Urban Configuration of Cities - Essay Example

Human costs of health are estimated to be approximately A$3 billion to A$5.3 billion each year with annual damages to materials, buildings, and property at between 3 and 5 billion Australian dollars, which is 1% of GDP (Ercoskun, 2012: p33). The biggest cause of pollution in the country is cars. Since most people in Australia do not use public transport and are reliant on their cars for transport, the country is among the highest polluter, per capita, in the world. Urban designs have a powerful impact on the quality of air, as well as exposing the population to pollutants. This results in most cities becoming unsustainable, both environmentally and economically. As pollution increases, living in these cities become worse.

Most people in Australia have accepted driving to work over long distances and urban sprawl as a way of life. However, this may change because of the threat to the supply of oil and increase in its price, enhancement of the greenhouse effect, and threat to their health because of poor quality of air (Gibson, 2011: p51). CSIRO has examined various alternatives in the evaluation of their capacity to reduce atmospheric pollution like emissions of greenhouse gases and energy consumption. In the past, similar inquiries have had their basis on subjective assessments concerning city planning and its impact on energy consumption and air quality. However, the magnitude order between various types of city structures has not undergone evaluation in many places, in the world. Integrated air-shed models, transport emissions, and land use that use advanced urban design software and spatial planning assisted researchers in the exploration of the effects that alternative transport, workplace, and residential structures could have on the consumption of energy and urban air quality to 2011 (Gibson, 2011: p52).

CSIRO examined six alternative future urban scenarios. The first was business as usual with extrapolation of the current patterns to the future, which is dispersed, low density, and laissez-faire. The second alternative was edge city with increased housing densities, population, and employment at elected nodes in the city, as well as increased investment that links edge cities via orbital freeways (Gibson, 2011: p55). The third alternative was corridor cities that focus on linear corridor growth that starts from the CBD with support from upgraded public infrastructure. Fringe cities are the fourth alternative that involves additional growth that predominates on the city fringes. Finally, ultra cities involve additional growth that is predominant in provincial cities that lie within 100 km of the capital and are linked via high-speed trains. These urban configurations were applied by CSIRO to Melbourne City based on increased populations from 2.5 to 3.0 million by the year 2013 (Gibson, 2011: p56). Key assumptions in this included increment of residential density, a full uptake of controls of vehicle emissions, a varying ratio concerning private and public transport, and an increase in telecommuting, in specific industries. The results were dramatic in how they impact on quality of urban air.

There are several worst-case scenarios identified by CSIRO. Photochemical smog can possibly decrease by 55% with regards to the corridor model and an increase of 71% if the urban development pattern stays as it is (Singh, 2012: p22). Particle emission can decrease 14% using the corridor model and a 160% increase, using the compact model, and a 61% with the business as usual model. CSIRO’s report for a sustainable urban future suggests various strategies for the improvement of urban air quality. The first is public education with the Australian public being made more aware of pollution, in addition to the impact of, using private transport on the air that they breathe. For instance, if patronage for public transport increased by 45% that would see a 28% decrease in photochemical smog exposure. Another is the role that the construction industry plays. The concept of ecological footprint should be utilized as a strategy by the private sector and the government to reduce emission and energy consumption in the maintenance, operation, and construction of buildings (Singh, 2012: p24). This should become part of their thinking during construction with incentives via star rating or tax systems like Green Star, and the National Home Energy Rating System to encourage minimization of building footprints in the industry. Finally, changes to public infrastructure and urban planning should be made possible by advances in emerging computer models.