Sustainable city and risk management
P. Anastasiadis† & G. Metaxas‡
Technological Education Institute of Serres, Serres, Greece†
Technological Education Institute of Piraeus, Piraeus, Greece‡
1st WIETE Annual Conference on Engineering and Technology Education Pattaya, Thailand, 22-25 February 2010
ABSTRACT: Cities are increasingly becoming the engines of national economic growth and magnets for new residents flooding in from rural areas. Decision makers at all levels are faced with the task resolving urban problems from transportation to waste management, from urban drinking water supply to the preservation of urban green space. Urban changes after a destructive eventuality are rapid, random and unpredictable. The result of such eventualities is immediate transformation of areas of the city, an abandonment of existing development procedures, causing dramatic urban mutations and unpredictable reactions by residents. Built environment management in cases of natural disaster is one of the issues subsumed within the field of urban planning. Risk management analysis proceeds to a thorough classification of the city’s vulnerability factors, while assessing the data from the vulnerability analysis according to various criteria. It also needs to consider new factors that have rarely been taken into consideration in the past, such as social, economic and functional vulnerability of the city.
INTRODUCTION
A city is only considered sustainable when it follows a development path where current progress does not take place at the expense of future generations (i.e. bad planning, debt, environmental degradation, etc) and there is an equilibrium between different issues. In other words, the goal is an across-the-board development, instead of handling issues one by one.
The significance of each of these issues differs in importance from city to city depending on the given city’s background. For example, in India the most important urban issue is the migration of people to the cities, while in Europe transportation is important or in North America urban sprawl is the most pressing issue. The term sustainable development goes beyond the boundaries of science, and business development and trade to include human development, values and differences between cultures. In fact, many organisations refer to sustainable human development as opposed to sustainable development in order to emphasise issues such as the importance of gender equality, participation in decision-making processes, and access to education and health.
Cities have become the focal points of these components as major consumers and distributors of goods and services. However, many cities tend to be large consumers of goods and services, while draining resources out of the external regions that they depend on. As a result of the increasing consumption of resources and the growing dependency on trade, the ecological impact of cities extends beyond their geographic locations. It has been recognised that the concept of sustainable development is an evolving, debatable term. This section provides an overview of how sustainable (urban) development was defined by the Brundtland Commission and how it is defined by different organisations in different geographical regions.
The most widely known definition of sustainable development comes from the Brundtland Commission, which defined sustainable development as development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs [1]. During the preparatory meetings for the URBAN21 Conference (Berlin, July 2000), the following definition was developed to define sustainable urban development:
Improving the quality of life in a city, including ecological, cultural, political, institutional, social and economic components without leaving a burden on the future generations. A burden which is the result of a reduced natural capital and an excessive local debt. Our aim is that the flow principle, that is based on an equilibrium of material and energy and also financial input/output, plays a crucial role in all future decisions upon the development of urban areas.
However, there are many other definitions, such as:
Sustainable community development is the ability to make development choices which respect the relationship between the three E's - economy, ecology, and equity [2]: a) Economy - Economic activity should serve the common good, be self-renewing, and build local assets and self-reliance, b) Ecology - Human are part of nature, nature has limits, and communities are responsible for protecting and building natural assets, c) Equity - The opportunity for full participation in all activities, benefits, and decision-making of a society.
A sustainable community is one in which improvement in the quality of human life is achieved in harmony with improving and maintaining the health of ecological systems; and where a healthy economy's industrial base supports the quality of both human and ecological systems [3].
A sustainable community uses its resources to meet current needs while ensuring that adequate resources are available for future generations. It seeks improved public health and a better quality of life for all its residents by limiting waste, preventing pollution, maximizing conservation and promoting efficiency, and developing local resources to revitalize the local economy
Sustainable communities are defined as towns and cities that have taken steps to remain healthy over the long term. Sustainable communities have a strong sense of place. They have a vision that is embraced and actively promoted by all of the key sectors of society, including businesses, disadvantaged groups, environmentalists, civic associations, government agencies, and religious organizations. They are places that build on their assets and dare to be innovative. These communities value healthy ecosystems, use resources efficiently, and actively seek to retain and enhance a locally based economy. There is a pervasive volunteer spirit that is rewarded by concrete results. Partnerships between and among government, the business sector, and non profit organizations are common. Public debate in these communities is engaging, inclusive, and constructive. Unlike traditional community development approaches, sustainability strategies emphasize: the whole community (instead of just disadvantaged neighbourhoods); ecosystem protection; meaningful and broadbased citizen participation; and economic self-reliance [4].
A community that believes today's growth must not be achieved at tomorrow's expense [5] ...the deliberate effort to ensure that community development not only enhances the local economy, but also the local environment and quality of life [6].
Full Text : Click Here
ليست هناك تعليقات:
إرسال تعليق