S U S T A I N A B L E C O M M U N I T Y

ENTRY 8 

there is no lecture today.. but still need to update the blog :) 

for this entry, the topic is about SUSTAINABLE COMMUNITIES... 

according to institute for sustainable communities (ISCVT) there are 3 components involve in SUSTAINABLE COMMUNITIES 

• economically
• environmentally
• socially -health and resilient

Sustainable Community Plan by United Kingdom  said that Sustainable communities are places where people want to live and work, now and in the future. They meet the diverse needs of existing and future residents, are sensitive to their environment, and contribute to a high quality of life. They are safe and inclusive, well planned, built and run, and offer equality of opportunity and good services for all.

from this statement sustainable communities is to enhance the life of people in the area in terms of community development, environment, safety, and economic to achieve a good quality of life in a long term... it is plan for people of today and in the future.. if a good community can be develop by taking into consideration of economic, environment and social, future generation can still have what we have today without bigger lost in terms of natural resources..

Ff we talk about sustainable communities, what exactly we think about??.. reducing a non-renewable resources in daily life such as oil, go for alternative resources such as solar energy, rain water harvesting and others to do daily life.. it is more into reduce the usage of natural resources in daily life and go for green environment.. how to do it?? by planning the land use that connected to each other and allow people to move without using vehicle.. people tend to travel by walking, cycling, and riding a public transport to reduce the usage of oil... other than that, development planning between residential and working place is near to each other.. it is more like compact city where all development are centralize in one area; housing and commercial link to each other.. it will lower the cost of transport, reduce air pollution, minimize the cost if infrastructure, shorten the distance of travelling among people.. people have a choice to move instead of using a private vehicle.. it is more emphasize on healthy, safety and walkability of people.. 

According to  partnership for sustainable communities from their website, there are about 6 livability principle that should be applied in creating sustainable communities are:

• to provide variety of transportation choices
• to promote affordable housing
• to enhance economic competitiveness
• to support existing communities 
• to coordinate and leverage federal policies and investment 
• to value communities and neighborhood

so, sustainable communities is focusing on all elements of life; transportation, residential, economic, administration, social and environment for the people in order to enhance the way of life and develop a healthy and good communities that concern about new generation in the future.. all we have today must be preserved in order to give a chance for future generations to use.. a good communities that know how important to sustain their life will create a better future communities that will take a good care of the world and themselves... diagram below show the components or elements that need to provided in creating sustainable communities :)

source http://www.geography.org.uk/download/GA_PRBSCEganWheel.gif

URBAN GENTRIFICATION

ENTRY 7

Lecture by guest lecture last week about Creating City Through New Technology...sound interesting right?? but before that she already told us to read about technology in urban design.. and what happen was i'm not manage to find so much info about that topic..

previously in sustainable class, there were 2 lectures to be deliver by the guest lecture.. 1st lecture is about Universal Design and 2nd lecture is about this topic..

for the 1st time me and my friend heard about urban gentrification..alright..what is it??!!.. never heard before.. (it is show how lack i was with knowledge.. -_- )

went through the lecture, it give new perspective and knowledge what is urban gentrification but there are many question to be ask.. the explanation interesting but in certain aspect i keep asking why it is like that.. so i went to explore what exactly urban gentrification is about..

from my reading, gentrification is a general term for the arrival of wealthier people in an existing urban district, a related increase in rents and property values, and changes in the district's character and culture. this is quote by Benjamin Grant who is an urban designer, city planner and writer in the San Francisco Bay Area.

as what i understand gentrification is about an area which is establish been occupied by lower income people and suddenly the area received people from outside which is more wealthy or high income class than the common people and make the area growth; economic and lifestyle changes in order to cater for the needs of this wealthy group. However the changes gives bad implication toward the common people which come from lower class because they have to live in this pressure environment although they cannot afford it.. it shows from the increasing of rent price, land value and many more.. they been push to move if they cannot afford to pay for the price.. this is lead towards the urban sprawl..and the area is having urban renewal because of the influence of wealthy or high class people..

so gentrification is about changing the establish area into new area (URBAN RENEWAL) and give pressure to the existing community to live in this area and push them to move out if they cannot afford it (URBAN SPRAWL)

from the lecture, how does urban gentrification will affect the cities and people in aspect of transportation.. and what have been done by the cities who is facing urban gentrification to deal with this transportation issues.. if we refer back to the definition of gentrification, transportation is one of the aspect will be occur by this concept.. it is MOBILITY of the people in urban gentrification.. although the definition more emphasize into social and economic of people, mobility is one of the major problem will be arise due to this changes.. and the how we deal with MOBILITY issue?? what is the solution?? 

In lecture, solution for the mobility in urban gentrification are 

• 'green city' electric vehicle by Randalph (2012)
• 'place shaping' active travel by Tranter & Sharpe (2012)
• 'Technology superhighway' digital society by Chien et al. (2011)
• 'healthy city' non-exploitative behaviour by Rydin et al (2012)
• 'archaic city' minimalization concept by Rogers (2013)

if we look at the solution that list in the lecture,it is all about MOBILITY of people in cities area... all the solution is about how to mobilize people without depending too much on vehicle but allow people to move or walk and at the same time to minimize the usage of natural resources such as oil.. it make sense right??..however if we go into details for each solution, it is not really a good solution because not all of the solution can be implement in all around the world but in certain places only.. more than that, the solution have advantages and disadvantages of it implementation.. not all the solution success only little of them for certain period of time and the same problem will happen again if we do not have a control or limitation of the development.. population of people in this world will increase from time to time and demand and supply of the resource that we have now will be disappear one day.. so as a thinkable community and we know what will happen in the future if we do not have limitation of it from today, new future generation will face a problem which cause by us today.. MOBILITY is part of the problem..

referring to the lecture itself, in order to solve the problem of mobility, using TELECOMMUNICATION SYSTEM is the best way.. why?? telecommunication system allow people to communicate without having to move.. telephone, hand phone, internet, 3G and many more is the trend of communicating nowadays.. people still connected although they do not meet each other. it is more fast and convenient for all.. that is the situation today.. no body will deny it.. most of the people around the world communicate to each other with telecommunication system.. each person will have cellphone with them no matter how they refuse to it for the first time.. although they do not know much about the advance technology as WIFI, Bluetooth and more, the basic usage of telecommunication system such as to make call, receive call and texting is enough to show how people really depending to the telecommunication system... 

however the disadvantages of telecommunication system also will make the community weak in social interaction, less confident to meet people, plagiarism, cyber criminal and many more which make people more selfish, lonely and not socialize.. the issue of MOBILITY will be solve by telecommunication system but issue on SOCIAL INTERACTION will occur..

from URBAN GENTRIFICATION to TRANSPORTATION to MOBILITY  to TELECOMMUNICATION SYSTEM to SOCIAL INTERACTION all this thing we need to bear in mind that if we do not have limitation of it from today, in the future it is not a big surprise if people not greet each other, the health issue increase and family relationship will weak as people only concern about themselves rather than others..

as planner, we have to think a best and practical way that give benefit to all, social, economic and environment of the people.. world is created for people to live on it with others not only for ourselves.. and it is called COMMUNITY.. people and nature is interact to each other to perform living.. 

U N I V E R S A L design

ENTRY 6

UNIVERSALdesign

universal design (UD) is the design of products and environments to be usable by all people, to the greatest extent possible without the need for adaptation or specialized design..

The goal of UDI is to maximise the learning of students with a wide range of characteristics by applying UD principles to all aspects of instruction (e.g., delivery methods, physical spaces, information resources, technology, personal interactions, assessments).

UD is a design approach for all people not limited to disable people only. most of people think that UD is for disable people. that kind of thought must be erase and better understanding about what UD is for must be correct by the expert..

where do we see this design been apply?? of course hospital will be the first thing in mind right??..well actually UD design can be apply in all building actually.. why?? back to the definition of UD that it is a product and environments that for all people. so it means this design is practical to be use by all people without any regard on their age, gender and who they are..it is the best practice to apply design principle of UD in all building that been build. what is UD principles?..

UD Principles

Center for Universal Design (CUD) at North Carolina State University, a group of architects, product designers, engineers, and environmental design researchers established seven principles of UD to provide guidance in the design of products and environments (Connell, et al., 1997). The CUD's principles of UD are listed below:

1. Equitable use. The design is useful and marketable to people with diverse abilities. Example:designing staircase and ramp next to each other to allow people to use both.
2. Flexibility in use. The design accommodates a wide range of individual preferences and abilities and give choice in method of use. Example: A visit to heritage building and the explanation about the place is provided in description and audio for the visitors.
3. Simple and intuitive use. Use of the design is easy to understand, regardless of the user's experience, knowledge, language skills, or current concentration level. Example: florescent sticker to place at the staircase to differentiate the level of step. 
4. Perceptible information. The design communicates necessary information effectively to the user, regardless of ambient conditions or the user's sensory abilities. Example: A caption in video presentation 
5. Tolerance for error. The design minimizes hazards and the adverse consequences of accidental or unintended actions. Example: Educational software provides guidance and background information when the student makes an inappropriate response.
6. Low physical effort. The design can be used efficiently, comfortably, and with a minimum of fatigue. Example: automatic doors is install to enter the lecture hall for people with a wide variety of physical characteristics.
7. Size and space for approach and use. Appropriate size and space is provided for approach, reach, manipulation, and use regardless of the user's body size, posture, or mobility. Example: A flexible science lab work area has adequate work space for students who are left- or right-handed and for those who need to work from a standing or seated position.

based on the principle a good UD design can be applied in the building and give benefits to all. However the implementation of UD in the building sometimes not according to the standard. this give a difficulties to the user and one of the major constraints to apply the UD is because of the high cost.. why this is happen?? if we look into the UD requirement of design, the space that been design must be wide enough and this give a lost to the developer or client in cost expenditure. more than that, materials that to be used for UD also required a good quality and need to maintain regularly..

in Malaysia, the implementation of UD in building requirement is improve from time to time.. and this effort should be continue to apply in all related professional skill and knowledge to consider this concept in all design work. 

Malaysian Standard Codes of Practice and related Act / Guidelines that contain UD

• Town and country planning act 1976 (Act 172) include amended act 1995 (Act A 933) 
• Federal Territory (Planning) Act 1982 (Act 267) 
• Street, drainage and building act,1974 (Akta133) 
• Uniform building by- law, 1984 34A
• Guideline of “Building Requirement for Disable” by Local Government Department, 1999.
• Building Requirement for Disable by JPBD, 2000.
• Malaysia standard, MS 1183:1991; Code of Practice for mean of escape for disabled persons to Public Building
• Malaysia standard, MS 1184:2002; Code of Practice for the disabled persons to inside Public Building
• Malaysia standard, MS 1331:2003; Code of Practice for the disabled persons to outside Public Building
• Designing a barrier free city, Interim report of Kuala Lumpur Local Plan
• PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES ACT, 2008

what can be conclude, UD is the standard of design that cater for all people and implementation of this design is very important to give good accessibility for the people in what ever place.. it is a long term planning and it is a good practice in planning for people... 

C R E A T I V E C I T Y

ENTRY 5

CREATIVE CITY is a concept develop by Charles Landry in the 1980s and this concept give new view in planning perspective as described  in his book The Creative City: A Toolkit for Urban Innovators

that is the overview of what is CREATIVE CITY is all about... but from the lecture by Dr. Khoo Suet Leng, understanding off the concept of creative city much more clear to me.. :)

people nowadays talking about creative city.. and what is it really mean by creative city?? what is the definition of it??..

according to creative city planning framework, city of toronto:

Creative cities have a strong sense of their identity, their uniqueness and their defining strengths.  They have a clear sense of the strengths and attributes that make them unique on the world stage.  And they are able to tell these stories in clear and compelling ways.  

A creative city demonstrates the characteristics essential to nurture human creativity.  It is an open, networked and fluid society that welcomes new people and adjusts easily to new ideas and new immigrant groups; it celebrates diversity, enterprise and responsible risk-taking.

from the lectures, the original idea of creative city is the conditions that need to be created for people to think, plan and act with imagination.. so people need to be CREATIVE after all.. we need to think out of the box.. and creative city also about how to benefit the opportunities or to address the urban problems in creative ways..

CREATIVE CITY = HARD INFRASTRUCTURE + SOFT INFRASTRUCTURE

 to generate a flow of ideas and inventions

because world is now more emphasize in the technology base, so old method need to be revise and more education regarding creative way of thinking need to be teach to new generations in order to prepare themselves with creative environment in the future...

in creative city, there is so called creative city value orientations to achieve CREATIVE CITY which are :

• culture-centric - The culture-centric orientation sees the creative city as a place with strong flourishing arts and culture, creative and diverse expressions, and inclusivity, artistry and imagination. Creativity is conceived of as having some relation to identity, rights, beliefs, and general social wellbeing. 

• econo-centric - The second conception of the creative city sees the creative city as a place driven by strong innovative, creative, and competitive cultural and creative industries and economically sustainable artists and arts organizations. According to the econo-centric conception, creativity is a means to achieve a foremost goal of local economic development, and as such, creative endeavors and ventures have some quantifiable value or measure. The econo-centric orientation in Canada emerges from a slightly more contemporary set theories and events than the culture-centric orientation which include: contemporary theories about the “new economy”, the creative class, creative talent, and creative clusters. 

bubble diagram above show what creative cities is consist of place, economy and culture in order to achieve the vision and below show the scales of city based on the creativity 

the example of creatives cities that successful develop are LONDON, NEW YORK, SAN FRANCISCO and  VENICE

while for creative cities in the making is SINGAPORE 

so it can be conclude that creative city is a new concept in the world and it depends on the culture and economic of the place to show how it can be create as a creative city...

ECONOMIC INEQUALITY

E N T R Y 4

1st thing in my mind when i'm learn about this thing is WHAT is economic inequality??.. as usual.. everything must be start with WHAT right??..heee.. it is my 4 lecture for this semester under topic of economies of cities and regions.. and honestly when come to economic and anything related to this topic, i'm feel dizzy...heee... so let see what is my understanding about this ECONOMIC INEQUALITY

economic inequality can be defined as difference between individuals or population in the distribution of their assets, wealth or income. (wikipedia).

economic inequality also refer to financial disparity. in this world, it is very strange to see a society with same level of economic, lifestyle and other which means same financial and material resources. it is weird is it?? then it will not have any specialty among of them. but as we know life is like a loop.. sometimes we will at the top and sometimes we will at the bottom. so as economic equality.. it should have wealthy people and poor people and it become one of the major issue why people cannot have the same level of financial as others... but that is the reality and if we try to change it, i don't think we can..why?? life will become monotonous and nothing challenging at all..

Two primary focuses regarding economic inequality. 

1. WEALTH - a measure of the money and material possessions people already have. Wealth has the potential to greatly impact the manner in which people live because it can determine what they are able to purchase and what they are able to do at present. Those considered wealthy, therefore, tend to have much better standards of living than those in lower economic classes.
2. INCOME - Some people have little or no wealth because they have little or no income. Although it is not always the case, it common to find that those with the most wealth and the best standards of living are also those with substantial inflows of money.

Factors that impacting economic inequality:

1. labor market incomes - determination of wages by the market
2. globalization
3. technological changes
4. policy reforms
5. more regressive taxation
6. computerization and increased technology
7. racial discrimination
8. nepotism
9. variation in natural ability

The economic inequality is differ in some places. For example, in countries where there is a lack of social service systems, we can see some people are extremely wealthy, others may suffer situations such as starvation and lack of basic necessities. while for countries where there are social service programs, the gap between the lowest economic class and the highest is generally narrower, but there are still major differences in the lifestyles of the groups.

economic inequality also link to income inequality as mention by www.reuters.com it can linked to depression. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/10/09/us-income-inequality-idUSBRE99814R20131009

income inequality can be measured by 

1. Lorenz Curves - plots the cumulative percentages of total income received against the cumulative percentages of recipient, starting with the poorest individual / household .below is the example of Lorenz Curves
   
    
2. Gini Indexes - it is more convenient and the task is to compare income inequality among many countries. the index is calculate as the area between a Lorenz Curve and the line of absolute equality expressed as percentage of the triangle under the line. below example of table measured by Gini Indexes 
   
   
   
   
   

Economic inequality create few arguments such as income and wealth disparities affect peoples' access to items and services that should be available to everyone, such as food, health care, and legal representation and ability for the wealthiest individuals to influence the political atmosphere, which affects all of the economic classes.

as conclusion, economic inequality is a situation that exist from long time ago and continue until now. it gives advantages and disadvantages to people and initiatives to reduce the economic inequality can be divide into two sector which are by government initiatives and market driven. however some of the initiatives may lower the inequality but sometimes increased it. 

S U S T A I N A B L E environment

S U S T A I N A B L E environment 

this is 3rd entry for this semester.. it suppose 1 entry per week and i should make 15 entries for the whole semester.. too many things to do, so i'll update from time to time..

3rd week class for sustainable development planning was held by Dr Normah.. she's CUTE!!..hahaha.. had fun class because we were force to do group discussion and present it right way.. (we all deserve this kind of class if not we will sleepy...hehehe).. So what i got from the class??.. let check it out

1. WHAT is sustainable ????
2. WHAT is environment ????
3. WHAT is conservation ????
4. WHAT is environment conservation????
5. IS there any acts & legislation on environment conservation ????
6. WHAT is issues & problems ????

there are so much question to answer right?? but actually it is the basic knowledge that need to know and understand it very well.. :) now i'll try to answer all questions and please correct me if i'm wrong

sustainable can be defined as :

• living within the limits of what the environment can provide
• understanding the many interconnections between economy, society and the environment
• the equal distribution of resources and opportunities. (http://www.environment.nsw.gov.au/sustainability/)

from http://oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/sustainable

1. able to be maintained at a certain rate or level
2. able to be upheld or defended:

 environment can be defined as :

1. external conditions or surroundings, esp those in which people live or work
2. (ecology) the external surroundings in which a plant or animal lives, which tend to influence its development and behaviour
3. the state of being environed; encirclement
4. (computing) an operating system, program, or integrated suite of programs that provides all the facilities necessary for a particular application ⇒ a word-processing environment

ENVIRONMENT is a surrounding area with value and cultural. ecological system consist of flora and fauna, people and building that react and related to each other. overall, environment can be said as what is surrounding us. it can be divide into two; external which consist of flora & fauna and culture and internal which consist of people, value and development.

conservation can be defined as :

the management of human use of the biosphere in order for it to yield the greatest sustainable benefit to current generations while maintaining its potential to meet the needs and aspirations of future generations. Conservation is thus positive, embracing preservation, maintenance, sustainable utilization  restoration, and enhancement of the natural environment - IUCN 

https://community.iucn.org/rba1/Pages/conservation.aspx

CONSERVATION is an action to protect and preserve the natural and existing resources to reduce destruction and impact towards the resources and sustain it; heritage and building.

environmental conservation can be defined as :

ENVIRONMENTAL CONSERVATION is to protect and preserving the surrounding area to balance the ecological system from destruction and impact for future generation.

acts & legislation on environment conservation 

1. act - Environmental Quality Act 1974 (Act 127)

• Environmental Quality Act (Revised) 1985
• Environmental Quality Act (Revised) 1996
• Environmental Quality Act (Revised) 1998
• Environmental Quality Act (Revised) 2001
• Environmental Quality Act (Revised) 2007
• Environmental Quality Act (Revised) 2012

2. rules - environmental quality rules

• Environmental Quality (Compounding of Offences) (Amendment) Rules 1999 
• Environmental Quality (Compounding of Offences) (Amendment) Rules 2000 
• Environmental Quality (Compounding of Offences) (Amendment) Rules 1978 

3. regulations -

• http://www.doe.gov.my/webportal/en/perundangan-peraturan/

4. Town Planning Act 172
5. Kawasan Sensitif Alam Sekitar (KSAS)
6. Sustainable Forest License Agreement
7. Wildlife Act
8. Forest and National Park
9. Kyoto Protocol
10. Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA)

agencies responsible on environment conservation 

1. Jabatan Alam Sekitar
2. World Wild Foundation
3. UNESCO
4. PERHILITAN

there are few of the act, legislation and agencies that responsible toward environmental conservation globally and Malaysia. they had doing a great job in order to conserve this world from any bad impact and we as human living shall take responsible and help to conserve this world..

issues and problems on environment conservation 

This is a list of environmental issues. (from Wikipedia)

• Climate change — Global warming • Global dimming • Fossil fuels • Sea level rise • Greenhouse gas • Ocean acidification • Shutdown of thermohaline circulation • Environmental impact of the coal industry • Urban Heat Islands
• Conservation — Species extinction • Pollinator decline • Coral bleaching • Holocene extinction • Invasive species • Poaching • Endangered species
• Energy — Energy conservation • Renewable energy • Efficient energy use • Renewable energy commercialization • Environmental impact of the coal industry • Environmental impact of hydraulic fracturing
• Environmental degradation — Eutrophication • Habitat destruction • Invasive species • Soda lake
• Environmental health — Air quality • Asthma • Environmental impact of the coal industry • Electromagnetic fields • Electromagnetic radiation and health • Indoor air quality • Lead poisoning • Sick Building Syndrome • Environmental impact of hydraulic fracturing
• Genetic engineering — Genetic pollution • Genetically modified food controversies
• Intensive farming — Overgrazing • Irrigation • Monoculture • Environmental effects of meat production • Slash and burn • Pesticide drift • Plasticulture
• Land degradation — Land pollution • Desertification
• Soil — Soil conservation • Soil erosion • Soil contamination • Soil salination • Alkali soils * Residual Sodium Carbonate Index
• Land use — Urban sprawl • Habitat fragmentation • Habitat destruction
• Nuclear issues — Nuclear fallout • Nuclear meltdown • Nuclear power • Nuclear weapons • Nuclear and radiation accidents • Nuclear safety • High-level radioactive waste management
• Overpopulation — Burial • Water crisis • Overpopulation in companion animals • Tragedy of the commons • Gender Imbalance in Developing Countries • Sub-replacement fertility levels in developed countries
• Ozone depletion — CFC • Biological effects of UV exposure
• Pollution — Environmental impact of the coal industry • Nonpoint source pollution • Point source pollution • Light pollution • Noise pollution • Visual pollution • Interplanetary contamination
• Water pollution — Environmental impact of the coal industry • Acid rain • Eutrophication • Marine pollution • Ocean dumping • Oil spills • Thermal pollution • Urban runoff • Water crisis • Marine debris • Microplastics • Ocean acidification • Ship pollution • Wastewater • Fish kill • Algal bloom • Mercury in fish • Environmental impact of hydraulic fracturing
• Air pollution — Environmental impact of the coal industry • Smog • Tropospheric ozone • Indoor air quality • Volatile organic compound • Atmospheric particulate matter• Environmental impact of hydraulic fracturing
• Reservoirs — Environmental impacts of reservoirs
• Resource depletion — Exploitation of natural resources • Overdrafting
• Consumerism — Consumer capitalism • Planned obsolescence • Over-consumption
• Fishing — Blast fishing • Bottom trawling • Cyanide fishing • Ghost nets • Illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing • Overfishing • Shark finning • Whaling
• Logging — Clearcutting • Deforestation • Illegal logging
• Mining — Acid mine drainage • Environmental impact of hydraulic fracturing • Mountaintop removal mining • Slurry impoundments
• Toxins — Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) • DDT • Endocrine disruptors • Dioxin • Toxic heavy metals • Environmental impact of the coal industry • Herbicides • Pesticides • Toxic waste • PCB • Bioaccumulation • Biomagnification • Environmental impact of hydraulic fracturing
• Waste — Electronic waste • Litter • Waste disposal incidents • Marine debris • Medical waste • Landfill • Leachate • Environmental impact of the coal industry • Incineration • Great Pacific Garbage Patch • Exporting of hazardous waste• Environmental impact of hydraulic fracturing

as human we are force to aware on environment and participation from all sector to find the best solution to improve the environment and to control the issues and problems become worse from day to day...

ENVIRONMENTAL CONSERVATION knowledge should be teach from the beginning as to ensure we appreciate what around us and we aware what exactly happening in our surrounding environment... prevent is better than late..