GEOG256 Lecture 5 Outline of Last Lecture II Review Q and A III Films on Demand lecture a Endangered biodiversity and economic development b A Fred Friendly Seminar Films on Demand Outline of Current Lecture II Why focus on cities III Q and A IV Advantages and Disadvantages V Types of sustainability Current Lecture Lecture 5 Cities Damnation or Salvation Why focus on cities Its where the people are and where future growth will occur The Urban Century They re the epicenter for resource use with an enormous global footprint Cities use 75 of the earth s resources but occupy just 2 of its surface London requires 125x its surface area to sustain They re a focus for greenhouse gas issues Cities emit 80 of CO2 Tyndall Centre for Climate Change research says The fate of the Earth s climate is intrinsically linked to how our cities develop over the coming decades Their populations are growing fast but they develop land even faster These notes represent a detailed interpretation of the professor s lecture GradeBuddy is best used as a supplement to your own notes not as a substitute Ratio of Urban Land Growth to Population Growth Cities are becoming less compact Aka consumption landscapes Still they re not the largest land users just 3 Q What share of the planet s resources are used by cities A 75 Q When did we cross the point where most people live in cities A Last 5 years Q The rate of urban land expansion is occurring than the rate of urban population expansion A faster Q What are consumption landscapes according to the reading A Auto centric low density And not the largest direct water users But most Urban transport is the biggest source of air pollution in the USA They re a significant factor in water pollution One of the biggest causes of endangerment for US T E species But cities can be centers of solutions too GHG per capita in cities is often less than the national average Cities Advantages and Challenges Advantages o Land use efficiency less land per capita o Large enough markets to support niche innovations green roofs o Distributional efficiency cheaper reclained water distribution less transmission waste o Potential for local production and consumption efficient waste reuse round put waste heat usage o Transit Options o Social economy nonprofits citizen groups Challenges o Intense local impact e g local watersheds pollution hotspots o Impacts extend far beyond their borders and their jurisdictions o Congestion costs crowding suburban small town dreams Take away Sustainability is concerned with cities because o Were now an urban world o Cities use resources very intensively and are a major source of pressure on the environment but not the only one Cities have certain advantages that create opportunities for sustainability like their compactness inventiveness and dynamic markets Two Types of Sustainability for Cities Mitigation delivering good homes and jobs and communities without disrupting social and ecological resources e g dislocation pollution destruction etc Adaptation being able to adapt to shocks without severe disruption e g wildfires recessions disease drought etc Urban Metabolism Model Variables that determine interactions between cities and the environment Urban form density mix diversity nucleation Greening open space connectivity food production Site planning and urban design sensitive lands shading pedestrian friendliness health and exercise Infrastructure transport energy supply water reclamation Architecture buildings tech site planning Property mgmt chemicals invasive species Production processes material use round put Household behavior and consumption vehicle choice etc Governance and collaboration regionalism consensus