RESOURCE EFFICIENCY
Cities are enormous consumers of material and producers of waste. Developing world cities are vulnerable to a lack of resources such as water and energy.
Water
With high levels of population growth, water availability and the disposal of waste water has become a major problem for cities. Water availability affects agro-economic production and food prices and the quality of water is linked to water pollution. It is of huge importance that cheap and manageable infrastructures make water recyclable and efficient in terms of water and energy use.
Energy efficiency
The supply of energy in cities is largely based on remotely located coal-fired power stations. However, coal is a non-renewable resource and it is estimated that the global demand for this fossil fuel is to increase by 45% in 2030. Therefore, it is essential for cities to invest in renewable energy sources that have zero emission(eg:solar, tidal, and wind). The majority of energy consumption in cities is due to transportation–Investing and encouraging carbon neutral and sustainable methods of transportation.
Here are some example of resource efficient cities:
Copenhagen, Denmark
– Ranked as one of the Greenest cities in the world.
-Aims to become carbon neutral by 2025.
-45% of its residents commute by bike
-Uses an energy efficient cooling and heating system for nearly households–saving 70% more energy.
San Francisco, California
-San Francisco dramatically reduced its water use.
-San Franciscans have decreased their water intake to about 49 gallons of water per day on average (the national average is 80-100 gallons/day)
– Other sustainable strategies is to achieve the goal to become a zero waste city by recycling, composting and investing in organic food.
Ways that sustainability can be achieved moving forward.
Implement better recycling programs, transportation systems (eg:bike paths), community parks and other green spaces and opt for renewable energy.
Enable cities to effectively manage their resources efficiently and reduce waste and greenhouse emissions gases thus improving quality of life.
Invest in cheap and manageable infrastructures to make water recyclable and efficient.
Important organizations that are helping to achieve these solutions, and provide hyperlinks so map-readers can easily learn more.
- World resource Institution
The world resource institution focuses on identifying solutions for urban growth.The Building Energy Accelerator project which speeds up strategies for low-emission buildings and sustainable housing. And the Sustainable Urban Mobility Project Initiative seeks to accelerate smarter and cleaner transport networks, including electric cars.https://www.wri.org/our-work/topics/sustainable-cities#_blank
- Organizations for sustainable transportation:
- Transportation Alternatives (New York)-
- Transportation Alternatives (New York)-
Created in the mid 1970’s, Transport Alternative (TA), aims for safer, equal streets, with more sustainable transportation methods in New York City.Transportation Alternative has built over 1000 miles of bike lanes. Hundreds of thousands more ride a bike every day to work. The area is built with bus lanes, municipal bike sharing and car-free parking space.
- Wisconsin Clean Cities(Milwaukee, WI)–
Established in 1994, the non-profit organization is designed to reduce petroleum consumption in the transportation industry. This is done by including the development of renewable fuels, alternative fuel cars and advanced transportation innovations, such as hybrid vehicles and their charging facilities. Thus reducing the nation’s reliance on imported oil, increase air quality, encourage local employment, accelerate economic growth and enhance quality of life.https://wicleancities.org/
Works Cited
Macomber, John D. “Building Sustainable Cities.” Harvard Business Review, 24 Mar. 2017.
Project, The Climate Reality. “Five Sustainable Cities Making a Difference for the Planet.” Climate Reality, 6 Nov. 2019.
D. Koutsoyiannis, N. Zarkadoulas, et al. “Improving Health in Cities through Systems Approaches for Urban Water Management.” Environmental Health, BioMed Central, 1 Jan. 1970, ehjournal.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12940-016-0107-2.
Hoballah, Arab, and Camaren Peter. Sustainable, Resource Efficient Cities: Making It Happen! UNEP, 2012.
“Learn More.” Transportation Alternatives, www.transalt.org“Lorrie Lisek.” Wisconsin Clean Cities, wicleancities.org/about/#intro.
“Lorrie Lisek.” Wisconsin Clean Cities, wicleancities.org/about/#intro.
Mitlin, Diana, et al. “Sustainable Development Goal 11.” World Resources Institute, 1 Aug. 2019, www.wri.org/sdg-11.“Our Story.” Transportation Alternatives, www.transalt.org/ourstory.
