Sustainability Solutions for Urban Planners - Assignment Example

June 8, Sustainability Solutions for Urban Planners: The New is a New Global Town In 1987, the Report of the World Commission on Environment and Development, also called the Brundtland Report, stressed in its “Call to Action,” that throughout the twentieth century, “the relationship between the human world and the planet that sustains it has undergone a profound change” and that the heightened “rate of change is outstripping the ability of… [people’s] current capabilities” (World Commission on Environment and Development (WCED) 351). As a result, it called nations to pursue sustainability, which generally means “development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs” (WCED 351). Sustainability, however, is hard to attain in urban areas, where cities with high population density equate to large production of wastes and rapid consumption of natural resources. One of the most pressing problems facing urban planners today is how to create sustainable urban communities and to bring existing non-sustainable communities to the path of sustainability. Some of the potential avenues toward solving the issue of sustainability are creating a new city that is similar to a town in walkability and closed-loop metabolism, but a global one, because of the use of technology and modern networks in attaining its sustainability goals; understanding the unique strengths and constraints of every urban community for urban planning/redesign; and incorporating ecological concepts and principles in how urban communities are perceived, which require collaboration across all main stakeholders, including the government, the business community, citizens, and other related professionals. The historical roots of these problems on sustainability are the vast industrialization across the world during the past centuries and the free-market philosophy of liberal economics and capitalism that disregard sustainability principles. Industrialization, since the eighteenth century up to now (as it goes in more in developing countries), has resulted to widespread exploitation of natural resources and workers alike (WCED 354). As the Brundtland report summarizes: “Thus today’s environmental challenges arise both from the lack of development and from the unintended consequences of some forms of economic growth” (WCED 354). In urban design, it means converting agricultural areas to manufacturing/commercial/residential/entertainment sites and creating high-rise cities where population is more compact and where resources are swiftly consumed. Furthermore, the free-market philosophy is not without its negative repercussions as it promoted fast-paced growth without minding its ecological effects. Robert Riddell describes this free-market-thinking-turned-global-practice as “money-based energy-fired and technologically inspired ‘resource exploitation’ and ‘consumer discard’ syndrome” (9). The emphasis on money and growth has an effect on modern culture where people also prioritize wealth and materialism over environmentalism. At present, many cities are filled with commercial buildings and enterprises that produce pollution at an alarming rate, while some suburban communities reflect middle-class and upper-class thinking that tend to border on environmental apathy as they buy products frequently regardless of sustainability measures. These are only two of the factors that help explain why sustainability is now a problem for urban planners. Because the environment is ailing from humanity’s activities and because a number of international organizations are already calling for global consensus on promoting sustainability, one of the most pressing problems facing urban planners today is how to construct sustainable urban communities and to bring existing non-sustainable communities to the path of sustainability. On the one hand, sustainability is about striking a balance between present and future generations’ needs. On the other hand, sustainability is also about world’s most marginalized sectors, the poor and those who have little power and/or resources to pursue sustainability (WCED 351). Urban planners face the difficulty of considering, not only their main clients, who might be the middle-class and/or upper-class, but also the poor who are the literally and figuratively on the fringes of society. These social classes have different conditions and basic needs, while the higher classes tend to have more wants, which complicates the needs analysis for urban dwellers. The Brundtland report argues, nonetheless, that the poor should be the priority, suggesting that it is morally impermissible to conceive of sustainability without supporting their escape from poverty (WCED 351). Urban planners will find it tricky to prioritize the poor, when, in some instances, the taxpayers, mostly the middle and upper classes, are the main clients and markets to be served. Furthermore, urban planners cannot neglect the demand for competitiveness of both business communities and governments alike. The latter want urban spaces that invite business and make business activities efficient and always growing. Urban planners have to grapple with these stakeholders, who might, in real life, appear as additional cooks who complicate the recipe for preparing sustainable urban communities. Despite these conflicting interests, several potential avenues toward solving the issue of sustainability are basically about conceiving a new city that is a new global town. This city is like a town in terms of walkability and closed-loop metabolism. By walkability, the paper refers to safe and clean communities where pollution is low or virtually non-existent because of carfree practices (WCED 351) and designing communities where essential facilities and employment are within tolerable walking distances (Newman and Waldron 123). Some urban planners talk about urban communities that have everything accessible where they can be reached by walking 20 to 30 minutes from one’s home, including schools, churches, workplaces and government agencies, among others. The idea of living in a town that is “little” because of its amazing accessibility is a true sustainability practice. Apart from walkability, urban planners should add closed-loop metabolism to their designs. Timothy Beatley describes that close-loop metabolism happens when a city knows how to reuse, reduce, and recycle wastes and to provide enough resources (i.e. food and energy) for local citizens (454). An example is the city of Stockholm that has made organizational design changes because it has “administratively reorganized its governmental structure so that the departments of waste, water, and energy are grouped within an eco-cycles division” (Beatley 454). The new global community looks more like a living organism in a healthy biosphere where every creature works together in breaking down wastes and supporting life processes. In addition, the new global town is also global because it exploits technological advances and modern networks in attaining its sustainability goals. Some technological advances are designing transportation and buildings that are powered through renewable energy sources. Furthermore, urban planners should identify and respond to the unique strengths and constraints of every urban community for urban planning/redesign when incorporating ecological concepts and principles. To do so, they must collaborate with all main stakeholders, including the government, the business community, and citizens, as well as scientists and other professionals who can help improve the design of sustainable global towns. They must all work together in considering different aspects of the new global town, so that it can be flexible to changing economic, social, and political conditions. Thus, these solutions require the merging of social capital and technological capital, in order for a new sustainability culture to be ingrained in society and rigorously applied through urban planning. Some people think of the future and imagine flying cars and further isolated human lives. This essay sees the future as the future of global towns with fewer cars and more human collaboration. In essence, to pursue sustainability, urban planners have to walk figuratively two steps back by prioritizing equity, walkability, and close-loop systems that may be argued as characteristics of ideal towns, but also, they must be able to move two steps forward in merging technology and human capital in designing sustainable global towns. Sustainability, as an image, is a small big town, not car-chocked, but almost carless, and brimming with human interactions and community-building activities that use technology to ensure the attainment of locally sustainable needs. Works Cited Beatley, Timothy. “Planning for Sustainability in European Cities: A Review of Practice in Leading Cities.” The City Reader. 5th ed. Eds. Richard T. LeGates and Frederic Stout. New York: Routledge, 2011. 446-457. Print. Newman, Lenore, and Levi Waldron. “Towards Walkable Urban Neighborhoods.” Urban Sustainability: Reconnecting Space and Place. Eds. William Terrance Dushenko, Ann Dale, and Pamela J. Robinson. London: U of Toronto P, 2012.106-126. Print. Riddell, Robert. Sustainable Urban Planning: Tipping the Balance. Oxford: Blackwell, 2004. Print. World Commission on Environment and Development. “Towards Sustainable Development” from Our Common Future. 1987. The City Reader. 5th ed. Eds. Richard T. LeGates and Frederic Stout. New York: Routledge, 2011. 351-355. Print. Read More