Sustainability Science: Role of Science and Technology for...

Sustainability Science:

Role of Science and Technology for Urban Sustainability

April 13, 2016

US 130 Principles of Urban Sustainability

What is Sustainability Science?

According to the U.S. National Academy of Sciences:

“an emerging field of research dealing with the interactions between natural and social systems, and with how those interactions affect the challenge of sustainability: meeting the needs of present and future generations while substantially reducing poverty and conserving the planet's life support systems.” This includes research: •  on the fundamental character of interactions among humans, their technologies,

and the environment, and •  on the use of such knowledge to advance sustainability goals relevant to water,

food, energy, health, habitation, mobility, and ecosystem services


Source: Proceedings of the National Academy of Science in the USA: http://sustainability.pnas.org/page/about

Science & Technology for Sustainable Urbanization

Science, technology and innovation can provide a variety of solutions in the urban context: •  high technology-based solutions •  retrofitting and other innovative approaches •  urban planning and governance that employ more basic

technologies


What is science, technology and innovation?

How can it benefit urban areas?

Source: Science, technology and innovation for sustainable cities and peri-urban communities (http://unctad.org/meetings/en/SessionalDocuments/ecn162013d2_en.pdf)

Urban settings face different challenges and have different technology needs.


Urban Settings are Variable

Source: http://eco.desyn.com http://www.newsecuritybeat.org/2010/11/meeting-the-health-challenges-of-the-urban-poor/

Choices differ in the developing countries from those in developed countries due to limitations such as awareness/education, financing and human resources.


Urban Settings are Variable (c.)

http://www.benevolentmedia.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/times-square.jpg http://aygrt.isrj.org/ArticleImage/5434.png

Information and communications technology (ICTs)

Information and communications technologies (ICTs):

è play a key role in the urban context è can be applied to solve a variety of cross-sectoral urban problems è do not typically require large, expensive capital infrastructure



Potential urban uses of ICTs

•  geospatial tools for spatial planning •  simulation and visualization modeling •  mobility tools •  solutions for optimizing energy and water

management •  disaster monitoring and response •  social inclusion



Examples of Geospatial tools for spatial planning

Geospatial tools (satellite maps and data layers of geographic information systems) for many purposes: •  Mapping underground utilities, mines, tunnels and other city infrastructure to identify issues,

improve efficiency and design extensions; •  Mapping areas at risk of earthquakes, floods, landslides and other natural disasters, and

adjusting development plans; •  Identifying infill areas such as abandoned land or buildings that are suitable for redevelopment

and planning for their reallocation; •  Mapping natural resources such as prime agricultural land and unique or endangered habitats; •  Mapping historic and cultural sites that should be protected, and designing future urban

development that is in cohesion with a city’s cultural heritage; •  Providing virtual addresses to houses and business enterprises that lack formal addresses; •  Combining multilayer statistical information with satellite maps to run analyses, for example,

poverty targeting, urban infrastructure and transport planning, and socioeconomic analysis such as crime statistics and tracking illegal settlements (UNCTAD, 2012).



Simulation and visualization modeling

City planners use simulation, modeling and visualization technologies

è long-term planning è investment decisions

Simulation tools can help: è urban development planning è siting and design of buildings è traffic and energy analysis è emissions calculations



ICTs for mobility

ICTs è improve mobility in cities: •  traffic management •  multimodal trip planning •  congestion pricing

For low income and developing countries, ICTs can help by: •  allowing transit companies and cities to collaborate on

transit priority systems •  timing traffic signals to ensure safe movement for

pedestrians and bicycles, not just cars



ICTs for mobility (c.)

ICTs and smartphones make it possible for city dwellers to benefit from new mobility business models:

•  carpooling •  car sharing •  incentive programs (encourage biking to work)

ICTs can provide transportation subsidies for low income individuals and households who may not be able to afford the standard rate for those services.



ICTs for optimizing energy & water management

Smart grids •  Intelligent systems that integrate demand management, distributed

energy generation, and transmission and distribution grid management (Villa and Mitchell, 2010)

Monitoring resource consumption •  encourage more sustainable energy and water

consumption patterns for individuals (Robinson, 2012; Mitchell and Casalegno, 2008)



ICTs & Smart grids

•  Provides real-time information to utility companies using sensors, –  to respond to changes in power demand, supply, costs and

emissions, and prevent major power outages

•  Increase flexibility of energy production and distribution by allowing for decentralized, individual energy producers –  households with micro wind turbines or solar panels on their

roofs, or batteries of electric vehicles to feed surplus energy back into the electricity grid (Cosgrave, 2012)



ICTs & Monitoring resource consumption

ICTs can help with resource consumption by:

•  monitoring and controlling energy demand in buildings with sensors can reduce energy consumption

•  monitor water losses at relatively low cost and can help manage water more effectively



ICTs for disaster monitoring and response

ICTs can:

•  improve resilience against natural hazards •  be used as hazard monitoring and surveillance techniques

for early warning and land-use planning •  be used for as dashboards to combine data from different

departments and allow cities to monitor risks in an integrated way

•  analyze data from sensors throughout the city to detect and resolve some critical infrastructure and safety issues, including water leaks and power spikes



Notable examples of ICTs for urban resilience

•  Rio de Janeiro (Brazil) set up an operations center that displays real-time integrated data from 30 agencies, which helped improve coordination and reaction times

•  Mumbai (India) has 35 automatic weather stations that measure real-time rainfall intensity, and flow gauges on the Mithi river to monitor water flow

•  Chacao (Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela) has a wireless early warning system that connects civil protection and environmental institutions with cameras that monitor four river channels crossing the city and shares online real-time hazard information with citizens.



ICTs for social inclusion

In developing countries, people live in informal settlements in and around cities and do not have postal address, thus cannot receive health and emergency services or purchase public utilities. The use of smart identity cards and debit cards, as well as offering services through inexpensive cell phones, which have high penetration even among the poor in countries of sub-Saharan Africa, India, and China, can help to open up new ways to obtain such services.



Additional Uses of ICTs

•  Sustainable mobility (BRT, traffic calming, walking/biking, light rapid transit, alternative fuels, hybrid and electric vehicles)

•  Sustainable urban resource management (higher consumption leads to higher waste) –  Energy (renewables, grid of the future – smart, distributed & has storage,

diverse energy portfolio, sustainable building design, innovative construction technologies)

–  Water and agriculture •  Community gardens & local food sourcing •  Water technologies that reuse wastewater

•  Solid waste (recycle–reduce-reuse, waste to energy)



Innovation for sustainable urbanization

Innovation in the urban context refers to: •  new methods •  business models •  policies •  institutional designs •  regulations

è Meets needs of urban populations in a more efficient, effective and sustainable way



Agricultural Technologies •  improve productivity and soil

and water conservation, and maintain reasonable costs of food and fiber.

•  improving soil fertility, •  improving water availability

and efficiency of use •  reducing food losses •  enabling farmers to modernize

as this becomes feasible to them.

The Role of Technology in Sustainable Development


Energy Technologies

•  Technologies to provide and improve energy services for developing world populations, more efficient biomass stoves to reduce fuel use and reduce the hazardous smoke emissions, simple motor-driven systems for pumping water or grinding grain to reduce the burden of these physically demanding tasks on women, and energy-efficient pumps, fertilizers, and mechanical traction to improve agricultural productivity.


Environmental Technologies

•  For many developing countries, provision of basic water, sewer, and refuse disposal services are major environmental priorities. These are the areas where spending on environmental technologies is concentrated.

•  Developing countries need more sanitary services systems serving rural and urban areas.

•  Electric power, chemical, petroleum refining, steel, and paper, food, textile, and other process industries are potential major buyers of environmental technology.


Technologies for Local Development

•  Conducted of community-based projects for

resource efficient residential architecture,

solar greenhouses, small farm systems,

farmers markets, resource recovery from

municipal solid waste, wastewater treatment,

energy generation, and health care systems.


Communication Technology

•  Communication and

information technologies are

playing an increasingly

important role in business,

trade, health, and education.


Important Takeaways

1)   Science, technology and innovation for urban sustainability utilizes high and low technology and innovative approaches to urban planning and institutional innovation.

2)  The challenges of cities in developing countries differ widely from those in developed countries and require special analysis in this context.



Important Takeaways (c.)

3) Regional planning is a key consideration to ensure that the needs of urban and peri-urban zones are addressed in an integrated way. 4) A cross-sector approach is necessary for sustainable cities




5) Science, technology and innovation are necessary for sustainable urban development, including providing solutions to mitigate the impact of climate change on vulnerable urban populations. 6) Design and engineering go hand in hand when building cities, along with city planning.




7) Accumulated local and indigenous culture and knowledge are crucial for solving local problems, such as constructing sustainable buildings or managing natural resources. 8) Develop business models that scale technological innovation and reach intended audience.



What’s Needed to Move Forward

•  good practices on the use of science, technology and innovation for sustainability in key urban sectors in developed and developing countries

•  successful examples of local innovation models providing science, technology and innovation solutions to pressing urban challenges

•  business models scaling innovative interdisciplinary solutions to city management

•  awareness among urban policymakers about the role of science, technology and innovation, and ICTs in facilitating integrated regional planning, spatial design and informed resource consumption



What would you do?

What factors, challenges, implications, and innovations would you ask local, regional, national, and global leaders, planners and policy makers to consider as they begin to plan for the cities and megacities of the future? Think about your Group PSA project – what ICT would work and potentially benefit an urban area or a distinct population within that urban area?


Additional Materials City of Philadelphia and WBCSD -- innovative collaboration for urban sustainability

https://youtu.be/Rp1msTFt8HU

Future Sustainability – the role of science in the Sustainable Development Goals

https://youtu.be/LPbc2WgSW0U William Clark on Sustainable Development

https://youtu.be/KsYniwqyih4

How can NASA technology inspire urban sustainability?

https://youtu.be/e7CgMbWn0RY

CNT Urban Sustainability Apps Competition

https://youtu.be/cabsiJz60qU


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