Sustainable city

A sustainable city is one that is designed to have as little impact on the environment as possible. Sustainable cities are focused on green living that minimizes the amount of pollution put back into the atmosphere and waterways. The goal of a sustainable city is to meet the needs of the current population without compromising the needs of future generations. They often utilize environmentally friendly energy sources, such as solar or wind power, and technological advances, which help further the sustainable city movement. For example, to minimize water consumption, many sustainable cities use sensor technology in their water distribution systems that reduces the energy needed for pumping stations, manages how much water is being used, and even detects leaks faster than a human could. Sensor technology can also be utilized in making trash removal more efficient by alerting collectors to which trash containers are full and need collecting. Sustainable infrastructure can be added to existing cities, while new cities are being built with these green initiatives in mind.

Background

Sustainability and sustainable development are not new concepts. For decades, environmental activists have been sounding the alarm about how human activities affect the natural world. As more people became aware of the effects of industrial pollution, more changes were made to address these problems. For example, in 1962, marine biologist and conservationist Rachel Carson published her book Silent Spring, which warned of the damaging effects of DDT—dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane—a powerful chemical used in insecticides. Use of DDT, which was first developed in 1939, became widespread in the 1940s. Soon, the use of the pesticide was linked to the death of large numbers of birds. This led Carson to write her book. In Silent Spring, Carson ties the use of DDT not only to dangers in the animal world, but also to cancer and genetic damage in humans. The publication of her book was considered a watershed moment in environmental history. By 1972, the agricultural use of DDT was banned in the United States.

As concern for the environment and awareness of the need for sustainability grew, government agencies were formed to protect nature. In 1969, the US government passed the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). The law was one of the first to create a broad national framework with the goal of environmental protection. Shortly after the act passed, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) was created in 1970. The goal of the agency is to protect the environment by setting ecological standards and monitoring the environment to ensure those standards are met.

As more people worldwide became aware of the effects humans were having on the environment, the move toward more sustainable development—and, eventually, sustainable cities—began. In 1972, the United Nations Conference on the Human Environment was held in Stockholm, Sweden. The conference brought nations of varying sizes together to discuss the rights of humans to housing, food, and clean water and the potential impact achieving those rights has on the environment. Over the next few decades, progress continued to further the efforts of increased sustainability. In 1992, the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development—also called the Earth Summit—was held in Brazil. Various climate policies have also been implemented by countries over the years in an effort to reduce carbon emissions and mitigate humans' impact on the environment. These included the Kyoto Protocol in 1997 and the Paris Agreement, which took effect in 2016.

Overview

As people became more aware of how humans affect the environment, the move toward more sustainable development and even fully sustainable cities continued to grow worldwide. Sustainable cities focus their attention on several key areas:

• air quality
• clean water
• energy use
• biodiversity
• food and agriculture
• waste

The planners and government agencies in sustainable cities recognize that clean air and clean drinking water are crucial to the health of citizens. Many will create efforts to reduce carbon emissions to keep the air clean. Technology is harnessed to ensure both water and energy consumption are efficient and minimized. Sensors allow workers at water processing plants to detect leaks sooner, reducing the amount of wasted water. Advances in the energy field, such as solar and wind power, allow sustainable cities to use greener alternatives to power homes and businesses. Farming and other agricultural initiatives allow sustainable cities to provide more of the food needed for its citizens instead of relying on outside manufacturers. These growing initiatives allow the ecosystems inside sustainable cities to be more biodiverse by bringing in new plants that would not have been there otherwise. Waste and trash removal in sustainable cities involve green initiatives as well, with many focusing on reusing and recycling materials when possible.

Sustainable cities come in many shapes and sizes. They may be entirely new communities, built from the ground up with greener sustainable efforts in mind. Others are existing cities and communities that have undertaken efforts to become more sustainable. Near Boston, Massachusetts, plans for a smart city called Union Point were announced and some development began in the 2010s with clean power and energy efficiency in mind. Plans called for both residential and commercial spaces, public green spaces, and hiking and biking trails. However, the project continued to face logistical and funding hurdles into the 2020s.

Not all cities with goals of sustainability can start from the ground up, however. Instead, they work to integrate greener initiatives into existing infrastructure and any new builds. Established cities like Oslo, Norway; Copenhagen, Denmark; and Reykjavik, Iceland, have been adding greener and renewable energy sources, such as solar or wind power, to reduce the need for energy from fossil fuels, such as oil. Charging stations for electric cars and bike lanes have also been added to encourage drivers to opt for more environmentally friendly electric vehicles or other modes of transport instead of traditional gas-fueled models. At the same time, experimentation in leveraging advancing technology such as artificial intelligence (AI) had continued.

Bibliography

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