Sustainability
Sustainable communities are places where people want to live and work, now and in
the future. They meet the diverse needs of existing and future residents, are
sensitive to their environment, and contribute to a high quality of life. As a result, a
sustainable community manages its human natural and financial resources to meet
current needs while ensuring that adequate resources are equitably available for
future generations.
Sustainable developments must focus on social, economic, and environmental
factors for the future.
Social factors include.
Good quality housing, some form of renewable energy e.g., solar panels, rainwater
harvesting, well insulated, double-glazed windows (all reduce energy loss and green
technology) Children can play outdoors safely. Access to secondary schools, health
clinic village and sports centre - promoting education and physical and mental
health. Good self-esteem Strong community links. The area had been regenerated,
with investment from businesses and local community groups.
Economic
Local people trained in new skills for the new business ventures that have invested
in the area. Affordable urban regeneration for local people. Low unemployment.
Environmental
Decontamination of industrial waste. Reduction in greenhouse gases due to
renewable energy such as solar panels, and rainwater harvesting. Less reliance on
private cars, people walk, cycle, or use public transport all improving air quality.
Improvements in water quality Recycling facilities (less landfill and fly-tipping, less
litter). Increase green spaces, parks, vegetation, and walkways improving
biodiversity, air quality and physical and mental health.
Nature reserves
Example
Newcastle upon Tyne has a population of 285, 000 an industry formerly based on
heavy manufacturing and shipbuilding. Unemployment increased leading to social
problems of family splits, poor educational attainment, and social exclusion. The
competitive Newcastle strategy encouraged the growth of new services-based
industries, redevelopment of the derelict shipyards, - industrial, commercial, and
residential redevelopment - modern housing, riverside walks, leisure facilities,
riverside conservation area.
In Southwest Bicester 1,500 new homes, a health village, sports areas, employment
land (including a hotel), a new secondary school, a community hall, and a new
perimeter road (all with approved planning permission) was proposed. Families can
afford to live, Jobs were created for local people, Children can play outdoors safely,
Wildlife can thrive and there's a strong community spirit.
, Settlement Issues challenging sustainable development:
Urban Sprawl -housing, retail, and industrial development on the rural-urban
fringe.
Increase pollution from traffic.
Reduction in biodiversity
Inner city areas run down, and developers build on greenfield sites instead of
redeveloping brownfield sites.
Ecological Footprints
The ecological footprint measures human impact on the earth's ecosystem. It refers
to the total number of hectares (global hectares) required to provide an area with all
its needs, including farmland, fishing land, forest land and infrastructure as well as
the amount of land required to absorb its carbon dioxide emissions and other waste.
The ecological footprint is really a measurement of the land area required to sustain
a population and can be measured at any scale from individual people to the globe.
Because cities have high-density populations, industry and high levels of car
ownership, their ecological footprints are inevitably larger than their physical areas.
Advantages of Urban Ecological Footprint
1. It's a single numerical unit that demonstrates the finite nature of natural
resources.
2. It's a useful communication tool.
3. It can have an influence on policymakers.
4. The data can be used to model different scenarios and examine their impact
on the footprint e.g., waste management, local food production, sustainable
transport measures and renewable energy production.
- However, it can oversimplify resource use by giving only a snapshot of
consumption and is time-consuming to calculate.
Carbon Footprint
A Carbon Footprint is a subset of the ecological footprint. It measures the total
amount of carbon dioxide emissions that enter the atmosphere as a result of the
electricity and fuel used in everyday life as well as the number of CO2 emissions
generated by the manufacture of products bought.
There are two types of emissions.
(a) Direct emissions result from heating and car use.
(b) Indirect emissions occur from the generation of electricity, the production of
goods and services, and the amount of transport required to get the goods to
market.
Sustainable communities are places where people want to live and work, now and in
the future. They meet the diverse needs of existing and future residents, are
sensitive to their environment, and contribute to a high quality of life. As a result, a
sustainable community manages its human natural and financial resources to meet
current needs while ensuring that adequate resources are equitably available for
future generations.
Sustainable developments must focus on social, economic, and environmental
factors for the future.
Social factors include.
Good quality housing, some form of renewable energy e.g., solar panels, rainwater
harvesting, well insulated, double-glazed windows (all reduce energy loss and green
technology) Children can play outdoors safely. Access to secondary schools, health
clinic village and sports centre - promoting education and physical and mental
health. Good self-esteem Strong community links. The area had been regenerated,
with investment from businesses and local community groups.
Economic
Local people trained in new skills for the new business ventures that have invested
in the area. Affordable urban regeneration for local people. Low unemployment.
Environmental
Decontamination of industrial waste. Reduction in greenhouse gases due to
renewable energy such as solar panels, and rainwater harvesting. Less reliance on
private cars, people walk, cycle, or use public transport all improving air quality.
Improvements in water quality Recycling facilities (less landfill and fly-tipping, less
litter). Increase green spaces, parks, vegetation, and walkways improving
biodiversity, air quality and physical and mental health.
Nature reserves
Example
Newcastle upon Tyne has a population of 285, 000 an industry formerly based on
heavy manufacturing and shipbuilding. Unemployment increased leading to social
problems of family splits, poor educational attainment, and social exclusion. The
competitive Newcastle strategy encouraged the growth of new services-based
industries, redevelopment of the derelict shipyards, - industrial, commercial, and
residential redevelopment - modern housing, riverside walks, leisure facilities,
riverside conservation area.
In Southwest Bicester 1,500 new homes, a health village, sports areas, employment
land (including a hotel), a new secondary school, a community hall, and a new
perimeter road (all with approved planning permission) was proposed. Families can
afford to live, Jobs were created for local people, Children can play outdoors safely,
Wildlife can thrive and there's a strong community spirit.
, Settlement Issues challenging sustainable development:
Urban Sprawl -housing, retail, and industrial development on the rural-urban
fringe.
Increase pollution from traffic.
Reduction in biodiversity
Inner city areas run down, and developers build on greenfield sites instead of
redeveloping brownfield sites.
Ecological Footprints
The ecological footprint measures human impact on the earth's ecosystem. It refers
to the total number of hectares (global hectares) required to provide an area with all
its needs, including farmland, fishing land, forest land and infrastructure as well as
the amount of land required to absorb its carbon dioxide emissions and other waste.
The ecological footprint is really a measurement of the land area required to sustain
a population and can be measured at any scale from individual people to the globe.
Because cities have high-density populations, industry and high levels of car
ownership, their ecological footprints are inevitably larger than their physical areas.
Advantages of Urban Ecological Footprint
1. It's a single numerical unit that demonstrates the finite nature of natural
resources.
2. It's a useful communication tool.
3. It can have an influence on policymakers.
4. The data can be used to model different scenarios and examine their impact
on the footprint e.g., waste management, local food production, sustainable
transport measures and renewable energy production.
- However, it can oversimplify resource use by giving only a snapshot of
consumption and is time-consuming to calculate.
Carbon Footprint
A Carbon Footprint is a subset of the ecological footprint. It measures the total
amount of carbon dioxide emissions that enter the atmosphere as a result of the
electricity and fuel used in everyday life as well as the number of CO2 emissions
generated by the manufacture of products bought.
There are two types of emissions.
(a) Direct emissions result from heating and car use.
(b) Indirect emissions occur from the generation of electricity, the production of
goods and services, and the amount of transport required to get the goods to
market.
