As more people move to cities, planners are pondering ways to keep economies growing while safeguarding the environment
Clarissa Oon, Straits Times 21 Jun 08;
GREEN is the new black. The environment is the new 'it' cause, with its own heroes, mantras and slogans.
The buzzword among the green crowd these days is 'sustainability', meaning how to give economies robust, while ensuring that scarce resources such as fresh water, clean air and land remains available for future generations to enjoy too.
But sustainable development, or how to keep economies humming in an environmentally friendly way, has also gone mainstream. No longer just an airy-fairy notion upheld by tree-huggers, it now weighs heavily on the minds of many city planners and development professionals like Mr Keshav Varma.
As municipal commissioner of Ahmedabad in western India from 1994 to 1997 - a crowded Indian education and technology hub historically dubbed the 'city of dust' - he cleaned up slums, built parks and tried to ensure that as many people as possible enjoyed the benefits of both economic growth and a good living environment.
Mr Varma, 57, is now the World Bank's sector director of urban development for the East Asia and Pacific region, and has gone from urban planner to dispenser of bank loans and advice to developing Asian cities.
Singapore is hoping to ramp up dialogue on sustainable development when it hosts the likes of him at a major international summit next week.
The inaugural World Cities Summit, to be held from Monday to Wednesday, will see over 700 policymakers, governors, urban planners and environmentalists from around the world gathering at the Suntec convention centre.
The participants are worried that unbridled urban sprawls of energy-guzzling buildings and traffic are depleting the planet's resources, causing it to overheat. Climate volatility, scientists say, will melt icecaps, aggravate droughts and floods, and squeeze food production over the next few decades.
The event is organised by Singapore's Ministry of National Development, Civil Service College and the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy in partnership with organisations such as the World Bank and Asian Development Bank (ADB).
The organisers hope this high-level talkfest will evolve into a Davos for sustainability issues, in the same way that the Swiss alpine town draws thousands of the world's political, business and academic leaders to discuss the general state of the world at the annual World Economic Forum.
To give the summit more mileage, two related events will be held here next week. They are the first International Water Week on sustainable urban water solutions and an East Asia Summit Conference on Liveable Cities.
'Liveability plus'
AS INDICATED by the theme of this year's Singapore summit, 'Liveable and Vibrant Cities', the concept of 'liveability' has become one yardstick of competitiveness for cities as they jostle to woo and keep talent in a globalised knowledge economy.
Cities become liveable by virtue of criteria like low crime, affordability as well as high-quality housing and health care, good schools, efficient transportation, access to nature and a sense of culture and community, say academics, architects and development experts.
Sustainability is the more difficult, long-term goal, with half the world's population living in cities and rich urbanites producing more harmful greenhouse gases through their daily activities compared to poor villagers.
Today's policymakers and urban planners are being 'squeezed on both sides' because 'you have got to make the city liveable for the ordinary citizen and sustainable in terms of its impact on global environment', says Professor Kishore Mahbubani, dean of the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy.
In Asia, cities typically make up 85 per cent of a country's gross domestic product, and are growing at a speed never before seen in world history, notes Mr Michael Lindfield, ADB's principal urban development specialist.
The key to sustainability, he believes, is a tricky balance between environmental, social and economic needs.
'It's no good to have a green environment if your cities are full of protests or if your citizens are mostly poor, just as it's no good to have a healthy economy if the health of your citizens is under threat from pollution,' says Mr Lindfield.
In short, sustainability involves an entire ecosystem of related issues.
It entails rethinking everything from budget allocation and funding, to land use and how to design buildings and transport systems so that resources can be recycled and energy or fuel consumption minimised.
It goes right down to everyday acts of recycling and energy-saving because without civic pride and responsibility, all the green technology in the world would go to waste, says environmentalist Geh Min.
'A city is not bricks and mortar, it's people. It's the people element that will make it sustainable or liveable; they are the real building blocks,' says Dr Geh, who is president of the Nature Society (Singapore).
Asia's slow greening
ENTRENCHED mindsets among the wider population need to be changed, chief of all the perception that environmental sustainability is expensive and inconvenient, stressed experts.
'It is true it takes time to educate citizens, especially in developing countries, on the full benefits of environmental protection,' says the World Bank's Mr Varma.
'But it is our view that once these benefits are analysed for their economic, social and environmental impacts, they will far outweigh the costs of taking action.'
Fortunately, the wheels of the sustainability movement are turning - albeit slowly - more than 30 years after development champions and environment activists first clashed over the subject.
More cities are drawing up action plans against climate change - and not just the Scandinavian and central European capitals which have traditionally taken the lead.
New York is aiming for a 30 per cent cut in greenhouse gas emissions by 2030, while London hopes to slash emissions by 60 per cent in 20 years.
To that end, London has slapped an £8 (S$21.50) congestion charge on cars entering the city centre, similar to Singapore's Electronic Road Pricing scheme.
Even traffic-choked Bangkok has a five-year green plan which includes recycling residents' used cooking oil for biodiesel.
Attitudes are also changing among the once-resistant population giants China and India. In particular, China - the world's biggest emitter of greenhouse gases last year - has started addressing the impact of climate change in policy documents. It has also set targets for its cities to reduce energy intensity and key pollution indicators.
About half of the US$1.5 billion (S$2.05 billion) the World Bank lends to China every year goes to addressing environmental challenges such as solid waste disposal and water pollution.
The ADB says most of its urban lending - which comes to about US$1 billion a year - is for environment-related projects such as sanitation.
Advocates and critics of sustainable development both say there is no one-size-fits-all solution. Each city has to work out its own mix of planning and controls on one end, and market forces and innovation on the other.
Still most sustainability advocates walk around with a spring in their step these days.
San Francisco-based architect Mr Joe Brown, CEO of award-winning landscape and urban design firm Edaw, who will be here for next week's summit, said: 'I had lunch with former UN chief Kofi Annan recently and I said: 'There's so much bad news in the world, famine, genocide, Africa, Iraq, could you name one powerful positive?' He said: 'The sustainability movement'.'
Mr Brown adds: 'Every country, whether rich or poor, is into it. When you think about it, no other subject has ever generated as much focus as a unifying mission, except maybe world peace.'
The Green Oscars
Straits Times 21 Jun 08;
They cover just 1 per cent of the earth's surface, but cities are home to more than half the world's population and can be blamed for most global warming. But some cities have been pioneering efforts to marry economic development with environmental sustainability, making their transport system or energy production more sustainable for the future.
ARTI MULCHAND highlights some success stories
Eco-cities
Songdo international business centre, near Incheon, South Korea
THE US$30 billion (S$41 billion) Songdo international business centre has quickly become a model for sustainable development, thanks to steps taken to reduce the city's carbon footprint right from the conceptualisation stage.
The city, which is being developed on 600ha of reclaimed land along Incheon's waterfront, includes features like underground cisterns which trap storm water run-off for irrigation systems and non-potable uses for commercial buildings.
It also has hectares of green space, fuel-cell buses, water taxis and extensive bike ways.
It opens officially in August next year but when fully completed in 2015, the business centre will be home to 65,000 people, and 300,000 will work there.
Songdo was named one of the winners of the first Sustainable Cities Award, sponsored by the Financial Times and the Urban Land Institute, earlier this year - the only Asian winner.
Dongtan, China
LOCATED on Chongming island, about an hour from Shanghai, Dongtan's goal is to stay as close to carbon neutral as possible - with city vehicles that produce no carbon or particulate emissions, and highly efficient water and energy systems.
All its energy will come from renewable sources, including biofuels, wind farms and solar panels.
Most of its waste will be reused as biofuel for additional energy production, and organic waste will be composted. Even human sewage will be composted and processed for energy and composting.
Dongtan expects to use 64 per cent less energy than a comparable conventional city of its size. Construction is expected to begin some time this year. Up to 10,000 people will live in the city on completion of the first phase, which is planned for 2010.
Curitiba, Brazil
MAYOR Jaime Learner and his government are credited for Curitiba's transformation into a model of sustainability, by drawing on a combination of sound transport policies, recycling and low-tech solutions.
Two-thirds of the city of 1.6 million people used public transport by the 1990s, thanks to a sophisticated and efficient bus system which acts almost like a railway, and integration between different forms of transport.
It means the city has 25 per cent less congestion and noticeably cleaner air than cities of similar size.
Recycling in Curitiba is also so advanced, two-thirds of the city's daily waste is processed.
The city is also home to 21million sq m of parks, woods, gardens and squares. The parks' lakes are used to hold back floods, and function as water-flow regulators during the rainy season.
Freiburg, Germany
THE humble bicycle has gone some way to help establish Freiburg as Germany's ecological capital since the 1970s. One-third of all journeys are by bike.
By 1986, sustainability received a further push from the city's vision to be reliant on an ecologically oriented energy supply.
Ten years later, Freiburg passed the Climate Protection Concept, a resolution to cut emissions to 25 per cent below 1992 levels by 2010 - by targeting energy use in buildings, homes and businesses, as well as transport.
In a decade, the city's emissions came down by more than 10 per cent per head. Public transport use has also doubled, with a third of the city's residents choosing not to own a car. Today, its solar, energy efficiency and transport programmes are among the best in the world.
Transport
Mexico City
ONE of the primary sources of Mexico City's carbon emissions - and a major contributor to its air pollution - is the transport sector.
The sector accounted for more than a third of its 2000 estimate of 51 million tonnes of carbon dioxide emitted. Thus, many of the city's sustainability solutions zoom in on that sector.
One municipal government-sponsored programme is that of replacing 10,000 of Mexico City's taxis that are at least eight years old with more fuel-efficient models. So far, 3,090 taxis have been replaced.
More than 40,000 other taxis have also gone greener - thanks to taxi drivers who got loans on their own and changed their cabs.
Energy use
San Francisco, United States
SAN Francisco is home to the largest city-owned solar power system in the United States.
Located at San Francisco's Convention Center, it covers 60,000 sq ft, equivalent to the size of a football field, and generates 826,000 kwh annually. This is equivalent to powering 184 homes in San Francisco for a year, or the power saved by removing 7,000 cars from the road, or not driving 141 million km.
Over the lifetime of the project, it will reduce emissions of carbon dioxide by 35,000 tonnes.
Water management
Singapore's Marina Barrage
TOUTED as the poster child of Singapore's quest for environmentally sustainable development, the $226 million Marina Barrage provides far more than waterfront beauty.
Not only does the island's 15th reservoir increase its water supply, but the tidal barrier will also help alleviate flooding in the city's low-lying areas during high tide.
When officially opened next year, it will be Singapore's first reservoir in the city, and will offer recreational activities.
It is one of the crown jewels in the national water agency PUB's water management plans.
Biodiversity
Chek Jawa, Pulau Ubin, Singapore
GIVEN Singapore's small land area and need for economic growth, a pragmatic approach has been adopted in trying to balance development and biodiversity management.
The country's model focuses on protecting nature reserves and areas rich in biodiversity, such as Chew Jawa Wetlands on Pulau Ubin.
Chek Jawa Wetlands made news in 2001, when there was a strong petition against the Government carrying out reclamation work in the area. Nature lovers spoke up for the area's unique ecosystem.
About 20,000 people visit Chek Jawa annually.
Cities going the eco-friendly route
Straits Times 21 Jun 08;
Wellington
Population: 190,500
Situated along a curved harbour and with hills, coastlines and forests just a drive away, New Zealand's capital is not short of natural beauty.
Its good public transport infrastructure, skilled and talented workforce as well as a safe, tolerant, diverse and cohesive community all make Wellington 'a great place to live and well placed to meet future sustainability challenges', says the city's mayor Kerry Prendergast.
Ms Prendergast, who will speak at next week's World Cities Summit, says climate protection is one of the key thrusts of the city's current 10-year plan.
Among other things, the city council wants to be carbon-neutral in its operations by 2012 and future homes are planned to be close to public transport.
The council has also partnered with a trust to provide free or low-cost home insulation against heat and cold, to reduce energy inefficiencies.
Copenhagen
Population: 509,900
Cycling is a way of life in Denmark's small, affluent capital city, as is taking summer dips in one of five outdoor public pools in Copenhagen harbour.
A seamless, smog-free network of cycle lanes, an efficient subway system and the cleaned-up harbour have won this design and commercial hub a string of international accolades.
Ranked the world's most liveable city in this month's edition of Europe-based lifestyle magazine Monocle (Singapore was ranked No. 22), Copenhagen's aim is to ensure that 90 per cent of its residents are within walking distance of a park, beach or swimming facility by 2015.
With an abundance of fresh air and wind, it is also trying to rely less on fossil fuels by producing renewable wind energy. There is a marine-based wind farm just outside Copenhagen harbour and wind energy makes up 26 per cent of total electricity production in Denmark.
Yokohama
Population: 3.6 million
Japan's second largest city after Tokyo is home to one of the country's busiest commercial ports but has a spacious, relaxed feel. Its charms include modern cosmopolitan neighbourhoods, traditional gardens and waterfront views.
Mayor Hiroshi Nakada wants to take the city's quality of life further.
'All of Yokohama City's policies are based on the aim of becoming a sustainable city,' says Mr Nakada, the youngest individual to head one of Japan's major cities when he was elected mayor in 2002, at the age of 37.
He has succeeded in cutting the city's waste by more than 30 per cent through a campaign which gets residents involved in sorting their household trash for recycling.
The mayor is also promoting energy savings through higher air-conditioning temperatures, and seeking to improve trust between residents and officials through an open policy of information disclosure. He will speak at the World Cities Summit.
Singapore
Population: 4.59 million
Singapore has made the most of its lack of natural resources, with achievements in water treatment and recycling and its many parks and gardens.
Fiscal prudence and canny economic strategies have helped it attain a First World standard of living over 30 years, as long-term land-use planning aims to cater for continued growth while providing a good living environment.
Plans were recently unveiled for another 900ha of park land and a new 150km round-island cycling route.
Many new homes planned in the north and west regions will be located near reservoirs and parks, while Kallang Riverside was recently earmarked to become a vibrant waterfront housing and hotel development.
Singapore is also studying clean energy sources such as solar energy, and is looking to improve the connectivity and efficiency of its public transport system to wean more residents off cars.
CLARISSA OON
