recognizing that our bodies are biologically designed

fo r walking; mixed-use an d

diversity

where there is a mix

of pedestrian-friendly shops, offices, apartments, and

homes and people of different ages, classes, cultures,

and races; quality urban design emphasizing beauty,

aesthetics, and architectural diversity; environmental

sustainability based

on developemnt

with minimal

en-

vironmental impact; and smart transportation

with

high-quality trains connecting neighborhoods, towns,

and

cities.

The

goal

is to

create places that uplift, en-

rich, inspire the human spirit, and that are incubators

of friendship, cooperation, and civic engagement.

One of the

larger examples

is the

newly con-

structed

mixed-use Mayfaire Village within the cityo f

Wilmington, North Carolina. This 162-hectare (400-

acre) village has clusters consisting of a town retail

center with loft rental apartments above some stores,

condominiums,

apartments,

rental houses, single-

family homes, offices, hotels, and lots of green and

recreational

space. The town center is within easy

walking

or

biking distance

of the

housing clusters.

A

major portion of the site is dedicated to open spaces

such

as soccer fields, parks, bike paths, and hiking

trails,

all within a few minutes of the housing and

shopping clusters. About one-fourth

of the

site

is

pre-

served in its natural state. The village is located only a

few minutes from Wrightsville Beach on the Atlantic

Ocean.

Other examples

of

such villages

are Mizner

Place

in

Boca Raton, Florida; Middleton Hills near

Madison, Wisconsin; Phillips Place in Charlotte, North

Carolina; Kentlands in Gaithersberg, Maryland; and

Valencia, California (near LosAngeles).

25-5 MAKING URBAN AREAS MORE

LIVABLE

AND SUSTAINABLE

How

Can

We Make Cities More Sustainable,

Desirable Places to Live? Tne

Ecocity

Concept

An ecocity a l lows people

to walk , bike, o r take

mass transit fo r most o f their t ravel ,

and recycles

and reuses most of its wastes, grows muc h of i ts

ow n food , an d

protects biodiversi ty

by

preserv ing

sur rounding land.

According to most environmentalists and urban plan-

ners, the gnmajy_prQbJem is

ngt

urbanization but our

failure to

make cities more sustainable

and

livable. They

call

for us to

make

new and existing urban areas more

self-reliant, sustainable, and enjoyable places to live

through good ecological design.

See the

Guest Essay

on

this topic

by

David

Orr on the

website fo r this chapter.

A more environmentally sustainable city, called an

ecocity or

green

city, emphasizes:

s Preventing pollution

andreducing waste

• Using englgy and matter resources efficiently

• Recycling and reusing at least 60% of all rminle

solid waste

a

Using_gojgr

and

other locally available

renewal*!

energy resources

'

a Protecting and encouraging biodiversity by ta .̂

serving surrounding land and protecting and

ing

natural systems

and

wetlands within urban;

• Promoting urban gardens and farm markets

• Promoting green design of buildings, including

green roofs

® Using solar-powered living machines (Figure 2&-1,"

p. 491) and wetlands to treat sewage (Solutions,

p. 512)

An ecocity is a people-oriented city, not a car-oxi-

ented city. Its

residents

are

able

to

walk, bike,

or use

low-polluting mass transit

for

most

of

their travel. A tt

ecocity requires that all buildings, vehicles, and appli-

ances

meet high energy-efficiency standards. Trees

and plants adapted to the local climate and soils ate

planted throughout to provide shade and beauty, sup-

ply

wildlife habitats, and reduce pollution, noise, and

soil erosion. Small organic gardens and a variety of

plants adapted

to

local climate conditions often re-

place

monoculture grass lawns.

Abandoned lots and industrial sites and polluted

creeks and

rivers

are

cleaned

up and

restored. Nearby

forests, grasslands, wetlands, and farms are preserved.

Much of an ecocity's food comes from nearby organic

farms, solar greenhouses,

and

community gardens.

There

are

also small gardens

on

rooftops

and in

yards,

abandoned lots, and window boxes. People designing

and living in ecocities take seriously the advice Lewis

Mumford gave more than three decades ago: "Forget

the

damned motor

car and

build cities

for

lovers

and

friends."

The ecocityis not a futuristic dream,

as you saw in

the

chapter opening case study about Curitiba, Brazil.

Other more environmentally sustainable and livable

cities include Waitakere City,

New

Zealand; Helsinki,

Finland; Leicester, England; Portland, Oregon (p.578);

Davis, California;

Olympia,

Washington;

and

Chat-

tanooga, Tennessee (Case Study,p. 581).

China

is

planning

to

develop

10

model environ-

mental or ecocities. The

first

project focuses on trans-

forming Suzhou, a rapidly expanding city of 2.2

million people just 64 kilometers (40 miles) from

Shanghai. It is one of China's oldest cities that is inter-

nationally known for its combination of history, cul-

ture,

and

greenery. Green initiatives include relocating

polluting industries outside of the city, a pilot project

requiring local taxis

to run on

natural gas, building

four light rail and subway lines, a seven-story height

limit

on buildings in the city's center, and landscaping

the city's network of canals. It is promoting the use

of solar water heaters, plans to phase ou gasoline-

580

CHAPTER

25

Sustainable Cities

 

powered motorcycles by 2007, and is planning anet-

work of battery exchange and disposal centers to serve

the rapidly increasing use of electric-powered bicycles

and

mopeds.

China has a long way to go in converting its urban

sustainability goals into reality. But if successful,

China could become model for the world in ecocity

design.

Case Study: Chattanooga, Tennessee—From

Brown

to Green

Local officials an d

citizens

h av e wo rk e d together

to

t ransform Chattanooga f rom a highly polluted

city to one of the most sustainable and

livable

cities

in the United States.

In the 1950s, Chattanooga was known as one of the

dirtiest cities in the United States. Its air was so pol-

luted

by

smoke

f rom its

coke ovens and

steel mills that

people sometimes had to turn on their headlights in

the middle of the day. The Tennessee River flowing

through

the

city's industrial wasteland bubbled with

toxic waste.

People and industries fled the downtown area

and left a wasteland of abandoned factories, boarded-

up buildings,high unemployment, and crime.

Within two decades, Chattanooga transformed it-

self into one of the most livable cities in the United

States. Efforts began in 1984 when civic leaders used a

series of town meetings as part of a 2000

process—a 20-week series of community meetings

brought together more than 1,700citizens

f rom all

walks of life to build a consensus about what the city

could be at the turn of the century. Citizens identified

the city's main problems,

set goals, and

brainstormed

thousands of

ideas

for solutions.

By 1995, Chattanooga had met most of its original

goals,

which included encouraging zero-emission in-

dustries to locate there and replacing its diesel buses

with a fleet of quiet,

zero-emission electric buses,

made by a new local f i rm. The city reduced car use in

the downtown by building satellite parking lots and

providing free and

rapid

bus

service

to and

f rom

the

city center. The city also launched an innovative recy-

cling program after citizen activists and environmen-

talists blocked construction of a new garbage incinera-

tor. Another project involved renovating much of the

city's

existing

low-income housing and

building

new

low-income rental units.

Chattanooga built

the

nation's largest freshwater

aquarium, which became

the

centerpiece

for

down-

town renewal. The city also developed a 35-kilometer-

long (22-mile-long) riverfront park along both sidesof

the Tennessee River running through downtown. The

park is filled with shade trees, flowers, fountains, and

street musicians, and draws more than 1 million visi-

tors per year.

As property values and living conditions have im-

proved, people and businesses are

moving back

downtown. An abandoned place once filled with de-

spair is now a vibrant community filled with hope.

These accomplishments show what citizens, environ-

mentalists, and business leaders can do when they

work together

to develop and

achieve common goals.

In 1993, the community began the process again in

Revis ion 2000. More than 2,600 participants identified

additional goals and more than 120 recommendations

fo r further improvements. One goal is to transform a

blighted brownfield in South Chattanooga into an en-

vironmentally advanced, mixed community of resi-

dences, retail stores, and zero-emission industries

where employees can live near their workplaces.

This new low-waste

ecoindustrial

park is modeled

after

the one in Kalundborg, Denmark (Figure 24-5,

p. 537). Underground tunnels will link 30 industrial

buildings to share heating, cooling, and water supplies

and to use the waste matter and energy of some enter-

prises as resources for others. The new ecoindustrial

area will also have an ecology center using a living

machine (Figure 22-1, p. 491) to treat sewage, waste-

water, and contaminated soils.

According

to many environmentalists, urban

planners, and economists, urban areas that fail to be-

come more livable and ecologically sustainable over

the next few decades are inviting economic depression

and

increased unemployment, pollution,

and

social

tension. What is your community doing?

* .

A sustainable world

wil l

be powered hv tlie sun;constructed

[ruin materials that circulate repeatedly; made mobi le

by

tniins, buses , ami

bicycles: populated at sustainable levels;

and centered around

just,

ei/tiitable, an d

tight-knit

communities.

G A R Y G A R D N E R

CRITICAL

THINKING

1. Do you prefer living in a

rural, suburban,

small-town,

or urban environment? Describethe ideal environmentin

which you would like to live, and list the

environmental

advantages and disadvantages of living in such a place.

Compare your answers with those of other members of

your class.

2. Do you believe the United States or the

countrywhere

yo u

live should develop a comprehensive and integrated

mass transit system over the

next

20years, including

building an efficient rapid-rail networkfortravel within

and betweenits major cities? H o w would you pay for

such a system?

3. If you own a car orhope to own one, what conditions,

if any,

would encourageyou to rely less on theautomo-

bile

and to travel to school or

work

by

bicycle,

on

foot,

by

mass transit, or by

carpool

or

vanpool?

: / /b io iogy.brookscoie.coni /mnier14

581

 

4.

Do you

believe Oregon's approach

to

land-use plan-

ning (Solutions, p. 578) should be used in the state or

area where you live?

Explain

your position.

5. In June 1996, representatives f rom many countries met

in

Istanbul, Turkey,

at the

Second

UN

Conference

on Hu-

man Settlements (nicknamed the City Summit). One is-

sue was the question of whether housing is a universal

right (a position supported by most developing coun-

tries) or

just

a

need (supported

by the

United States

and

several other developed countries). What is your position

on

this issue? Defend your choice.

6.

Some analysts suggest phasing

out federal, state, and

government subsidies that encourage sprawl by funding

roads, single-family housing, large malls super-

stores. These would be replaced with subsidies that en-

courage sidewalks and bicycle paths, multifamilyhous-

ing, high-density residential development, and a mix of

housing, shops, and offices (mixed-use development). Do

you

support this approach? Explain.

7. Congratulations! You are in charge of the world. List

the

five

most important features of your urban policy.

PROJECTS

1. Consult local

officials

to determine how land use is

decided in your community. What roles do citizens play

in this process?

2 . For a

class

or

group project, borrow

one or

more

decibel meters from your school's physics or engineering

department

or f rom a

local electronics repair shop. Make

a survey

of

sound pressure levels

at

various

times of day

and at several locations. Plot the results on a map. Also,

measure sound levels in a room with a sound system and

from earphones at several different volume settings. If

possible, measure sound levels at an indoor concert, a

club, and inside and outside a boom car at various dis-

tances from the speakers. Correlate your findings with

those in Figure 25-9, p. 570.

3. As a

class project, (a)evaluate land

use and

land-use

planning by your school,

(b)

draw up an improved plan

based

on ecological principles and the principles of sus-

tainability listed in Figure 9-15, p. 174, and (c)submit the

plan to school officials.

4.

As a

class project,

use the

following criteria

to

rate

the

community where you live or go to school on a green

index from 0 to 10. R ate the community fo r each of the

following

questions and average the results to get an */

overall score. Are existing trees protected and new one^

planted throughout

the city? Do you

have parks

to en-

joy? Can you swim in any nearby lakes and rivers? What '

is the

quality

of

your water

and

air?

Is

there

an effective

noise pollution reduction program? Does your city haw

a recycling program, a composting program, and a

hazardous waste collection program, with the goal of

reducing the current solid waste output by at least

60%?

Is there an effective mass transit system? Are there bicy-

cle

paths?

Are all

buildings required

to

meet high energy,

efficiency standards? H ow much of the energy is ob-

tained from locally available renewable resources? Are

environmental regulations for existing industry tough

enough and

enforced

well enough to protect citizens?D</

local officials look carefully at an industry's environment-^

tal record and plans before encouraging it to locate in

your city or county? Is ecological planning used to make

land-use decisions? Are city

officials

actively planning to

improve the quality of life for all of its citizens? If so,

what is the plan? Compare your answers with those by

other members

of

your class.

5. Use the library or the Internet to find bibliographic in-

formation

about Peter S e l f an d Gary

Gardner, whose

quotes appear at the beginning and end of this chapter.

6. Make a concept map of this chapter's major ideas, us-

ing the section heads, subheads, and key terms (inbold-

face). Look on the website fo r this book fo r information

about making concept maps.

LEARNING ONLINE

The website for this book contains study aids and many

ideas

for further

reading

and

research. They include

a

chapter summary, review questions for the entire chapter,

flash cards for key terms and concepts, a multiple-choice

practice quiz, interesting Internet sites, references, and a

guide

fo r

accessing thousands

of InfoTrac® College Edi-

tion articles. Log on to

http://biology.brookscole.com/millerl4

Then

click on the

Chapter-by-Chapter area, choose Chap-

ter 25, and

select

a

learning resource.

582 CHAPTER 25 Sustainable Cities

 

Cordaid

Urban Challenge

Achtergrondinformatie O k speiregels

Over Cordaid...

D e Urban Challenge is een initiatief van Cordaid, een Nederlandse ontwikkelingsorganisatie m et

meer dan negentig jaar ervaring en expertise. Wereldwijd werken we samen met gedreven

partnerorganisaties. Dromen, ideeen en acties voor een betere samenleving inspireren ons. Cordaid

ze t zich met hart en ziel in voor de strijd tegen armoede.

Cordaid

gelooft in menselijke

waardigheid

en respect voor onderlinge verschillen. Daarbij

vertrouwen

we op de

kracht

va n

mensen zelf. Wij geven

ze een

steuntje

in de

rug, zodat

ze zelf een

betere toekomst kunnen realiseren. Cordaid richt zich

op het verlenen

van noodhulp, bestrijden

van

armoede, maatschappijopbouw en het bemvloeden van beleid.

Meer informatie over Cordaid is te vinden op www.cordaid.nl

Over Urban Matters...

D e Urban Challengevindt plaats binnen

het

kader

van het

Urban Matters project

van

Cordaid.

Met

het project Urban Matters ze t Cordaidee n vernieuwende aanpak van ontwikkelingssamenwerking

neer, specifiek gericht

op

stedelijke leefbaarheid.

Het

doel

is het

creeren

van een

leefbare, duurzame

wijk voor sloppenwijkbewoners en stedelijke armen. Uitgangspunt daarbij i s een integrale

wijkaanpak, waarbij actoren uit de wijken zelf (ngo's, bewoners, bedrijven, overheden, etc.) en

actoren uit Nederland (bedrijven, instellingen, etc.) de krachten bundelen.

Binnen

Urban Matters wordtgewerkt in drie 'wereldwijken', in Kaapstad (Zuid-Afrika), Kisumu

(Kenia) en San Salvador (E l Salvador). D e

drie hoofdthema's binnen Urban Matters zijn; betaalbare

&

duurzame

huisvesting, basisvoorzieningen (water, sanitatie, afval, energie)

en

jongeren

&

werkgelegenheid.

Meer informatie over Urban Matters is te vinden op www.cordaidurbanmatters.com

Over de Urban Challenge...

D e

Urban Challengewordt door Cordaid georganiseerd met het volgende doel:

Het onder studenten

op

onderwijsinstellingen vergroten

van de

kennis over

en het

maatschappelijk

draagvlak voor urbane problematiek

in

ontwikkelingslanden,

en de rol van

Cordaid

en

haar partners

hierbij. Daarnaast dragen studenten via de Urban Challenge bij aan de verbetering van de

leefomstandigheden

van

mensen

in de

sloppenwijken

van

Kisumu, Kenia.

W ie kan meedoen?

Aan de

Urban Challenge kunnen studenten

aa n

hogescholen

en

universiteiten meedoen

di e

voldoen

aan de volgende specificaties:

- HBO studenten vanaf he t derde jaar (bachelor)

- Universitaire studenten vanaf het derde jaar (bachelor) en masterstudenten