The Urban Sustainability Problem....... and Possible Solutions

henrybai091
Jun 28, 2021
5 min read

Updated: Aug 16, 2021

Have you ever been to a city? My guess that you definitely have. Have you noticed anything about the infrastructure? Those cities are probably full of “grey” infrastructure. Which are engineering projects that are built out of concrete and steel. That has been the norm for hundreds of years now and you might think, “what’s wrong with “grey” infrastructure?” Well.......sustainability is the problem.

Cities are vital for economic activity, social mobility, and economic prosperity, which are built by the inventive and well-educated people that are clustered together. But when you cluster a lot of people together, it leads to a host of sustainability problems- poverty, hunger, resource consumption, and biodiversity loss. In terms of environmental concerns in cities, they pollute around 75% of global greenhouse gas emissions. Lowering that is key to living our green future.

Of course, we can’t get rid of that grey infrastructure because it’s integral to cities all around the world. But they do have many downsides which are high costs to build and maintain, long-term effects on ecosystems, low flexibility, and if they fail there can be significant social and environmental impacts. So, what are some solutions that we can put in place to curb greenhouse gas emissions and environmental damages in cities?

Nature-based solutions (NbS)

You can probably guess what this means and maybe you have heard of it somewhere. It is the use of nature for the sustainable management of socio-environmental challenges. Although you probably won’t see it often in cities around the world. That’s because it’s widely known, but not integrated into our cities. But that's an issue for another day. But first......

What are some examples of nature-based solutions?

Green Urban Spaces.

What are they?

Green urban spaces are a designated area for parks and other kinds of the natural environment which could include street trees, green roofs, or facades that reduce

temperatures and air pollution. It also has other benefits which include increased biodiversity and better living conditions for the community.

The health benefits?

Throughout the last 15 months, we have all realized the importance of our health and the negative effects of not taking care of it. The parks, sports fields, woods, lakesides, gardens of a Green Urban space all promote physical activity, relaxation, peace, and an escape from the sweltering heat.

The Environmental benefits?

Green Urban Spaces improve the air quality of the area, can reduce traffic noise, increases bio-diversity, and lower temperatures. I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but the temperatures of cities are much higher than in surrounding suburbs and rural areas, which is due to human activity. According to the EPA, the annual air temperature of a city can be 1.8-5.4 degrees Fahrenheit warmer than surrounding rural areas. That was surprising when I found that out! To lower that temperature, a simple solution is to plant trees along the road (street trees)! This reduces energy demand and decreases air temperatures in that area by using shade and evapotranspiration to make greenhouse gases less concentrated.

"Street Trees"

"Green space is good for carbon sequestration. So, there are multiple beneficial effects. And increasing green space can, therefore, reduce a significant number of premature deaths in cities."

- Dr. Nieuwenhuijsen, director of Urban Planning, Environment, and Health initiative at IS Global.

What are the challenges?

For one, the economic value of developing an urban green space just isn’t as compelling as using that land for commercial, industrial, or residential use. Developers won’t get a high return on investment if they were to build an urban green space. So, it mostly depends on cities to develop them.

The densification of cities is also another challenge. Cities around the world are becoming more and more populated, which drives demand for more and more resources to be used. This often results in less green space, a decline in air quality, and the green space too.

Constructed Wetlands for wastewater treatment.

Example of a Constructed Wetland.

What are constructed wetlands?

Constructed wetlands are a form of water treatment that uses natural processes to improve quality. It is more or less mimicking natural ecosystems! They are used in the treatment of sewage, industrial wastewater, and wastewater from mining and petroleum production.

How do they work?

1. The wastewater flows through the wetland, where solids in the water are trapped by vegetation. Through natural processes, the solids slowly become sediment.

2. Other pollutants are changed into a less soluble form (less able to dissolve in water), which are then absorbed by plants or become idle.

3. Because the wetlands have proper conditions for microorganisms, they can convert and take out pollutants from the water.

What are the benefits?

One clear benefit you might think of straight away is that it improves water quality, which is true! They also improve wildlife and are more elegant than traditional treatment facilities. Not to mention how constructed wetlands largely eliminate the odors of those traditional treatment plants.

The biggest benefit of constructed wetlands though is how much more inexpensive they are to build and maintain than other wastewater treatment facilities. They can be 50% the price of them.

Challenges in the way?

Several challenges are surrounding constructed wetlands, chief among which is their vulnerability to changes in climate and temperature. So of course, climate change will affect the rollout of constructed wetlands.

Another issue is that a lot of land is needed to build Constructed Wetlands. Which needs at least 10 acres, whereas most other treatment facilities only need a fraction of that. This could be a major issue in densely populated cities.

How is Copenhagen becoming more sustainable?

Copenhagen

Transportation.

Copenhagen is blurring the lines between “bike” portation and traditional transportation. Currently, the city has 5 times as many bikes as cars, which speaks to the increased investment by the officials in making biking a more attractive transportation method.

The city has also improved its public transportation system so that it is more inexpensive and convenient to use. Connecting to public transportation, Copenhagen is phasing out diesel public buses and replacing them with clean, electric buses.

Cycling road in Copenhagen, Denmark.

Infrastructure.

The officials of Copenhagen have invested heavily in building a reliable biking infrastructure in Copenhagen, which has incentivized more and more people to starting bike instead of drive. Also, buildings around the city have been designed with sustainability in mind:

UN City Building:

The uniqueness of this futuristic building comes from the 1400 solar panels that cover the roof, providing 30% of electricity usage. Its distinctive design allows the building to use significantly less energy than other similar-sized office buildings. The building works with the surrounding environment to cool parts of itself. This feature and many others, it has allowed the building to cut energy consumption by 55%.

UN City Building

Nordea’s Danish Headquarters:

This is another spectacle of Scandinavian design, Nordea’s Danish Headquarters provides its inhabitants with wonderful lighting throughout the building via its transparent façade. With glass panels slanted at a particular angle and an embedded intelligence system, the building can control solar screening, noise, and natural ventilation, which makes the energy consumption much lower.