10.4 Environmental Sustainability
259
Road occupancy levels are set to increase six-fold in some countries around the
world in the next 50 years. To tackle this, incorporating better and more efficient
mass transit systems can help achieve sustainability, while not sacrificing quality
of life for urban settlers. An improvement in public transport and an increase in
pedestrianization would allow for the reduction in car pollution. While there has
been a big push for this around the world, it has not been at the pace that experts say
is required. By implementing more strategies to minimize traffic on city roads, the
effects of emission gasses, such as carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) and methane (CH 4 ), will
be lowered.
What is the major challenge in the adoption of green transportation modes?
Orient these challenges to the African context.
Cities also need to address the issue of energy efficiency within their infrastructure. Throughout the developed world, over 40% of carbon emissions come from
cooling, heating, and powering buildings (Bettina 2011). Air conditioning units
in particular are a huge energy burden. Through better design and planning, city
buildings can be made more efficient to lower these energy demands (Bettina 2011).
Trees can be planted, and buildings painted in lighter colors to reflect light and heat
better as well as the installation of natural ventilation systems that do not require
energy. Additionally, cities could be planned with more green open spaces and water
features that reduce what is known as the “heat island effect,” which results from
the abundance of tarmac and asphalt making urban areas significantly warmer than
rural areas. Experts say these measures could save us as much as 30% of energy
usage (Bettina 2011).
Enumerate six constructions in major cities that have embraced energy
efficiency in their designs and constructions.
To meet the stipulation of an eco-city, it must be able to feed itself sustainably
from nearby surroundings, such as new agricultural systems designed within cities.
These urban farms would build plots within the city either in the suburbs or in the
city center and would reduce the distance that food would need to travel from the
field to the people. This could be done either in small scale or private farm plots, or
on a larger scale, such as on building rooms (farm scrapers). For instance, Tianjin
Eco-City has designed to depict many latest green amenities and technologies,
including solar-scrapes, wind power, wastewater treatment, rolling landscapes, and
light powered rail. The second stipulation of an eco-city is of course its ability to
sustain itself through renewable and clean energy sources. Again, renewable energy
sources will only be touched on briefly as it will be discussed in a later section,
259
Road occupancy levels are set to increase six-fold in some countries around the
world in the next 50 years. To tackle this, incorporating better and more efficient
mass transit systems can help achieve sustainability, while not sacrificing quality
of life for urban settlers. An improvement in public transport and an increase in
pedestrianization would allow for the reduction in car pollution. While there has
been a big push for this around the world, it has not been at the pace that experts say
is required. By implementing more strategies to minimize traffic on city roads, the
effects of emission gasses, such as carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) and methane (CH 4 ), will
be lowered.
What is the major challenge in the adoption of green transportation modes?
Orient these challenges to the African context.
Cities also need to address the issue of energy efficiency within their infrastructure. Throughout the developed world, over 40% of carbon emissions come from
cooling, heating, and powering buildings (Bettina 2011). Air conditioning units
in particular are a huge energy burden. Through better design and planning, city
buildings can be made more efficient to lower these energy demands (Bettina 2011).
Trees can be planted, and buildings painted in lighter colors to reflect light and heat
better as well as the installation of natural ventilation systems that do not require
energy. Additionally, cities could be planned with more green open spaces and water
features that reduce what is known as the “heat island effect,” which results from
the abundance of tarmac and asphalt making urban areas significantly warmer than
rural areas. Experts say these measures could save us as much as 30% of energy
usage (Bettina 2011).
Enumerate six constructions in major cities that have embraced energy
efficiency in their designs and constructions.
To meet the stipulation of an eco-city, it must be able to feed itself sustainably
from nearby surroundings, such as new agricultural systems designed within cities.
These urban farms would build plots within the city either in the suburbs or in the
city center and would reduce the distance that food would need to travel from the
field to the people. This could be done either in small scale or private farm plots, or
on a larger scale, such as on building rooms (farm scrapers). For instance, Tianjin
Eco-City has designed to depict many latest green amenities and technologies,
including solar-scrapes, wind power, wastewater treatment, rolling landscapes, and
light powered rail. The second stipulation of an eco-city is of course its ability to
sustain itself through renewable and clean energy sources. Again, renewable energy
sources will only be touched on briefly as it will be discussed in a later section,