- Are those cities, towns and urban areas that using resources to meet current needs while ensuring that adequate resources are available for future generations.
- involve development of community to enhances the local environment and quality of life as well as developing a local economy that supports both thriving human and ecological systems. (www.wiser.org)
sustainable city also known as eco-city and it is a city that designed with consideration of environmental impact and to reduce the usage of energy and consumption. From the reading, a sustainable city is a city that able to use renewable source of energy to the fullest and less rely to the surrounding as to reduce the ecological footprint and lower the level of pollution by using the land efficiently, composing the used materials, recycling the waste into energy.
what is characteristic of sustainable city??
"There is a sense of great opportunity and hope that a new world can be built, in which economic development, social development and environmental protection as interdependent and mutually reinforcing components of sustainable development can be realized through solidarity and cooperation within and between countries and through effective partnerships at all levels."
United Nations City Summit Habitat Agenda
(Chapter I, June 1996 .pg. 1.)
Sustainability characteristics outlined by the Centre for Sustainable Development include:
- the formulation of goals that are rooted in a respect for both the natural environment and human nature and that call for the use of technology in an appropriate way to serve both of these resources;
- the placement of high values on quality of life;
- respect of the natural environment;
- infringement of technology with purpose;
- optimization of key resources;
- maintenance scale and capacity;
- adoption of a systems approach;
- support of life cycles;
- responsiveness and pro activeness;
- value for diversity; and
- preservation of heritage.
Nigel Richardson, consultant that prepare for the Ontario Round Table on Environment and Economy make a comparison of strategies for sustainable city and non sustainable city which are:
sustainable city
- required compact forms of residential development
- encourage mixed land use - work, residential & commercial in one area
- employment based on education & skills
- encourage physical mobility - walking & cycling
- usage of renewable energy
- encourage usage of natural means of sewage treatment
- protection & use of natural hydrologic systems
- implementation of natural open space in design
- reduction of waste - recovery, reuse & recycling of waste materials
non sustainable city
- encourage low density and spread-out residential development
- segregation land uses happen - residential, work and commercial located far away
- employment based on environment polluting / non renewable resource
- private vehicles dependency
- usage of non-renewable energy
- discharge of sewage into water bodies / water-courses untreated
- channeling natural water-courses
- destruction towards environment
- encourage landfills and incinerators
The essential components of sustainable
cities include
- environmental integrity - A well-designed public environment can help ensure resources are used responsibly, reduce the use of non-renewable energy, and preserve the integrity of ecosystems. it can be achieve through energy conservation, land and resource conservation, land & resource conservation and air & water quality management
- quality of life - includes the human qualities of vibrant social and leisure opportunities, social inclusiveness and support for cultural identity, a healthy natural environment, and the simple sense for both residents and visitors that congenial amenities and facilities are available includes streets, squares, parks and gardens
- economic security - attractive and livable places are vital factors supporting economic growth in a fluid, global economy and influence decisions to invest locally or elsewhere. Economic stability and prosperity also involve mutually supportive and complementary land use mixes
- democratic participation - The involvement of local residents, interest groups and stakeholders, non-government organisations and groups with special needs is seen as central to the concept of sustainability. this is perhaps can achieve the economics, environmental, political, social and cultural value so that communities can communicate and connected with each other.
These interaction that will creates the processes of place making, affordability, accessibility and sustainability.
the advantages of sustainable city are:
- to provides its inhabitants with every basic amenity for a reasonable standard of living.
- to regenerated and sustained the resources without getting depleted.
- A society to takes part in good governance and allocation of its economic resources for the well being of its people.
- Where citizens are law-abiding, conscious of their role and contribute to the all round development of the city.
Conclusion:
sustainable city is very important to be develop right now to ensure we are not facing a problem of environment, economy and social life. this is because if we do not control our usage of energy and consumption, it is not a big surprise if in the future we need to use a mask for breath, pollution level is increase, shortage of food, employment based on nuclear and chemical are become the major work and all these scenario will affect the quality of life and health of people in the world. ecological footprint will increase and this will lead to the shortage of land to process all consumption and maybe half of this world is full with the waste that we made... so to avoid all of this to happen in the future, we as the new generation should implement the sustainable concept in our daily life so that we can preserve and it can give benefits not only for us but also for future generation.. together we should save our EARTH from die :)
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