Introduction
When one imagines a future city, we often tend to imagine a scene from some sci-fi movie wherein technology has the reins on the world, robots steer the economy, and we completely rely on gadgets. While all this is a probability that might come true, the predominant concept that needs to be adopted in the future is of a smart yet sustainable city.
The popular lingo of “natural”, “organic”, “sustainable” or “eco- friendly” design must be implemented in the future; it is the need of hour. People change with changing times, and while we have witnessed some surface- level changes, this is just the beginning. We can expect sustainably developed cities across the globe, cities that look like nothing we’ve ever seen before.
With a paradigm shift in the thought process of the World, we are now emphasizing protecting the environment at all costs. This can be achieved by ensuring optimal use of resources and minimizing energy loss. Being environmentally responsible now will help us to sustain ourselves in the future. So, a future sustainable city is a key to all our problems, be it physical waste accumulation or excessive energy accumulation.
Sustainable Cities are the Future. Why?
The dark side of rapid urbanization is that it is leaving cities grappling with environmental deterioration. Issues such as traffic congestion, substandard urban infrastructure, and insufficiency of fundamental amenities like water supply, sanitation, and waste management lower standard of living and stir stressful environments. Moreover, rapid urban sprawl has led to increased construction thereby leading to increased stress on resources as well as an increased impact on the environment.
Data on global carbon emissions suggests that 70% of global carbon emissions are accounted for by cities. The majority of these issues stem from industrial and motorized transportation systems that consume substantial amounts of fossil fuel and depends on extensive infrastructure built using materials with a high carbon footprint.
Thus, it is of utmost importance that at every level we look at making cities sustainable and environment- conscious in every possible way. Sustainable cities as the name suggests focus on a more holistic and environmental way of living. Climate crisis and depletion of resources indicate that the future can only be salvaged through a sustainable outlook.
The Concept of Sustainable Cities
“A common definition of sustainable city is one that provides the highest quality of life together with the lowest environmental footprint, while also ensuring the needs of future generations are not compromised,” begins Baharash. Nevertheless, he mentions that sustainable cities are still in their nascent stages, and as urban difficulties increase, lifestyle patterns alter, socioeconomic obstacles expand, and new technologies surface, the concept of a sustainable city is rapidly evolving.
To turn the vision of a sustainable urban environment into reality, there is a need to first understand the core features of a sustainable city. A sustainable city is much more than a low- carbon impact- built environment, it encompasses a lifestyle that offers people a clean, healthy and a safe ecosystem. Following are the features of the sustainable cities:
· A socially inclusive environment is one that provides an equal, discrimination- free dwelling for all, without financial, social, racial and any other biases.
· A sustainable city must be multi- functional and developed to be a mixed- use destination providing leisure, tourism, educational, medical, wellness & various other assets.
· Feasible to construct utilizing private equity and cost- effective to operate.
· The city should prioritize pedestrian- friendly environments by creating multifunctional green spaces that are centrally located and near to essential services and amenities, with no car access.
· Designed to be resilient for the future with provisions for food, energy & water security.
· Passive techniques are the primary driver in planning.
Can an existing city be converted into a sustainable city?
Yes. The challenges are very different & require an innovative mind- set in some areas. Yet for existing cities to become sustainable at a rapid pace, it requires collaboration as well as an entrepreneurial spirit and bottom-up empowerment.
Building Sustainable Cities does not Stop at Construction
The next important step is identifying the medium of construction- the materials and construction techniques used to develop sustainable cities. “Whilst recycled/ biodegradable materials are on any developer’s wish- list for sustainable developments, the reality is that the final selection of materials must consider a holistic overview of various variables”.
These variables include life cycle assessment, transportation, local market availability, embodied carbon emissions, the intended purpose of the materials, and capital and operational costs. “Once each material option is studied in depth, in comparison to the various other options based on these variables, a better understanding can be reached on which material can provide the best balance between economics and environmental goals”.
But is this the extent of building a sustainable city? “A sustainable city isn’t something that is planned and constructed. Thus, the construction completion is only one small part of a larger cycle. The operation of a city is the biggest measure- this goes beyond environmental sustainability for a city. For such cities to remain sustainable even decades after construction, they must become like living labs”. This will allow the city to constantly improve itself and better understand how residents are living in the city. Such cities will provide educational workshops for new and existing residents, whilst also promoting social engagements among residents.
Technology in Building Sustainable Cities: Today and Tomorrow
Technology can act as a catalyst for successful sustainable urbanization. Incorporating ICT and IoT into the hard and soft infrastructures of sustainable cities can transform networks and services for efficiency and collaboration. A smart grid strategy should optimize resources for residents, with components like EV charging, self- driving cars, and solar farms providing liability. “At a city level, there should be a smart grid strategy in various layers such as energy, water, food, waste, air quality, health & wellbeing to provide resources more efficiently and equitable to residents. EV charging stations, self- driving cars & solar farms are just some of the components that will improve connectivity & liability.
Today, homes are equipped with smart meters in an intelligent network to create a renewable solar distributed network- grid. A step- further would be – home energy- management solutions that are enabled through transmission and distribution by the city’s smart solar grid systems.
“Smart cities also embed sensors within their infrastructure which are connected to the IoTs and can communicate in real time to various components within the city. For example, waste can be collected upon receiving automatic notification that they are full. Real- time user data can be analyzed to provide an estimate of the day and time of future waste collections. Smart water systems can reduce resident water consumption. All bathrooms, kitchens, water features, irrigation systems and facilities can be integrated with highly efficient water saving technologies. Drinking water can be produced on- site through solar powered air- to – water generators”.
Clearly at building level, sensors are pivotal to sustainable cities. “Indoor lighting and temperature can automatically be adjusted based on various variables. These variables include the no. of occupants in the room, the time of day as well as exterior weather and light conditions. All buildings can have embedded sensors to detect motion, temperature, noise, moisture, fire and smoke to provide real- time data and help improve operational efficiency, safety and security”.
The next generation of smart cities should also have the capacity to analyse the exact number of resources and services that are being consumed in real- time. This means understanding the exact amount of water, energy or waste and food that is being consumed in each part of the city, as well as understanding where key services are most required such as emergency and security. This allows for better management and efficient use of resources and services. The analytic data will also ensure that the city is aware of the amount of resources and services that are needed for the various parts of the city to function to the same capacity during any event. Thus, transforming our cities into smart destinations in an important step for creating resilient cities.
Would it be safe to say that all sustainable cities are smart cities?
“Absolutely no technology can make a city smart, but not necessarily more sustainable. A sustainable city can thus be sustainable with very little technology if planned holistically, using passive techniques and various urban planning optimizations in land use, urban mobility, density etc. Above all, a balanced approach to sustainability considering the three pillars, social, economical and environmental is far more important than the amount of technology embedded inside a city.”
Can certifications measure the Sustainability of a city?
As mentioned so far, to have a holistic, sustainable city is to have sustainability across more parameters than just design & construction. The extent to sustainability cannot be determined solely by certifications or benchmarks. While environmental factors and revenue- generating assets can be assessed to determine a city’s environmental and economic sustainability is also a critical pillar that needs to be evaluated. This can be gauged by the lifestyles of residents, the quality of their lives, and their overall well-being.
“However, the best measure of a sustainable city is by how well people know their neighbours”.
Finally, why are Sustainable cities the Future?
“Over the last century, urbanisation has been increasing at a dramatic rate, and is expected to keep growing significantly for the remainder of this century. A fast-growing urban population, coupled with climate change, has created significant challenges on how our cities can improve the quality of our lives, whilst also reducing our impact on the environment. The creation of sustainable cities is thus no longer a choice, it has become necessity.”