Sustainable Cities,Better Cities
Look around,irrespective of which city you are in, they all have common issues which are:
- High population densities.
- Higher percentage of children/elderly
- Lower percentage of tree cover.
- High energy costs Vs low income
- Higher percentage of unemployed.
Can sustainable cities/communities help solve these issues? For some yes the solutions are direct but for some it's just that not easy. So how would a sustainable city help alleviate some of these issues.
''Sustinable development:is development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.''
UN Bruntland Commission, 1983
Using the sustainability triad (economic, social and environmental) can sustinable cities help solve our issues above?
How do sustainable cities address economic issues
We all agree that a community that is not economically healthy and stable is not sustainable, with that how are economic issues addressed in sustainable cities/communities:
1. Provides opportunities for local employment, investment and trade.
2. Addresses income equality/housing.
3. Reduces infrastructure and building construction, operation, and maintenance costs and impacts.
4. Introduces green business manufacturers and suppliers.
See sustainable cities can help solve 3 of our issues above [1],[4] and [5]
How do sustainable cities address social issues
For a community to thrive there must be social interaction and opportunities to socialize, how?
1. Ensure public security.
2. Facilitate social diversity.
3. Provide opportunities for literacy and education.
4. Provide opportunities for public participation and interaction.
5. Provides a wide range of housing options and improved affordability.
By providing opportunities where citizens can engage in simple activities in a safe, quiet place and at a low cost improves the safety and livability of the community.
That sorts our issues [1] and [2] partly.
How do sustainable cities address environmental issues
Nature thrives, and irrespective of how bad we don't take care of it, it always has a way of surviving and coming back, unfortunately we can't so we need to take care of nature for it to take care of us. How do sustianable cities contribute to environmental conservation:
1. Creates/maintains habitats.
2. Manages surface and ground water.
3. Creates/maintains/utilizes vegetation.
4. Minimizes pollution.
5. Provides clean water and air.
6. Reduces energy needs
7. Reduces sewage and solid waste.
Sorts issues [3] and [4] above.
Conclusion
For sustainable cities to be better cities there is need of having a long-term vision of where a community should be in the decades to come, it should be a community vision which strikes balance across the economic, social and environmental paradigms.
References
AEC Daily
Images : City, Market Place, Couples dancing, Beautiful Garden
I believe we can create sustainable cities. The other day I toured Kisii county. Now most of this county is urban. There is land scarcity and the entire county looks like a town especially at night when the lights are visible. Come day time, they have so many trees you will be looking for the houses. The air is so fresh around that place and it is also relatively clean. Got me thinking, Why do we not plant more and more trees in Nairobi too. Great article
Thank you for stopping by.
BTW Kisii has one if not the best Master Plans in the country and if they continue with that momentum, they will achieve the 24-hour economy that they are aiming for. For Nairobi there is a lot of politics, I was questioned and ignored when I asked to see the master plan once, like "what do you want to do with it?"
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I don't see why urbanites disregard places like Uhuru Park. When it rains, that place is beautiful, but people say it's for loners and prefer to go on dates in super crowded restaurants. I think it starts with a mental shift.
Its a great date place, issue is the street families who will keep pestering you.
Good post @cmbugua.
Thank you, I will keep em coming.
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STOPIs it possible to start with sustainable estates and homes? There's alot of wastage of resources that can be reused. Sewer water can be treated to water flowers and grass.
It is very much possible, if locals can be included into the urban planning committees sustainable homes are very much possible, and if done in large numbers the economies of scale bring down the construction costs, which is a big win.
In your opinion, which city(or cities) in the world are excelling in terms of addressing the above issues?
In the U.S Los Angels new and renovated buildings have to meet stringent measures to reduce energy amd water use, the U.S government itself has Executive Orders requiring all Federal Facilities worldwide meet set benchmarks for energy and water savings and for part of their energy to come from renewables by a certain year.
Canada is also doing great, stringent laws that require buildings to meet certain sustainable standards.
India is coming up and had one of the largest number of certified sustainable buildings in 2017, they are now building 1,000+ low cost houses that will save more that 20% in water,energy and building materials.
In Africa S.A is doing well and setting pace for sustianable buildings in Africa, they have a low cost housing estate coming up (upgrading of slums) tenants will receive certificates to show there houses are resource efficient.
Back home...you know the case