DOCSLIB.ORG

Future Cities and Environmental Sustainability Saffa Riffat, Richard Powell and Devrim Aydin*

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Future Cities and Environmental Sustainability Saffa Riffat, Richard Powell and Devrim Aydin* Riffat et al. Future Cities and Environment (2016) 2:1 DOI 10.1186/s40984-016-0014-2 REVIEW Open Access Future cities and environmental sustainability Saffa Riffat, Richard Powell and Devrim Aydin* Abstract Massive growth is threatening the sustainability of cities and the quality of city life. Mass urbanisation can lead to social instability, undermining the capacity of cities to be environmentally sustainable and economically successful. A new model of sustainability is needed, including greater incentives to save energy, reduce consumption and protect the environment while also increasing levels of citizen wellbeing. Cities of the future should be a socially diverse environment where economic and social activities overlap and where communities are focused around neighbourhoods. They must be developed or adapted to enable their citizens to be socioeconomically creative and productive. Recent developments provide hope that such challenges can be tackled. This review describes the exciting innovations already being introduced in cities as well as those which could become reality in the near future. Keywords: Future cities, Sustainability, Urbanisation, Environment, Innovations Introduction factor, which even the excellence of Khmer engineering Throughout history, cities have been at the heart of hu- was unable to counter. man development and technological advancements [1]. Tenochtitian, the Aztec capital in what is now Mexico, Although an element of planning can be discerned even was built in a lake bordered by swamps. The flow of in the earliest cities they have often evolved in response water was controlled to provide land for building and ir- to the changing needs and aspirations of their inhabi- rigate fields, the so-called floating gardens. The city dis- tants. Some cities have survived for millennia, including tricts were connected by both causeways and canals. Rome, Athens, Cairo, Alexandra, Baghdad and Beijing, The Aztec engineers also had to separate the brackish and are still flourishing. Other, once mighty, cities have water of the lake from spring water from nearby hills for disappeared, their ruins being unearthed by present-day drinking. In 1519, at the time of the Spanish conquest, archaeologists. A fascinating example, built by the Tenochtitian, with an estimated population of 200,000 Khmer civilisation, is Ankor Wat [2] in present day to 300,000, and was one of the largest cities in world. Al- Cambodia, which boasted features very relevant to the though conquered it did not collapse like AnkorWat, design of future cities. Notable achievements by the an- but was developed by the Spanish into what is now cient Khmer engineers were the control and distribution Mexico City, with a population of 21 m. of water through a sophisticated canal system irrigating Although in designing cities of the future we have a agriculture within the city bounds supplying citizens much greater range of technologies than our ancestors, with ample food. The fundamental problems that the we must not make the hubristic mistake of assuming Khmer solved were the prevention of flooding by that these will ensure our success. The words of George Monsoon rains, and storing water for the subsequent Santayana are apposite, “Those who do not remember the periods of drought. Despite its success over 8 centuries, past are condemned to repeat it.” We need an enlight- AnkorWat collapsed in 1431 [3]. Climate change resulting ened approach to design cities of the future, learning in extended droughts is considered to be a contributory from the experience of the past and applying the ad- vanced technologies of the present. * Correspondence: [email protected] Department of Architecture and Built Environment, University of Nottingham, University Park, Nottingham NG7 2RD, UK © 2016 Riffat et al. Open Access This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license, and indicate if changes were made. Riffat et al. Future Cities and Environment (2016) 2:1 Page 2 of 23 Tomorrow’s cities: chaotic or strategic? Lessons Table 1 Impacts of global urbanisation and mitigation from the immediate past strategies First and foremost, future cities must serve their citizens, Impacts Mitigation Strategies combining increased prosperity for all with desirable life High traffic density ✓ Efficient public transport styles. These aims must be achieved without detriment to ✓ Compact city design people who live in other regions; for example they must High amount of waste ✓ Recycling not export carbon emissions by importing goods manufac- Urban warming ✓ Increasing green space, tured by fossil fuel and feedstock dependent processes or ✓ Using reflective materials create pollution elsewhere. This is not to say that a city Increasing Air pollution ✓ CO2 capture, cannot import feedstock or energy intensive goods from ✓ Filtering exhaust gases, ✓ Increasing efficiency of industrial outside its borders; rather the energy and material con- processes/vehicles tents of imports must be balanced by those of exports. To Increasing energy ✓ Using renewable sources, this end, future cities must adopt wide scale utilisation of consumption/sinking ✓ Achieving low energy buildings, renewable energy, waste management/minimisation, water resources ✓ Increasing efficiency of devices/ harvesting/recycling, landscape/biodiversity to enhance the processes natural environment, use of green transport systems, Lack of biodiversity/natural ✓ Increasing green space, ✓ applications of innovative material/construction methods habitat Developing animal/plant protection areas (low/zero carbon buildings) and local food production. Sinking water resources ✓ Water purification While such aspirations would have been familiar to city ✓ Desalination designers in antiquity, their modern counterparts can ✓ Rainwater harvesting draw upon newer technologies such as integrated smart Rising food demand/ ✓ Vertical farming management control systems based on wireless sensor poverty ✓ Artificial food production networks, which by detailed monitoring can turn wasteful ✓ Greening the deserts cities into sustainable cities. Technologies will need to Land shortage for housing ✓ Constructing multifunctional be tailored to particular geographic, climatic and cultural buildings, ✓ Creative architectural designs conditions, but all will have a similar philosophy of turn- Weak Social cohesion ✓ Improving sociocultural environment ing buildings from passive entities to active, adaptive and ✓ Increasing the number of organisations- adaptable spaces that takes advantage of the surrounding events that bring people together environment for heat, cooling, light and electricity. A key to achieving low carbon cities is understanding how best to select and integrate various technologies from the many food buyers; and food demand will have to be met by available, to optimise performance for different building rural and peri-urban areas or by food imports. types, climates, cultures and socio-economic conditions. On the other hand, in many emerging cities, people A strategic approach will be required to achieve a sustain- are obligated to live in more marginal regions. They have able city to ensure that it functions efficiently as a whole. less adaptive capacity, low incomes and no assets. Add- But the planning parameters should not be so centralised itionally less legal and financial protection, no insurance, and rigid that they do not allow different community de- no land tittle… Indeed urban areas are more attractive signs and architecture styles to find expression. than rural areas for many people in terms of job oppor- Several impacts of overpopulation in urban areas are tunities, improved living conditions, multicultural envir- already appreciable as summarized in Table 1 with pos- onment and dynamic life. In fact developed countries sible mitigation strategies. First of all concerns of food are already highly urbanized due to the opportunities and water security is arising in many cities. As these cit- they have, and the United Nations estimates that the ies expand, agricultural land is converted into residential urban populations of Africa, Asia, and Latin America and industrial areas. For instance in Conception, a Chilean will double over the next 30 years, from 1.9 billion in City with a population of 500.000, 1734 hectares of 2000 to 3.9 billion in 2030. At that point, over 60 % of wetlands and 1417 hectaresofagriculturallandand the world's population will live in cities [5]. forests were transformed into residential areas between Cities with the growing urban mass will turn to a more 1975–2000 [4]. In Accra, Ghana, it is estimated that resource, land, food and energy demanding consumers 2600 hectares of agricultural land is converted every and they should be productive to be genuinely sustain- year where Chinese and Indonesian cities have the able. Unproductive urban areas will probably face with similar pattern [4]. In the future agriculture will be poverty, inequality of individuals, pollution, illnesses and challenged to meet the demand of a population that is external economical dependency. projected to grow and to urbanize. This indicates that Productivity is clearly desirable in emerging cities as more food will be demanded
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Analysis of Multiple Deprivations in Secondary Cities in Sub-Saharan Africa EMIT 19061
    Analysis Report Analysis of Multiple Deprivations in Secondary Cities in Sub-Saharan Africa EMIT 19061 Contact Information Cardno IT Transport Ltd Trading as Cardno IT Transport Registered No. 1460021 VAT No. 289 2190 69 Level 5 Clarendon Business Centre 42 Upper Berkeley Street Marylebone London W1H 5PW United Kingdom Contact Person: Jane Ndirangu, Isaacnezer K. Njuguna, Andy McLoughlin Phone: +44 1844 216500 Email: [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected] www.ittransport.co.uk Document Information Prepared for UNICEF and UN Habitat Project Name Analysis of Multiple Deprivations in Secondary Cities in Sub-Saharan Africa File Reference Analysis Report Job Reference EMIT 19061 Date March 2020 General Information Author(s) Daniel Githira, Dr. Samwel Wakibi, Isaacnezer K. Njuguna, Dr. George Rae, Dr. Stephen Wandera, Jane Ndirangu Project Analysis of Multiple Deprivation of Secondary Town in SSA Document Analysis Report Version Revised Date of Submission 18/03/2020 Project Reference EMIT 19061 Contributors Name Department Samuel Godfrey Regional Advisor, Eastern and Southern Africa Regional Office Farai A. Tunhuma WASH Specialist, Eastern and Southern Africa Regional Office Bo Viktor Nylund Deputy Regional Director, Eastern and Southern Africa Regional Office Archana Dwivedi Statistics & Monitoring Specialist, Eastern and Southern Africa Regional Office Bisi Agberemi WASH Specialist, New York, Headquarters Ruben Bayiha Regional Advisor, West and Central Africa Regional Office Danzhen You Senior Adviser Statistics and Monitoring, New York, Headquarters Eva Quintana Statistics Specialist, New York, Headquarters Thomas George Senior Adviser, New York, Headquarters UN Habitat Robert Ndugwa Head, Data and Analytics Unit Donatien Beguy Demographer, Data and Analytics Unit Victor Kisob Deputy Executive Director © Cardno 2020.
    [Show full text]
  • Baoguang Zhai Gisposter
    Mapping new FronƟers— Use Socioeconomic lenses to find the best coastal ciƟes for seasteading Introduction Seasteading means the creaon and growth of permanent, autonomous ocean communies, or “seasteads,” to promote greater compeon and innovaon in polical and social systems. Seasteads will give people the opportunity to peacefully test new ideas about how to live togeth‐ er. The most successful will become thriving floang cies—inspiring change around the world. Since the founding of the Seasteading Instute in 2008 by the partnership of Patri Friedman, grandson of renowned economist Milton Friedman, and Silicon Valley investor and philanthropist Peter Thiel, the seasteading movement has been geng more and more aenon and recogni‐ on both within the US and across the world. Therefore, it is natural for seasteaders to look around the enre oceans of the world and study the most promising locaons for seasteading communies. The country is poliƟcally and economically liberal. The first spots for seasteading City Country Seasteading Score need to be more polically liberal, otherwise the seastead faces the danger of its estate Phase 2 City selecƟon - A city needs to sasfy two standards for it to be suitable for being expropriated by the government. For a seastead to be autonomous and funcon‐ New York United States 91.41 seasteading: ing, it also requires that the countries where the seasteads are located at to have rela‐ Stockholm Sweden 86.12 vely less economic regulaon and less government and tax burdens. The city is considered to be an important node in the global economic system. It is Dublin Ireland 85.79 a crucial strategy to build a seastead as a site of Amsterdam Netherlands 85.42 The economy of the country is compeƟƟve at building innovaƟve products and ser- aracon and a showcase for new ideas and max‐ Sydney Australia 85.15 vices.
    [Show full text]
  • Floating Cities: One Group's Idea for Adapting to Climate Change by Washington Post, Adapted by Newsela Staff on 04.10.19 Word Count 909 Level 1060L
    Floating cities: one group's idea for adapting to climate change By Washington Post, adapted by Newsela staff on 04.10.19 Word Count 909 Level 1060L A rendering of an Oceanix floating city as seen from above. Photo by: Oceanix/Bjarke Ingels Group As waters rise due to climate change — the overall warming of Earth — cities along coastlines are in increasing danger due to the resulting rise in sea levels. So, a nonprofit group called Oceanix is seeking alternative habitats. Oceanix is building a floating island as an experimental solution, the company told the United Nations (U.N.) habitat program April 3. The U.N. is a group that fosters cooperation among countries. The U.N. habitat program's focus is on human settlements. Their work involves making sure people in cities have safe places to live. Self-Sustaining Cities The buoyant islands would be linked together into floating, self-sustaining cities. They would rise with sea levels and are built to withstand hurricanes, according to a group of architects, engineers and developers who met at the U.N. headquarters. The prototype, or initial version, will be a small-scale kind that could be ready within months, said Marc Collins Chen. He's a founder of This article is available at 5 reading levels at https://newsela.com. Oceanix and a former politician from French Polynesia, a group of islands in the South Pacific Ocean. Officials at the U.N. welcomed the proposal. However, they have not officially joined the plan to create floating cities. The idea might sound unreal, but coastal cities are running out of land.
    [Show full text]
  • Creating Healthy & Resilient Cities
    Creating Healthy & Resilient Cities PACIFIC CITIES SUSTAINABILITY INITIATIVE 1 INSIGHTS FROM THE 2015 ANNUAL FORUM 1 ASIA SOCIETY is the leading educational organization dedicated to promoting mutual understanding and strengthening partner- ships among peoples, leaders, and institutions of Asia and the United States in a global context. Across the fields of arts, busi- ness, culture, education, and policy, the Society provides insight, generates ideas, and promotes collaboration to address pres- ent challenges and create a shared future. Founded in 1956 by John D. Rockefeller 3rd, Asia Society is a nonpartisan, nonprofit institution with headquarters in New York and centers in Hong Kong, Houston, Los Angeles, Manila, Mumbai, San Francisco, Seoul, Shanghai, Sydney, and Washington, DC. THE URBAN LAND INSTITUTE is a global nonprofit education and research institute supported by its members. Its mission is to provide leadership in the responsible use of land and in creating and sustaining thriving communities worldwide. Estab- lished in 1936, the Institute has more than 37,000 members representing all aspects of land use and development disciplines. THE PACIFIC CITIES SUSTAINABILITY INITIATIVE (PCSI) is a collaborative dialogue that aims to foster long-term sharing of urban sustainability strategies between communities across the Asia-Pacific region. Launched in 2009 with the support of the USC Marshall School of Business and the UCLA Anderson School of Management, the Initiative is a joint program of the Asia Society and the Urban Land Institute. PCSI convenes select thought leaders from business, government, and academia with the express aim of fostering new alliances, sharing innovative strategies, and showcasing effective practices.
    [Show full text]
  • Jeju Island Rambling: Self-Exile in Peace Corps, 1973-1974
    Jeju Island Rambling: Self-exile in Peace Corps, 1973-1974 David J. Nemeth ©2014 ~ 2 ~ To Hae Sook and Bobby ~ 3 ~ Table of Contents Chapter 1 Flying to Jeju in 1973 JWW Vol. 1, No. 1 (January 1, 2013) ~17~ Chapter 2 Hwasun memories (Part 1) JWW Vol. 1, No. 2 (January 8, 2013) ~21~ Chapter 3 Hwasun memories (Part 2) JWW Vol. 1, No. 3 (January 15, 2013) ~25~ Chapter 4 Hwasun memories (Part 3) JWW Vol. 1, No. 4 (January 22, 2013) ~27~ Chapter 5 The ‘Resting Cow’ unveiled (Udo Island Part 1) JWW Vol. 1, No. 5 (January 29, 2013) ~29~ Chapter 6 Close encounters of the haenyeo kind (Udo Island Part 2) JWW Vol. 1, No. 6 (February 5, 2013) ~32~ Chapter 7 Mr. Bu’s Jeju Island dojang (Part 1) JWW Vol. 1, No. 7 (February 12, 2013) ~36~ Chapter 8 Mr. Bu’s dojang (Part 2) JWW Vol. 1, No. 8 (February 19, 2013) ~38~ Chapter 9 Mr. Bu’s dojang (Part 3) JWW Vol. 1, No. 9 (February 26, 2013) ~42~ Chapter 10 Mr. Bu’s dojang (Part 4) JWW Vol. 1, No. 10 (March 5, 2013) ~44~ Chapter 11 Unexpected encounters with snakes, spiders and 10,000 crickets (Part 1) JWW Vol. 1, No. 11 (March 12, 2013) ~46~ Chapter 12 Unexpected encounters with snakes, spiders and 10,000 crickets (Part 2) JWW Vol. 1, No. 12 (March 19, 2013) ~50~ Chapter 13 Unexpected encounters with snakes, spiders and 10,000 crickets (Part 3) JWW Vol. 1, No. 13 (March 26, 2013) ~55~ Chapter 14 Unexpected encounters with snakes, spiders and 10,000 crickets (Part 4) JWW Vol.
    [Show full text]
  • Breaking the Horizon
    Kennesaw State University DigitalCommons@Kennesaw State University Bachelor of Architecture Theses - 5th Year Department of Architecture Spring 5-4-2017 Breaking The orH izon Chelseay Frith Kennesaw State University Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.kennesaw.edu/barch_etd Part of the Architecture Commons Recommended Citation Frith, Chelseay, "Breaking The orH izon" (2017). Bachelor of Architecture Theses - 5th Year. 5. https://digitalcommons.kennesaw.edu/barch_etd/5 This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by the Department of Architecture at DigitalCommons@Kennesaw State University. It has been accepted for inclusion in Bachelor of Architecture Theses - 5th Year by an authorized administrator of DigitalCommons@Kennesaw State University. For more information, please contact [email protected]. 1 Department of Architecture College of Architecture and Construction Management Thesis Collaborative 2016 – 2017 Request for Approval of Project Book Chelseay Frith Breaking the Horizon Thesis Summary: We are consuming more resources than the planet can sustain and at the current rate of usage these resources will be exhaust- ed. By creating this community, it will allow the exploration of different methods of living, regenerative cities, and research wave energy technology. The combination of elements from architecture, engineering, and technology can create a community that is an experiment in how we can design an environment that can create a community that is an experiment in how we can design an environment that can exist above and below the surface of the ocean. The challenge is to break the horizon and explore a new architectural frontier. Student Signature ________________________________Date___________Chelseay Paige Frith 5/4/2017 Approved by: Internal Advisor 1 __________________________________Date__________Michael J.
    [Show full text]
  • A Global Perspective on Cities of the Future: Focus on China Created by Cholehna J
    A Global Perspective on Cities of the Future: Focus on China created by Cholehna J. Weaver 2015 Fulbright-Hays Seminars Abroad Program Participant, China INTRODUCTION: Population growth is central to many of the environmental, social, and political issues we face today. One of the primary objectives of the Social Studies teacher is to educate students on the impact of human numbers and lifestyles on the surrounding world to ensure that we leave a sustainable future for generations to come. As students examine population changes and their effects on resources, population education is relevant and cross-curricular. China’s rapidly growing and urbanizing population provides a relevant and dynamic case to study in the classroom. As China and the United States have embarked on a joint commitment to cut greenhouse gas emissions, the urgency and immediacy of the implementation of more sustainable measures is apparent. While much of the focus on carbon emissions is centered on big businesses and energy consumption, much of the human use of resources in the future will occur in densely populated regions and cities. The planning and construction of cities will determine the future of how individuals use natural resources and impact environmental quality within an urban context. This series of lessons presents the broad challenges associated with global urbanization, examines the existing challenges in China as it shifts to a majority urban population, and analyzes possible steps and plans to achieving a more sustainable urban environment as new cities are established in China and around the world. The lesson is broken into three sections beginning with an examination of population growth as it relates to urbanization, challenges associated with crowded cities, and an examination of new technologies being rolled out around the world aimed at producing a more sustainable city model.
    [Show full text]
  • WHARF MASTER PLAN Mitigated Negative Declaration / Initial Study STATE CLEARINGHOUSE NUMBER 2016032038
    ATTACHMENT C ATTACHMENT C : Public Comments and Responses WHARF MASTER PLAN REVISED INITIAL STUDY City of Santa Cruz October 2016 ATTACHMENT C CITY OF SANTA CRUZ SANTA CRUZ WHARF MASTER PLAN Mitigated Negative Declaration / Initial Study STATE CLEARINGHOUSE NUMBER 2016032038 Public Comments and Responses Mitigation Monitoring and Reporting Program August 4, 2016 CONTENTS: I. Introduction II. Initial Study Revisions & Corrections III. Summary of Comments IV. Response to Environmental Comments V. Mitigation Monitoring and Reporting Program VI. ATTACHMENTS A. Comment Letters I. INTRODUCTION An Initial Study and Mitigated Negative Declaration (IS/MND) were prepared and circulated for a 30-day public review period from March 14 through April 12, 2016. The California State Clearinghouse (Governor’s Office of Planning and Research) sent a letter to the City upon the close of the public review period to indicate that the City had complied with the State’s environmental review process and that no state agencies submitted comments to the Clearinghouse. Comments were received by the City from the agencies and individuals listed below. The comment letters are included in ATTACHMENT A. r California Coastal Commission r California Department of Fish and Wildlife r Monterey Bay Unified Air Pollution Control District (No Comments) r Lu Erickson r Gillian Greensite r Mary McGranahan r Reed Searle Environmental issues raised in the submitted comments are summarized in Section III. The California State CEQA Guidelines (section 15074) do not require preparation of written responses to comments on a Mitigated Negative Declaration, but requires the decision- making body of the lead agency to consider the Mitigated Negative Declaration together with any comments received during the public review process.
    [Show full text]
  • The State of Asian and Pacific Cities 2015 Urban Transformations Shifting from Quantity to Quality
    The State of Asian and Pacific Cities 2015 Urban transformations Shifting from quantity to quality The State of Asian and Pacific Cities 2015 Urban transformations Shifting from quantity to quality © United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat), 2015 © The United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP), 2015 Disclaimer The designations employed and the presentation of the material in this publication do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of the Secretariat of the United Nations concerning the legal status of any country, territory, city or area, or of its authorities, or concerning delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries, or regarding its economic system or degree of development. The analysis, conclusions and recommendations of the report do not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations Human Settlements Programme, the Governing Council of the United Nations Human Settlements Programme or its Member States. Reference to names of firms and commercial products and processes do not imply their endorsement by the United Nations. Excerpts from this publication, excluding photographs, may be reproduced without authorisation, on condition that the source is indicated. All photos courtesy of dreamstime.com other than pp. 19, 23, 28, 31, 44, 66, 73, 120, 133, 135, 152, 164, 165 and 172 where copyright is indicated. HS Number: HS/071/15E ISBN: (Volume) 978-92-1-132681-9 Cover image: A bridge on the Pearl River, Guangzhou © Lim Ozoom/Dreamstime Design and Layout
    [Show full text]
  • Ture 3D Design in Turkey
    Centre for international DutchCu|ture | cooperation 3D Design in Turkey Version 2019 | Written by Özlem Er 3D design in Turkey Version 2019 In 2011, SICA (the predecessor of DutchCulture) Acknowledgements produced a comprehensive mapping of the Turkish Mapping is written by Özlem Er cultural field. This mapping was written by local experts and edited by Teike Asselbergs and Chantal Edited by Chantal Hamelinck and Teike Asselbergs. Hamelinck. The mapping was produce as a means to Proofreading by Natasha Hay promote cultural exchange between the Netherlands and Turkey and as a starting point of the year 2012, Commissioned by DutchCulture, centre for internati- which marked 400 years of Dutch – Turkish diplo- onal cooperation matic relations. The mapping was supported and produced in close co-operation with the Dutch public Supported by the Ministry of Education, Culture and funds. Science of the Netherlands An update of these mappings was commissioned in 2018 by DutchCulture while working with the same editors. The existing mappings were revised and several new mappings were added. The updated mappings are focusing more on giving Dutch cultu- ral practitioners an insight into the Turkish cultural field and its infrastructure, and helping them get in contact with colleagues. This mapping is supported by the Ministry of Education, Culture and Science of the Netherlands. Page 2 3D Design in Turkey Contents Summary 4 Introduction 5 Short history 7 Main trends and topics 9 Projects 13 Popular 15 Audiences 17 Sub-disciplines 18 Professional groups and associations 20 Educational institutions 22 Non-professionals 25 Youth 27 Venues 28 Festivals and Events 32 Awards and grants 33 Financial situation 35 Critics and researchers 37 (Social) Media and Design 39 Resources 41 Facilities 42 Page 3 3D Design in Turkey | Summary The major changes since 2011 in the field of 3D design in Turkey are mainly related to the political and economic climate of the country.
    [Show full text]
  • Final Programme Creating Healthy Cities for All: Designing for Equity and Resilience
    15-16 OCTOBER 2018 ROYAL COLLEGE OF PHYSICIANS, LONDON FINAL PROGRAMME CREATING HEALTHY CITIES FOR ALL: DESIGNING FOR EQUITY AND RESILIENCE W: www.healthycitydesign.global | E: [email protected] Organised by: In collaboration with Event partners Academic journal partner Silver partners Media partner Knowledge partners FOREWORD Dear colleagues, In less than 200 years, the proportion of the world’s population living in cities has grown from 5 per cent to more than half. As our planet urbanises, how do we promote sustainable development, wellbeing and inclusive growth in creating cities and communities that are resilient, equitable and fair to all? In their planning and design, cities have made undeniable progress in advancing the health of their citizens over the past 60 years. Within cities, however, health inequalities exist, and these are largely based on broader social inequalities. Cities have become polarised between rich and poor, public and private, engaged and excluded. At the same time, unparalleled socio-economic progress and population growth have created patterns of highly inequitable, inefficient and unsustainable resource consumption, which are taking a heavy toll on the Earth’s natural systems. The result is substantial health impacts, including reduction of food security and nutrition, loss of freshwater resources, higher exposure to communicable and non-communicable diseases, and loss of life from extreme weather events.1 Creating cities that are fairer and less divisive places in relation to health outcomes depends on how resilient they are in their design and planning. Resilience can manifest in emerging infrastructures that promote flexible working practices or more active modes of transport, or in access to fresh, locally produced food.
    [Show full text]
  • Planning Abu Dhabi: from Arish Village to a Global, Sustainable, Arab Capital City by Alamira Reem Bani Hashim a Dissertation S
    Planning Abu Dhabi: From Arish Village to a Global, Sustainable, Arab Capital City By Alamira Reem Bani Hashim A dissertation submitted in partial satisfaction of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in City and Regional Planning in the Graduate Division of the University of California, Berkeley Committee in charge: Professor Elizabeth S. Macdonald, Chair Professor Michael Southworth Professor Greig Crysler Summer 2015 © Alamira Reem Bani Hashim Abstract Planning Abu Dhabi: From Arish Village to a Global, Sustainable Arab Capital City by Alamira Reem Bani Hashim Doctor of Philosophy in City and Regional Planning University of California, Berkeley Professor Elizabeth S. Macdonald, Chair The overarching objective of this research project is to explore and document the urban history of Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. It is organized as a comparative study of urban planning and design processes in Abu Dhabi during three major periods of the city’s development following the discovery of oil: (1) 1960-1966: Sheikh Shakhbut Bin Sultan Al Nahyan’s rule (2) 1966-2004: Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan’s rule; and (3) 2004-2013: Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan’s rule. The intention of this study is to go beyond a typical historical narrative of sleepy village-turned-metropolis, to compare and contrast the different visions of each ruler and his approach to development; to investigate the role and influence of a complex network of actors, including planning institutions, architects, developers, construction companies and various government agencies; to examine the emergence and use of comprehensive development plans and the policies and values underlying them; as well as to understand the decision-making processes and design philosophies informing urban planning, in relation to the political and economic context of each period.
    [Show full text]