Transcript Corporate PowerPoint Presentation 01 red

The challenge of green urbanism:
Mid-sized cities & ecological modernisation
Dr Jason Byrne
Griffith University School of Environment
Manuel Castells observed in 2002 that: “Our
blue planet is fast becoming a predominantly
urban world. …For all the talk about the
natural environment, it is the living conditions
in cities…that determine the future of our
livelihood. …Sustainable development is the
code word for the most important debate of
our time”.
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Challenges of an urban world
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Over 50% of world’s people inhabit cities
By 2070 this will be more like 75%
Biggest cities in 19th & 20th century were Euro-American
Biggest in 21st century: Asian, African & Latin-American
megacities (e.g. Shanghai or Lagos)
• Growth will occur fastest in mid-sized cities
• Cities are complexly interconnected, yet highly socioeconomically polarised
• Cities are where we find the largest environmental
impacts but cities also promise for solutions
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Urban environmental problems
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Air, water & soil pollution
Socio-economic polarisation (environmental injustice)
Proliferation of culture of hyper consumption
Health: obesity epidemic & infectious diseases (SARS)
Housing shortages & traffic congestion
Sanitation problems (e.g. clean water)
Waste management problems (e.g. sewage, landfills)
Water scarcity & declining soil fertility
Peak oil & the end of cheap energy
Climate change impacts (storms, heat islands, flooding)
Rapidly declining biodiversity
Food scarcity and food contamination
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• In short, our cities are vulnerable
• We need to make cities more resilient
– Resilience here refers to the ability to withstand
environmental disruptions and to bounce back
after a crisis (e.g. storm, flood, fire) with little or
no damage to key infrastructure, social capital
and life sustaining processes
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Overview
• Why mid-sized cities?
Fukoka Building Green Roof, Japan
The Wild Project Green Roof, Canada
• Green urbanism
• Examples
– Industrial ecology
– Biomimicry
landscapeandurbanism.blogspot.com
– Metabolic cities
• Australian initiatives
• Relevance to Bologna and
Forli?
Currumbin Eco-Village, Australia
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St. Etienne, France: Green transport
www.inhabitat.com/
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Why mid-sized cities?
(500,000 – 3.5 million???)
• All about scale
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Greater share of urbanisation (30+%)
Smaller populations but still diverse
Less inertia in system
Easier to analyse
Potential for rapid response
Potential to diversify economy
Less disruption in retrofitting
Act as incubators
Realise benefits faster
Residents closer to nature
More attractive destinations (lifestyle)
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Curitiba
Portland
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Ecological cities
Kaika and Swyngedouw (2000: 120) have recently reminded us
that cities are: “mediators through which the perpetual process
of transformation of natur[al] into [cultural] takes place. …The
city is a space of flows, of flux, of translocation.”
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Green urbanism: metabolic cities
• Regards previously disparate
concerns as interconnected
• Transport, housing, health,
energy, environment,
governance etc. all interact in
concert with each other
• Applies ecological
sustainability principles
• Recognises the metabolic
character of cities
• Seeks to close material &
energy loops
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http://www.tuvie.com/wp-content/uploads/dragonfly-vertical-farm
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Bio-mimicry
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Draws upon natural design cues
Uses natural materials
Seeks to emulate natural cycles
Examples include:
– Aerodynamic public transport
– Heat chimneys in buildings
– Photosynthetic energy
– Industrial ecology
http://www.inhabitat.com
Eastgate Centre in Zimbabwe
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Industrial ecology
• Discourse / paradigm holding
that economic growth and
environmental harm can be
decoupled
• Waste material from one
industry become the raw
material input of another
• Creates an industrial
“ecosystem”
• Economic mutualism not
competition
http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1267/684784497_41c5685ab2.jpg
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Analyse
• Commodity flow analysis
• Energy pathway
analysis
• Material flows analysis
• Lifecycle assessment
• Nutrient cycling
• Home range analysis
– (animal habitats)
http://weburbanist.com/2007/12/11/8-greatgreen-roofs-a-brief-pictoral-history-of-greenGriffith School of Environment
roofs-and-roofing-systems-past-and-present/
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Long Term Ecological Research
• Baltimore, Maryland & Phoenix,
Arizona
• Undertaking many of these
analyses
• Studying cities as ecosystems
• http://www.lternet.edu/sites/bes/
• http://www.lternet.edu/sites/cap/
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Energy pathway analysis
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Movement of energy through urban ecosystems
Impact of built environments on atmospheric energy
Urban albedos – reflection of solar energy
Heat island effects
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Material flows analysis
• How materials flow or move
through a system
– e.g. movement of goods
through an economy
– movement of raw material
through a city
– movement of waste
through sewers & drains
– tracing how trees become
paper then waste
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Nutrient cycling analysis
• Tracing the flow of nitrogen,
phosphorous and potassium
through landscapes
• Determining the impact upon
ecosystems
• Examining the role of humans
in this process
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Home range analysis
Urban Habitats
• Examining population dynamics
• Studying animal-plant interactions
• Identifying the foraging areas of
animals
• Considering human impacts
• Mapping human-animal
interactions
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Commodity flow analysis
• Transportation
– Trucks
– Rail
– Ships
• Warehousing
• Pipe networks
• Retailing
• Disposal
• Re-use
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Analysis of truck movements through Los Angeles
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Lifecycle assessment
• Examining the ‘cradle’ to
‘grave’ impacts of goods
• Researching impacts of
entire sourcing,
manufacturing, use and
disposal process
• Developing lower impact
goods
– Biodegradable plastic
– Recyclable carpet
– Recyclable cars
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Bad example – clean coal
GE’s clean coal campaign
• Australia’s largest export is coal
• New Australian government
signed Kyoto Protocol (2007)
• Committed to carbon-trading
• Want to have our cake and eat it
• Solution is clean coal technology
saferenvironment.wordpress.com/
– Geosequestration
– Biosequestration
• Emissions reduction though:
– Energy & water efficiency
– Dispersed generation
http://www.treehugger.com/clean-coal-wars.jpg www.pophistorydig.com/wp-content/uploads/2008..
• Does not solve the problem
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Good example: renewables
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Solar power
Wind power
Biofuels & biogas
Geothermal
Tidal
Hydroelectricity
• e.g. use sewage to
generate electricity from
methane digesters and
algae farms
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Newcastle, UK
http://earth2tech.files.wordpress.com
San Francisco, USA
http://solarshingles.blogspot.com/2008_03_01_archive.html
www.futureenergyevents.com
China
Arizona, USA
Maglev wind turbine: www.inhabitat.com/
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Other examples
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Green buildings
Urban agriculture
Green schools & solar schools
Green transport
– Solar & hydrogen busses
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Hydrogen bus - Perth
Water recycling & re-use
Water & energy efficiency
Stormwater harvesting
Biodiesel (from waste oil)
Solar bus - Adelaide
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Planning mechanisms
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State sustainability strategies (e.g. W.A.)
State of the environment reports (indicators)
Regional planning schemes
Climate change adaptation strategies
Sustainability-based local land use plans
Transit-oriented development & bicycle planning
Parks, green corridors, green roofs & city farms
Water sensitive urban design
Green building rating scheme
National ban on incandescent light-bulbs
Environmental levies & subsidies
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Australian Subsidies
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Solar hot water system rebate (up to $4,000)
Photo-voltaic roof panel rebate / credit ($8,000)
Solar electricity feed-in tariff (44 c per kwh)
Roof insulation ($1,600) & energy monitors
Low-flow showerheads (free) & dual flush toilets
Free give-aways and heavily discounted CFB’s
Domestic rainwater tanks ($500 federal; $1000 state)
Water efficient washing machines ($200 - $300)
Worm farms ($50)
Native plant discounts & rebates (up to $100 p.a.)
Vehicle registration discounts for hybrid vehicles
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Gold Coast - Australia
Gold Coast, Australia
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Gold Coast City Council
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Carbon neutral by 2020
Green power for municipal buildings
Switching to hybrid car & truck fleet
Solar heating of municipal swimming pools
Wastewater recycling & domestic re-use
Rainwater tank & washing machine subsidy
Four free street trees (per person / year) revegetation
Domestic kerbside recycling program
Investigating tidal energy
Target 52% of municipal area as eco-reserve
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Bologne & Forli?
• Both cities have committed to
sustainability
• Compact urban forms
• Pedestrian oriented
• Public transportation
• Plenty of sunshine (solar)
• Potential to become European
mid-sized city leaders
• Potential for a network of
collaborators
• Potential for international
partnerships with other midsized cities
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Questions?
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