Environmental Problems, Their Causes, and Sustainability 1

ecognizing that our bodies are biologically designedfor walking; mixed-use and diversity where there is a mixof pedestrian-friendly shops, offices, apartments, andhomes and people of different ages, classes, cultures,and races; quality urban design emphasizing beauty,aesthetics, and architectural diversity; environmentalsustainability based on developemnt with minimal environmentalimpact; and smart transportation withhigh-quality trains connecting neighborhoods, towns,and cities. The goal is to create places that uplift, enrich,inspire the human spirit, and that are incubatorsof friendship, cooperation, and civic engagement.One of the larger examples is the newly constructedmixed-use Mayfaire Village within the city ofWilmington, North Carolina. This 162-hectare (400-acre) village has clusters consisting of a town retailcenter with loft rental apartments above some stores,condominiums, apartments, rental houses, singlefamilyhomes, offices, hotels, and lots of green andrecreational space. The town center is within easywalking or biking distance of the housing clusters. Amajor portion of the site is dedicated to open spacessuch as soccer fields, parks, bike paths, and hikingtrails, all within a few minutes of the housing andshopping clusters. About one-fourth of the site is preservedin its natural state. The village is located only afew minutes from Wrightsville Beach on the AtlanticOcean. Other examples of such villages are MiznerPlace in Boca Raton, Florida; Middleton Hills nearMadison, Wisconsin; Phillips Place in Charlotte, NorthCarolina; Kentlands in Gaithersberg, Maryland; andValencia, California (near Los Angeles).25-5 MAKING URBAN AREAS MORELIVABLE AND SUSTAINABLEHow Can We Make Cities More Sustainable,Desirable Places to Live? The Ecocity ConceptAn ecocity allows people to walk, bike, or takemass transit for most of their travel, and recyclesand reuses most of its wastes, grows much of itsown food, and protects biodiversity by preservingsurrounding land.According to most environmentalists and urban planners,the primary problem is not urbanization but ourfailure to make cities more sustainable and livable. Theycall for us to make new and existing urban areas moreself-reliant, sustainable, and enjoyable places to livethrough good ecological design. See the Guest Essay onthis topic by David Orr on the website for this chapter.A more environmentally sustainable city, called anecocity or green city, emphasizes:■■Preventing pollution and reducing wasteUsing energy and matter resources efficiently■ Recycling and reusing at least 60% of all municipalsolid waste■ Using solar and other locally available renewableenergy resources■ Protecting and encouraging biodiversity by preservingsurrounding land and protecting and restoringnatural systems and wetlands within urban areas■ Promoting urban gardens and farm markets■ Promoting green design of buildings, includinggreen roofs■ Using solar-powered living machines (Figure 22-1,p. 491) and wetlands to treat sewage (Solutions,p. 512)An ecocity is a people-oriented city, not a car-orientedcity. Its residents are able to walk, bike, or uselow-polluting mass transit for most of their travel. Anecocity requires that all buildings, vehicles, and appliancesmeet high energy-efficiency standards. Treesand plants adapted to the local climate and soils areplanted throughout to provide shade and beauty, supplywildlife habitats, and reduce pollution, noise, andsoil erosion. Small organic gardens and a variety ofplants adapted to local climate conditions often replacemonoculture grass lawns.Abandoned lots and industrial sites and pollutedcreeks and rivers are cleaned up and restored. Nearbyforests, grasslands, wetlands, and farms are preserved.Much of an ecocity’s food comes from nearby organicfarms, solar greenhouses, and community gardens.There are also small gardens on rooftops and in yards,abandoned lots, and window boxes. People designingand living in ecocities take seriously the advice LewisMumford gave more than three decades ago: “Forgetthe damned motor car and build cities for lovers andfriends.”The ecocity is not a futuristic dream, as you saw inthe chapter opening case study about Curitiba, Brazil.Other more environmentally sustainable and livablecities include Waitakere City, New Zealand; Helsinki,Finland; Leicester, England; Portland, Oregon (p. 578);Davis, California; Olympia, Washington; and Chattanooga,Tennessee (Case Study, p. 581).China is planning to develop 10 model environmentalor ecocities. The first project focuses on transformingSuzhou, a rapidly expanding city of 2.2million people just 64 kilometers (40 miles) fromShanghai. It is one of China’s oldest cities that is internationallyknown for its combination of history, culture,and greenery. Green initiatives include relocatingpolluting industries outside of the city, a pilot projectrequiring local taxis to run on natural gas, buildingfour light rail and subway lines, a seven-story heightlimit on buildings in the city’s center, and landscapingthe city’s network of canals. It is promoting the useof solar water heaters, plans to phase out gasoline-580 CHAPTER 25 Sustainable Cities