction

• A system is a simplified way of looking at how
  things work.
• Systems generally include factors (inputs),
  processes (throughputs), and results (outputs).
• This systems approach can be applied to many
  aspects of geography, including cities.

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Large Cities vs. Compact Cities

• Large Cities
• Often considered to be unsustainable systems
  because they consume huge amounts of resources
  and produce vast amounts of waste.

• Compact Cities
• Minimize the amount of distance traveled
• Require less infrastructure (pipes, cables,
  roads, etc.)
• Easier to provide a public transport network for
• Reduce urban sprawl
• BUT- if the compact city covers too large an
  area, it becomes congested, overcrowded,
  overpriced and pollutedAND UNSUSTAINABLE

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The Rogers Model of City System

• The Rogers Model was created in 1997
• It compares a Sustainable City (Circular Model)
  with an unsustainable one (Linear Model)
• In the sustainable city, inputs and outputs are
  smaller and there is more recycling.

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The Sustainable City

• Sustainable City or Eco-City is a city designed
  to have minimal environmental impact. It meets
  the needs of the present without compromising the
  needs of future generations.

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How to Achieve Sustainability

• The following steps need to be taken to achieve
  sustainability
• Improve Economic Security
• Meet Social, Cultural and Health Needs
• Minimize the use of Non-Renewable Resources
• Use finite renewable resources sustainably
• Preserve Green Space

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Improve Economic Security

• People should have access to employment and an
  adequate livelihood
• If they are ill, retired, disabled or unemployed
  they should be entitled to economic security.

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Meet Social, Cultural and Health Needs

• Housing should be healthy, safe, secure,
  affordable and within a neighborhood that
  provides piped water, drainage, sanitation,
  transport, healthcare, education and child
  welfare.
• The home and workplace should be free from
  hazards and chemical pollution

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Minimize the Use of Non-Renewable Resources

• Reducing consumption of fossil fuels in housing,
  commerce, industry and transport
• Substituting renewable resources where possible.
• Public transportation should be promoted.

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Use finite renewable resources sustainably

• Use only enough water that is needed
• Waste minimization and recycling should be
  encouraged
• People should be aware of the ecological
  footprint.

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Preserve Green Space

• The Green Agenda involves providing and
  maintaining green space such as parks.
• It also means reusing existing urban sites or
  brownfield sites

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Ecofeminism

• Ecofeminism describes movements and philosophies
  that link feminism with ecology.
• Ecofeminism argues that there is a connection
  between women and nature and that women are more
  likely to be nurturers and preservationists to
  earth.

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Successful Local Programmes

• Reducing Pollution
• The Hoy No Circula (car-free day), launched in
  Mexico City in 1989, saw air pollution fall by
  21 in the first year.

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Successful Local Programmes

• Recycling
• In Curitiba, Brazil, 70 of households separate
  recyclable garbage and in squatter settlements,
  food and bus fares are exchanged for garbage.