Hallmarks of a Sustainable City

7/29/2019 Hallmarks of a Sustainable City

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Hallmarks ofa sustainable city


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Contents

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1 The opportunity of clim ate cha nge

2 Whe re do you start?

3 H ow to re cognise a sustainable city4 What ne e ds to be done?

5 Policy re com m e ndations


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The worlds climate is changing. The scientificevidenc e is incontrovertible: most of this changeis due to human activity, and the process isspeeding up as more and more carbo n dioxide,methane and other greenhouse gases are pumpedinto the atmosphere.

The next 10 years are critic al. C arbon d ioxideemissions must be cut rapidly. If they are, accordingto the Intergovernmental Panel on C limate C hange,we may limit the rise in glob al temperatures totwo d egrees centigrade. But if we continue onregardless and towns and cit ies contribute upto half of al l emissions the rise could be up tosix deg rees centigrade.

This c ould trigg er mass extinction of many plantsand animals, a com plete los s of ice shee ts, risingsea levels and significantly altered weatherpatt erns. There is no luxury of time.

Even in the northern hemisphere, where the impactcould b e less than elsewhere, the effects from arise of two d egrees will be felt by every town andcity. As more and more of the w orlds pop ulationcrow ds into cities, the urban environment needsto bec ome a better p lace to live: a placethat improves health, well-being and ec onomicprosp erity while simultaneously and d ramatically

reduc ing greenho us e gas em issions .

This means re-designing how w e think and how weorganise o ur lives. It requ ires co urage, vision andleadership. These are being show n by some p laces,such as Manchester, Seattle and Toronto, w hichrecog nise climate change as one of severalcritical environmental symptoms attributab le tounsustainable w ays of living and over-consump tionof resources. B ut suc h inspirational examples arestill all too rare.

Alongside the c limate crisis, we face an ec onomiccrisis. Rather than the w orlds ec onomic malaisediverting attention from the need to bec ome moresustainable, the tw o prob lems in fact p rovide a

remarkable op portunity for positive change. Butwe need to think big. The costs to the Exchequerif the country faced a food or w ater crisis, or apow er shortage, wo uld dw arf the bail-out to thebanking sector.

This is w hy CAB E views investment in sustainable

develop ment as a national insurance po licy. It is notjust a res pons ib ili ty for m arkets to take on, but apositive choice for government to make and thepublic to endorse.

In the cont ext of an international green new deal,it is encou raging th at relatively small investmentscan d eliver so muc h. It c an create new jobs, limitthe environmental impact o f tow ns and c ities, andreduce the co st of running them. Oxford CityC ouncil, for example, recently invested 20 0,00 0in energy efficiency, alongside the C arbon Trust.This has b ecom e a revolving loan fund for measuresthat w ill payback w ithin five years. And it is c ostneutral, because annual payments into the fundmatch the annual savings mad e in energy b ills.

C ities that respond w ell to climate change will bemore efficient, resilient places. That response canalso help to solve social and eco nomic prob lems,such as fuel poverty and traffic c ongestion, and sodeliver a bette r quality of life.

If civic leaders can see that a vigorous responsedelivers w hat their citizens w ant, then creating alow c arbon, sustainable environment becom es apromising arena for change instead of a quagm ire.

Plenty of technologic al aids are emerging, ofco urse. So far, none of the m offers a silver bullet.The real answer lies in changing the w ay wegovern, finance, manage and design cities.

The o pportunityof clim ate change


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For towns and c ities to b e economicallycompetitive, socially progressive andenvironmentally responsible, they must reducetheir inefficient use of finite resources. CAB Ebelieves every place c an bec ome bet ter by:

U nderstand ing and nurturing its unique

qualit ies as the basis of i ts resp onse toa changing clim ateEach tow n and c ity is different, shaped b y thegeog raphy of the place itself, the passage of timeand the p eople w ho live there. The best solutionsfor one plac e may not suit another. It is thereforeessential to understand w hat physically shapes yourtow n or city the land, water and w ind and howthat can c ontribute tow ards resilience, for instanceto extremes of weathe r.

Knowledg e of the nature of a place needs to beteamed up with know ledge of the local impacts ofclimate change, from the U K C limate ImpactsProgramme. Local authorities that embed thisanalysis in their local develop ment framew ork andcore strategy c an establish a policy for thedec isions to make them sustainable.

Using the planning system to targetinterventions at the m ost appropriate scaleG ood sp atial planning should shape our urbanenvironment. It allow s us to respond to c omplex

needs at the most approp riate scale w hetherregional, city or neighbourhood . The planningsystem has struggled to d istribute ac tivities ina sustainable w ay.

It should always be possible to walk, cycle or takepublic transport to w ork, to schoo l or college, toshops, to the p ark or the cinema. W hen the planningsystem gets these kinds o f basics right, it willprovide busy, distracted citizens w ith a genuinechoice to reduc e their carbon emissions.

Vitally, we need to use the landsc ape of tow ns andcities trees, parks, rivers and lakes to mimicnatural proc esses, like water flow and c ooling air

flow. This green infrastructure should be as m uch apriority for a succ essful place as grey infrastructure

like t he ro ad ne tw ork, or the sew ag e s ystem .

Forging a new city vision and infrastructurethrough civic lead ership a nd collective a ctionC reating sust ainable places w ill require the

pub lic, private and voluntary sectors to collaborateeffec tively. Reliance o n the market to deliveressent ials, even banking or hou sing, has eviden tshortcom ings. What is needed is a new marketmodel w hich endures over the long term becauseit delivers sustained value.

Running a tow n or city dep ends upon engag ingthe who le community. Gaining enthusiastic c onsentfor the changes required means two things:first, providing impressive c ultural and politicalleadership peop le are very much influencedby seeing o thers take risks: second, usingcommunications channels imaginatively, so thatmore peop le appreciate the benefits of a lowenerg y, low emission lifestyle and want itfor themselves.

Know ing your start ing point, sett ingtargets, and celebrating progressAt the heart of the challenge is a requirement toreduce the ecolog ical footp rint of our towns andcities. A reliable baseline is essent ial. C ity-wide

consump tion of all natural and man-made resourcesshould then follow the rule of the four Rs: reduce;re-use; recyc le and rec over. The use of energ y andwater, and the reduct ion of waste, must bemonitored from the start of any new prog ramme,alongside carbon emissions.

Each town or city should set specific reductiontargets, so that it c an measure its suc cess. Theprog ress of everyones efforts to reduc e theirimpact on the environment should be up datedregularly and p ublished. We c an then celebrateeverything that is b eing achieved or hold authoritiesto acc ount w hen they fall short.

Whe re do you start?


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An appe tite for chang eW e are not currently meeting the challenge ofcl imate change. A review by CAB E in 200 8 of70 0 planned major construc tion projects andhousing schemes show ed that the issue was beingtaken seriously in only a fraction o f them. So acomp lete change of priorities is required.

The key for civic leaders is fully understand ingthe issues and then creating a public mandate foraction. Environmental concerns alone have rarelywo n many votes, so peop le need to see howdecisions will directly improve their lives.

O n the ground, this might mean the chance toshare the benefits and profits from a co mmunaldistrict heating system. At the strategic level, everydec ision must aim to improve q uality of life whilealso reducing the levels of p ollution, water andenergy use, and w aste.

Local authorities already have legislative powers topromote the w ell-being of their citizens, and yetthese remain overwhelmingly under-used.

G iven the nature and timescales of climate change,there is no alternative to making hard d ecisions.But this requires creating a consensus on whatis for the c ollect ive benefit of every citizen, asopp osed to the interests of individuals; and

stimulating an appet ite for change among leaders,politicians and the c onstituencies they serve.

Leade rs who can think long termC limate change needs leaders in the public sec torwho act as stew ards of the citys environmentalresources, and champion quality of design andquality of place. O nce this w as mainly aboutfostering civic pride; now, it is as much abo utfostering civic survival.

It is urban leaders who most need to ad dress allthe issues arising from climate change. And itoversimplifies current realities to think of the publicsector as stew ard of societys assets for the long

term w hile business p rovides short-term profitsfor investors.

Local government needs to dec ide to use itsresourc es and ass ets in an innovative way, andpro vide sufficient st ability and a level playing fieldto g ive business the co nfidence to invest in a place.

From now on, city leaders must est ablish the marketrules within which d ecisions are made. It is up t othem to set long-term priorities. A pop ulationenjoying imp roved health and w ell-being offers amore attractive workforce fo r business and industry.A c ity that supp orts sustainability will also sup portinnovation. Providing a home and a market for newlow c arbon growth sectors in technology,manufacturing and d esign will increaseeconomic vitality.

This quality of civic leadership is impossible ifshort-term changes of po litical co ntrol can justblow the citys long-term goals off co urse. To c reatesustainable cities, it is fundamentally important thatleaders champion long -term decisions. This is trueabove all for critical projects related to transport,building schemes, green space, energy and w aste.These all require sust ained and sizeable investmentwhich cannot usually be d elivered in less than twopolitical terms.

Working across adm inistrative bou ndariesC limate change has wid e-ranging environmental,social and econom ic impacts. It cares nothingfor administrative bo undaries or p rofessionaldisciplines.

C it ies and towns need to respond w ith boldprop osals, and c ut through b ureaucratic inertia.A go od st art has been made. The G reater LondonAuthority pioneered a c omprehensive climatechange p lan which set priorities far beyond whatit controls d irectly. The plan encomp assed targetsfor every organisation it needed to influence. TheAssoc iation of G reater Manchester Authorities isestablishing a climate change agenc y in effect,

H ow to re cognisea susta inab le cityI An appe tite for changeI Leade rs who can think long termI Working across adm inistrative b ound ariesI Freed om to control land and assetsI Com plete focus on who le- l ife va lue


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There is also a strong role for co mmunity controland equity as part of the new ec onomic mo dellingand regeneration that is required for a mo resustainable future. This c ould mean comm unityow nership of renewable energy sources and theirdistribution networks.

Com plete focus on who le- l ife va lueExisting valuation techn iques fo r assets, land andinfrastructure are frequently flawed or misapp lied.C urrent timetables used in valuation mod elling arefar too short and fail to acc ount for the benefits ofa longer-term sustainable approach t o living in anurban c ommunity.

Tow ns and c ities must address anomalies in theirow n valuation and asset management p ractice, andtheir focus on sho rt-term returns. Encouraginglower b ut secured investment returns over a longerperiod may offer greater protec tion from boomand bust cycles.

The recent rise in energy prices has motivatedmany local authorities to seek alternative sourc ingarrangements. Instigating measures to encouragegreater efficiency, reduce waste and use diversifiedrenewable sources c an lead to significant savings.

Sp eculative prop erty development in tow ns andcities, fuelled b y the increase in market value of

land w ith planning p ermission, has largely beenwelco med. This w ill certainly change w hen itbec omes apparent that the real upfront costs ofsustainable development, such as providing lowcarbon energy infrastructure, are so significantthat developers c an only recover them over alonger timescale. Different mod els of developmentwill need to em erge, which in turn will force areappraisal of what actually creates land value.The presence of sustainable infrastructure couldbe one of the most c ompelling offers that a townor city can make to attract new d evelopment andenduring investment.

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The creation of Em scher Landschaftpark inthe Ruhr Valley has involved the ecologicalregeneration of the contaminated 220 -m ileEm scher river system over a 30- yearperiod. It has created a new parklandscape , with m ajor centres connectedby green corridors, all underpinned by animpressive g reen infrastructure strategy.Se venteen local authorities have w orkedtogether across an 8 00 square m ile area.Radical new uses h ave been found form ines and factories, and 6,000 propertieshave be en refurbished o r built to highenvironm ental standa rds. Yet the realvalue of Emscher Landschaftpark lies inthe im petus it has given across Europe

to new forms of living and wo rking.

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3 M aking streets f it for peo pleRoad transport is responsible for around 8 6 p ercent of dom estic transport emissions. Cars acc ountfor about half that figure.

Fundamentally we need to reduce the length andfrequen cy of vehicle journeys. There is an absolute

priority to integrate transport and p lanning in urbanareas, to reduce the need to travel. Places need tobe w ell connec ted, offering a choice of w ays to getaround. Walking, cycling and p ublic transport mustbec ome attractive and easy options.

C ities need supp ort from regional developmentagencies and government offices to co-ordinatea strategic reg ional transport st rategy aimed atreducing car use. A mix of uses residential,business and entertainment to gether withsufficient , suitable densities , is vital to ensureadequate demand for pub lic transport services.Making a car unnecess ary should b e a primaryconsid eration in choosing o r permittingdevelopment on any given site.

O ur streets are frequently unpleasant places tobe un less you are inside a vehicle. They need tobec ome places w here people can enjoy walkingor gathering and sitting, in shade or sun. W henplanning and design are integrated w ith trafficmanagement, places c an be transformed.

A q uarter of all car journeys in England are unde ra mile, with tw o thirds under five miles. Gett ingmore peop le walking and cyc ling instead can beencouraged through designing streets, squares andgreen spac es to c reate safe routes, linked to p ublictransport. Better d esign raises the quality of life,and creates places where peop le want to spendtheir time and mo ney.

It is essential that transport policy measures aremutually reinforcing . Look, for example, at the w aythe cong estion charge went alongside greaterinvestment in bus services in London. Parkingstrategies have a profound effect on c ar use.

The Greate r Ashford Fram ew ork providesan integrated sustainable de velopm entstrategy for the tow n. It allows Ashfordto abso rb significant growth within acohesive infrastructure, including well-connected streets, good pu blic transportservices, and a strong ne twork of gree npublic spaces. It is actively encouragingwalking and cycling as p art of a newsettleme nt-wide spatial strategy, not leastthrough turning a du al carriage way ringroad into an o rdinary two-w ay stree t.

The re is an a bso lute p riorityto integ rate transport andplanning in urban a re as, tored uce the nee d to t ravel

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with neighbouring authorities or, more radically,different governance arrangements.

O ne of the best ways to mitigate the impact o fflood risk is by restoring flood plains. These spacescan be used for recreation and w ildlife habitats.C reating g reen corridors along rivers on the floodplains, with storm w ater lakes for fishing andboating, picnic sites, trees, and co ver for wildlife,are an efficient, environmentally sound app roach toflood prevention. The Milton Keynes flood plainsforest involves the restoration o f a site ad jacent tothe River Nene to c reate a new landscape w ith

much greater flood storage c apacity.

At the scale of individual buildings, the p riority is toallow water to perco late naturally into the soil andgroundw ater, for example through front and backgardens. This reduces the flow to surface w aterdrains and river systems caused by impermeablepaving and piped drainage. G reen roofs will helpprevent flash flooding, w hile the design o f drainsshould include detention and retention ponds toslow the flow of water. Large canopied t rees act asa water store and slow perc olation.

A go od example of this being c o-ordinated is thedesign of the new M et O ffice HQ in Exeter. It

exemplifies the use of perme able paving, filterdrains, swales, traditional piped drainage systems,detention basins and balancing po nds.

6 M oderat ing the he at islandC ities are w armer than surrounding areas becauseheat is stored within co ncrete and tarmac, aprob lem compo unded b y traffic and po or aircirculation betw een tall buildings. You c an feel thiswhen trying to get to sleep on a hot summer nightin a city centre, where temp eratures are often 10deg rees centigrade warmer than in the suburbs.

This urban heat island effect c an be extremelydangerous. In August 20 03 , 35 ,00 0 p eople acrossEurope died from heat, 2,0 91 o f them in England.These deaths are p articularly iniquitous b ecauseclimate change climate change affects the poo restmost: the p eople at greatest risk are least able toadapt the p laces w here they live.

Increasing tree c over by 10 p er cent c an reduce thesurface temperature of a city by betw een three andfour deg rees centigrade. The predic tion of hotter,drier summers means that it is vital to protec texisting trees and prioritise the planting of newones. Larger tree canop ies contribute hug ely tothe shading and coo ling of streets and b uildings.

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Milton Keynes floodplain (left): recreates a local flood plain forest

to tackle f lood risk

The Met O ff ice HQ , Exeter (right): exemplifies the use of sustainable

drainage through paving, swales and basins


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Hallmarks of a Sustainable City

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