Household Metabolism in the Five Cities.

This is shown in figure 1.1. By adopting the household metabolism metaphor, a
picture is obtained that relates the use of natural resources to the very basis of
economic activity: consumption in households. Measuring household consumption
patterns as a way of understanding how to direct them towards environmentally
sustainable goals requires insight into the mechanics of household metabolism.
3.5 Household metabolism and sustainable cities
When aiming at redirecting the present consumption and production patterns in a
more sustainable direction cities play an important role. For many people the city is
the place were they live, work and build up a social network. Cities often are the
economic, social-cultural and political heart of society. Modern cities face many
challenges when it comes to balancing environmental (urban) quality and
sustainability with modern city life.
When looking at the options for cities to become more sustainable, focussing on the
role of consumers seems a good starting point. Although cities show a great diversity,
and every city is characterized by its own specific features, they share one common
characterstic: the presence of citizens. Since all citizens are consumers, consumption
turns out to be an interesting concept for assessing and exploring routes to the
required reduction of the long-term environmental impacts in sustainability strategies.
Another reason for focussing on household consumption is the recognition that
consumers play a key role in our modern market economy. Consumers’ preferences
determine, to a certain extent, producers’ actions. The products demanded by the
consumer are produced and offered at a price that the consumer is willing to pay.
Clearly, it is not just the consumers who rule the market. Consumers, producers and
retailers mutually affect each other. Insight into these processes at the city level seems
a good starting point when searching for sustainability strategies. From the previous
paragraph it can be concluded that strategies aimed at reducing the environmental
impact of consumption activities should ultimately embrace the entire lifecycle of
consumer goods and services. We draw the line at those aspects of environmental
pressure that take place during and as a result of the consumption itself at the city level.
The different phases and activities regarding production and consumption are
presented in figure 1.2. Four different activities at the city level are distinguished:
distribution, purchase, use and discarding.
extraction
of raw
materials
Production distribution purchase use Discarding
waste
handling
recycling
Figure 1.2: Production and consumption activities in relation to the city level
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