Urban Sustainability: guidelines for building a great city

URBAN SUSTAINABILITY

THE WORLD IS URBANIZING RAPIDLY

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2

4

6

8

10PO

PULA

TION

(BILL

IONS

)

World became a ma-jority urban in 2010

Urban growth takes off

Urban population growing by ~75 million per year

TOTAL

URBAN

RURAL

Two-thirds of the world’s population, or 6 billion people, will live in cities by 2050

THE PERIL

CONGESTION AIR POLLUTION REDUCED QUALITY OF LIFE

THE PERIL: URBAN FORM

Superblocks dominate urban development

Sprawling development and ever expanding city boundaries

RISKS LOCKING IN BAD URBAN FORM

THE PERIL: TRANSPORT

Urban infrastructure revolves around the car

Highways perceived as a mobility solution

THE HUMAN SCALE IS LOST

THE DIFFERENCE OF GOOD PLANNING

BARCELONA HAS ROUGHLY THE SAME POPULATION AS ATLANTA, BUT TAKES UP ONE-TENTH THE LAND AREA AND EMITS 5X FEWER TRANSPORT CARBON

EMISSIONS

What are the minimum requirements to building a great city?

DOWNLOAD: energyinnovation.org/greensmart

BENEFICIAL MEASURABLE PRACTICAL


THE 12 GREEN GUIDELINES

FOUNDATIONAL AND

NECESSARY

4. Small Blocks

1. Urban Growth

Boundary

2. Transit Oriented

Development

3. Mixed-Use

5. Public Green Space

6. Non-Motorized

Transit7. Public Transit

8. Car Control

9. Green Buildings

12. Water Efficiency

11. Waste Managemen

t

10. Renewable and District

Energy

1-5: Urban Form

6-8: Transportation

9-12: Energy & Resources

URBAN GROWTH BOUNDARY1. URBAN GROWTH BOUNDARY2. TOD3. MIXED-USE4. SMALL BLOCKS5. PUBLIC GREEN SPACE6. WALKING AND BIKING7. PUBLIC TRANSIT8. CAR CONTROL9. GREEN BUILDINGS10. RENEWABLE AND DISTRICT ENERGY11. WASTE12. WATER

An urban growth boundary is set around a city to contain urban sprawl and preserve the land outside of the

boundary

PORTLAND, OREGON

TRANSIT-ORIENTED DEVELOPMENT1. URBAN GROWTH BOUNDARY2. TOD3. MIXED-USE4. SMALL BLOCKS5. PUBLIC GREEN SPACE6. WALKING AND BIKING7. PUBLIC TRANSIT8. CAR CONTROL9. GREEN BUILDINGS10. RENEWABLE AND DISTRICT ENERGY11. WASTE12. WATER

COPENHAGEN

Transit-oriented development matches population density with transit capacity

SINGLE-USE SUPERBLOCKS BEIJING

1. URBAN GROWTH BOUNDARY2. TOD3. MIXED-USE4. SMALL BLOCKS5. PUBLIC GREEN SPACE6. WALKING AND BIKING7. PUBLIC TRANSIT8. CAR CONTROL9. GREEN BUILDINGS10. RENEWABLE AND DISTRICT ENERGY11. WASTE12. WATER

Mixed-use development intermingles residential, commercial, recreational, and cultural space,

guaranteeing amenities and services are easily accessible

MIXED-USE DISTRICT IN PORTLAND


Mixed-use development intermingles residential, commercial, recreational, and cultural space,

guaranteeing amenities and services are easily accessible

San Francisco

Vancouver

New York

PortlandShanghai Beijin

g

BLOCK SIZES IN DIFFERENT CITIES AT SAME SCALE1. URBAN

GROWTH BOUNDARY2. TOD3. MIXED-USE4. SMALL BLOCKS5. PUBLIC GREEN SPACE6. WALKING AND BIKING7. PUBLIC TRANSIT8. CAR CONTROL9. GREEN BUILDINGS10. RENEWABLE AND DISTRICT ENERGY11. WASTE12. WATER

Small blocks create a dense mesh of narrower, pedestrian-friendly streets and paths, facilitating street life and the shift

away from car use


Highline Park, New York City

Attractive public spaces create a sense of community and neighborhood identity, while

enhancing the city’s economic vitality and environmental resiliency.

Image source: Flickr (Filipp Solovev)

https://www.flickr.com/photos/8813387@N08/7521483756

https://www.flickr.com/photos/8813387@N08/7521483756


Parklets distribute small areas of public green space throughout

citiesImage sources (Vancouver Public Space Network and SDOT photos)

Attractive public spaces create a sense of community and neighborhood identity, while

enhancing the city’s economic vitality and environmental resiliency.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/vancouverpublicspace/6649719937

https://www.flickr.com/photos/sdot_photos/16601101076


Liuyun Xiaoqu, China

The world’s most attractive cities prioritize transportation development at the human scale

Dense networks of walking and biking paths allow for shorter, more efficient, and more pleasant commutes.


Hangzhou, China Mexico City, Mexico

The world’s most attractive cities prioritize transportation development at the human scale

Dense networks of walking and biking paths allow for shorter, more efficient, and more pleasant commutes.


Bus-rapid transit (BRT) moves people around cities quickly and safely

Public transit must be a first-class option for transportation


Guangzhou before and after bus rapid transit

Public transit must be a first-class option for transportation

Elements of good bus rapid transit (BRT): Dedicated bus lanes occupying the center of the roadway Stations that are level to bus height and collect fare prior to boarding

An advanced country is not one where the poor move about in cars, rather it’s where even the rich use public transportation.

- Enrique Peñalosa, Mayor of Bogotá


Car control improves space efficiency on streets

Buses Bikes Cars

BEFORE

AFTER


Parking and driving restrictions, safe options for biking and walking, and top-notch public transit help to limit car use in

cities


Green buildings employ a variety of efficiency techniques to minimize their energy and resource consumption

Shenzhen’s IBR Building


Cost premiums for green buildings are

decreasing, while property values

are increasing

Seattle’s Bullitt Center

Green buildings employ a variety of efficiency techniques to minimize their energy and resource consumption


Solar hot water

Rooftop solar PV systems

Falling costs and increasing efficiency rates make renewable energy resources more

viable options


TODAY: District energy systems produce steam, hot water, or chilled water that is piped to individual buildings for heating and cooling

Traditional district heating systems avoid buildings’ need

for furnaces, boilers, air chillers, etc.


TOMORROW: District energy systems will produce energy at a more decentralized or localized level

Microgrids offer energy security and stability, while helping increase

the adoption of renewable energy

UC San Diego’s microgrid Image source: Orkas

http://www.orkas.com/a-perfect-storm-for-microgrids/


San Francisco’s Recology waste

management company diverts 80 percent of

waste from landfill

Waste management practices aim to reduce, reuse, recycle, and recover as much waste as

possible.

Waste management practices aim to reduce, reuse, recycle, and recover as much waste as

possible.


Image source: World Economic Forum

http://reports.weforum.org/toward-the-circular-economy-accelerating-the-scale-up-across-global-supply-chains/from-linear-to-circular-accelerating-a-proven-concept/#view/fn-12


More efficient water consumption reduces energy usage needed to treat, move, or heat water

“A sponge city is one that can hold, clean, and drain water in a natural way using an ecological approach”


- Kongjian Yu, dean of Peking University’s

College of Architecture and Landscape

Architecture (CityLab)

http://www.citylab.com/design/2015/11/why-china-wants-to-build-sponge-cities/417114/

Comprehensive coverage of regulatory, financial, and technical processes that bolster the 12 Green Guidelines

Shows economic, environmental, and social success

EVIDENCE FOR THE 12 GREEN GUIDELINESHAMMARBY AND PORTLAND


TEXT

Nothing in the world is more simple and more cheap than making cities that provide better for people.

- Jan Gehl

THANK YOU

[email protected]

http://energyinnovation.org/greensmart

Environment

Urban Sustainability: guidelines for building a great city