In today’s society, more people are living in cities; an estimated 4 billion people (accounting for half the planets population) live in cities. Asian cities seem to be the most prevalent for this with East Asia/ The Pacific having around 1.2 billion people living in cities.
With modern cities, usually being the hub for attracting investment and talent, cities attribute 80% of GDP Globally. Although the rapid change and scale of urbanisation is resulting in a large array of problems. Rising pollution levels, expanding wealth/ income gaps and the decay of buildings indicate the modern struggle of cities trying to maintain sustainability and the inhabitants want for a prosperous future.
‘Sustainable development is development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs’. (Making Sense of Cities 2002)
This gives light to the growing struggle of modern consumption and the effect this will have on the future of the planet.
As with any domesticated area, the inhabitants have necessities i.e energy, water, food and waste disposal. This may have a large negative impact on the environment. Large amounts of countryside may be turned over to growing food for people in the city, valleys may be flooded to store and supply water, and land fill sites used to dispose of waste.
Moreover, the idea of urban sustainability is described with a lack of dependency on the neighbouring countryside, along with a strong sense of self sufficiency i.e renewable sources of energy. The underlying ambition of this is to create the smallest possible ecological footprint and to keep the production of pollutants to a minimum, efficient land use, recycling of used materials (Power creation or recycled products), and to keep the overall effect of cities toward climate change at minimum
With a 20% rise in urban area population expected by 2050, planners and developers have a significant challenge ahead of preserving the ecological presence of a city and the sustainability of it.
Looking at Ecological sustainability, there are three requirements that are relatively crucial. Depletion of biodiversity within cities has to be at a bare minimum (serving as limiting factor to uncontrolled urban growth). The ecological integrity of the environment must not be endangered. Within cities, this relates to operating in a way that does not dispute natural biological mechanism in which disperse winds/tides or the breakdown of organic materials. Lastly, the people of today have to take into account the maintaining of the natural environment, and look to improve it for the sake of future generations. Seen in urban environments, ‘intergenerational equity’ is leading toward the clean-up and restoration of ‘Brownfield sites’ (Previously developed land not currently in use), along with park systems in order to protect any remaining natural habitats.
Generally, more significant self-sufficiency in water harvesting, energy generation and sewage disposal represents a hugely positive path for the transition toward sustainable urban development.
Qualities and design.
Blu Chegini
There are many key aspects that we must have in mind when we are talking about maintaining a sustainable city without impacting the quality of life in urban cities.
A key aspect would be the sustainability of the buildings within the urban environment, this is because they are deliberately designed to minimise the impact on the environment and to maximise the efficiency when using resources such as materials, water and energy. It is also designed to maintain its efficiency over the life cycle of the building. Sustainability is all about the endurance. Meaning that the general ideas of meeting the needs of the present without compromising the needs of the future.
Natural lighting within buildings can replace artificial lighting to save energy for a better future, this is underlying sustainability in terms of ways to save energy constantly demanded. As we consume a very large amount of natural resources that are available to us we are polluting in a much quicker way than the earth recovers from the negative impacts.
The design of buildings is the stage when we think about what we want and specify how best to do it. This decision will last for the lifetime of the building and a poor design decision would be hard to remedy, so if someone were to work or live in a building that is relatively ugly or designed poorly it will leave them with a sense of dissatisfaction. To improve the quality of life, the design of the building could reflect both, the function and the philosophy of a health research centre that focuses on finding new ways to fight against noncommunicable diseases, such as heart disease, stroke, diabetes… A good example of a design for a building in an urban environment would be a salutogenic design, this design aims to create physical environments that promote wealth and well being.
For over two centuries, there has been an investment in the architecture and urban design of public spaces, part of a belief that making new clean, safe and stylish public spaces will improve our public life.
The bad impacts that a building may encounter that could potentially impact the quality of life of the occupant could be the “sick building syndrome“. This is the term that is most commonly used for this phenomenon as it is also recognised by the world health authority. There are many sick building effects that generate symptoms such as eye, nose and throat irritations, headaches and dizziness, mental fatigue, breathing difficulties, rashes…
There are different types of sick building causes and these may be due to these factors.
-Physical comfort conditions, caused by uncomfortable temperatures, humidity, no ventilation, high noise levels, radiation…
-Chemical pollutants, caused by smoke, vapours (paints and cleaners) or formaldehyde vapours.
-There are also microbial factors which are another type of sick building causes, and these may be due to airborne microorganisms from bacteria and fungi in air-conditioning systems, microorganisms in drinking water, carpets….
There is a health policy that determines the healthcare efficiency and performance which is then compared to other cities in order to create a debate as to what could be improved in that area. If a debate occurs then they will make decisions whether they should increase their spending in certain areas or decrease them in certain areas.
Due to the number of possible causes of sick building illnesses, it is not exactly possible to identify the single factors, making it incurable. For this reason, to help eliminate the various causes which give the rise to poor environments within buildings, attention must be paid to good design, correct installation and frequent maintenance. This is a great way to keep a healthy and pleasant working environment for the occupants of the building.
The aims and objectives are to create an environment that inspires us, result in happier, more engaged people and increase our overall productivity within the urban environment.
The Quality of Life Indicators.
Jonathan Risdon
Mental health is a contributor to cases where sufferers are restricted with their ability to work. Commitment to their job is affected and also their personal life (socialising), which significantly affects people’s life quality expectancy. This is down to an endless list of circumstances; Stress, Loneliness, Depression, Anxiety.
People’s ability to work consistently requires a person’s capability of coping with these factors and more.
Living in business associated cities, immediately one thinks of people who are too busy to commit to a partnership and family life. People who work in cities tend to live alone or commute from distances; it is usually the case if one has a family and travels long distances for work, which can cause a lot of stress. People who commute have reasons to work in cities most of the time, mostly due to there being work availability and career progression opportunities.
Large cities such as London consist of a high property market value and so those who cannot afford this tend to also commute from constituencies outside of the city.
Social Anxiety tends to be a common factor within cities, for instance London. Being a globally known business associated city, has drawbacks. People are too busy to work, too busy to socialise and end up withdrawing into themselves. More often this turns to people's ability to even travel to work comfortably and their capabilities of working overall. This usually has the diagnosis of such mental illnesses as depression and becoming a recluse, resulting in physical inactivity.
Further adding to social anxiety, Social networks and the built environment are widely recognised as important determinants of health and health behaviours, including physical inactivity. (Bergman, et al., 2000; McNeil eat al., 2006)
Social capital refers to resources to which individuals or groups have access through their social networks. The benefits of social capital tend to arise through a person’s weaker social ties and connections. (Leigh-Jones and Moore, 2012)