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The impacts of climate change are well documented. As urban dwellers how can we future-proof our cities and reduce their impact on our world? Mr. Prashant Kapoor, Director—WSP Energy, UK, writes., The explosion of urbanisation Urbanisation is widely regarded as a chief contributor of carbon emissions, resource depletion, and climate change. The majority of the world’s population are living and working in urban areas, placing huge demands on energy, resources and infrastructure. Cities have grown organically. Some have been built over vast areas with the car in mind, such as Las Vegas. Others with real heritage, such as London and Paris, have the advantage of underground / metro infrastructure which can reduce travel-related emissions, but have poor building stock which means energy-inefficient property. In the developing world a large percentage of a traditionally rural populace is moving into cities, and quite simply, these cities such as Mumbai and Cape Town, were not designed for mega populations. They are bursting. Suddenly the challenge is of the urban poor being worse off than the rural poor, with no basic standards of living. The future of urbanisation So, what’s the response of today’s urban planners? There is actually much to be gained from looking at what made our ‘old’ cities so successful, especially in terms of the sense of community. Some of these are being captured in the development of eco-towns in the developed world such as UK. New cities in the developing world are beginning as satellite towns around existing centres, for example 5 such satellite towns around Bangalore. Many new cities are beginning life as no more than the size of a district when compared to a well-established city. It’s a seed that can evolve into something much bigger and begins with a very smart commercial centre and supporting housing. With this in place, land values rise around it, and the development becomes more financially attractive and spreads. Crucially, these cities are being engineered by global developers and financed by private investors and groups of companies, not public authorities. Making urbanism work Tomorrow’s ‘green’ city needs to tick many boxes: People need to keep cool in a warming climate It must act as a hub for innovation and creativity The city should take only it’s fair share of the earth’s resources The city must respond well to the location and context It must provide a clean, healthy and safe environment The city and it’s people should be good neighbours with other species on the planet The concept of waste should be eliminated The infrastructure should be powered by clean energy It should provide easy mobility for users The city should create a sense of place and respect So, what is the secret to future success? We believe it is through a practice of ‘Sustainable Urban Systems’ applied to the master plan of a future city. This can mitigate the harmful impacts of human development on the natural environment, and maximise design quality, economic growth and social prosperity. This is a process that can help to re-think the way we plan cities, create better infrastructure, reduce consumption, and incorporate renewable energy and environmental best practice. It’s a mechanism that enables the cities of the future to bring social and socio-economic prosperity and environmental stability whilst delivering savings and commercial opportunities. The concept of ‘sustainable urban systems’ brings all the specialists involved in a project together. It encourages an holistic review of all the infrastructure issues to see where different goals can complement each other. The most simplistic example is where waste from one aspect of a development can be reused to the benefit of another aspect of the project, or where water can be used in more than one aspect of the infrastructure. Success will only be achieved by one party taking a helicopter view and drawing together all the specialist contributors to a scheme. It also relies on consolidated, centralised governance that sets standards that everyone respects. In the coming issue we profile our work in Dubai, a fast evolving city, seeking a long term future as a world centre of commerce, without being overly reliant on oil. Led from the centre, this city is taking a responsible approach to its long term future, assessing future population growth and how to deal with it, and providing a strategic planning policy and an implementation plan to position Dubai as a city of the future. Continued in next issue…. Author brief An architect, environmentalist and sustainability expert with 13 years experience in delivering sustainable solutions across the public, corporate and development sectors. Prashant Kapoor’s Specialties: • Green Buildings • Sustainable master planning • Life Cycle Analysis & sustainable materials specifications • Carbon management and strategies • Climate change policies • Public speaking Mr. Prashant kapoor can be contacted, prashant.kapoor@wspgroup.com |
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