Urban Sustainability (College Board AP® Human Geography)

Sustainable Design Initiatives

• Sustainable design initiatives aim to create cities which are:

  • environmentally friendly

  • sustainable

  • livable 

• These initiatives are investments in the long-term viability of cities

• Sustainable design initiatives offer potential solutions to the problems affecting cities, such as:

  • population pressures

  • resource depletion

  • environmental degradation

Potential solutions offered by sustainable design initiatives

• Greenbelts are areas of undeveloped land surrounding an urban area

• Greenbelts often include:

  • hiking and biking paths

  • gardens

  • water features 

• Greenbelts:

  • preserve natural environments close to urban areas

  • prevent excessive growth and urban sprawl

• As cities expand, particularly on suburban fringes, extensive amounts of land are developed: 

  • leaving less land for agriculture 

  • causing loss of natural habitats

  • creating fragile landscapes that are difficult or impossible to regenerate 

    • Greenbelts attempt to reverse this trend

• Examples of greenbelts include:

  • The Metropolitan Green Belt, London, UK covers 516,000 hectares, it was established to reduce urban sprawl around London

    • It has strict planning controls to reduce development 

  • The Greater Toronto Greenbelt, Toronto, Canada covers over 2 million acres.

    • Established in 2005 it preserves natural and agricultural land, reducing the urban sprawl of Toronto

Smart growth

• Smart growth refers to movements to limit sprawl, control traffic congestion, and reverse inner-city decline

• Smart growth urban planners attempt to:

  • contain growth to a specific area

  • protect rural lands

  • use the city core more wisely, including through mixed-use neighborhoods

• Smart growth initiatives focus on the long-term implications of growth and development 

• They also focus on development that will lessen sprawl and increase residential and business densities in the urban core over the long term

New urbanism

• New urbanism promotes diverse, walkable, compact, mixed-use communities

• The overall goal of new urbanism is to reduce the amount of land taken up by urban and suburban sprawl

• These communities would contain the following amenities all within easy walking distance:

  • housing

  • workplaces

  • shops

  • entertainment

  • schools

  • parks

• New urbanism also tries to reduce the use of highways, roads, and private cars by promoting:

  • the increased use of public transportation

  • walking

  • biking

• New urbanism is highly connected with increased density and promotes the development of multiple types of housing in the same area

• Haarlemmermeer, Netherlands is an example of a new urbanist development

  • It has mixed housing types 

  • The development is pedestrian-friendly

  • Buildings comply with eco-friendly standards

  • The development includes renewable energy

Sustainable design initiatives

• Urban and suburban sprawl refers to the spreading of developments, for both residential and business purposes, out from the city center and into surrounding suburban or rural areas

• Sustainable design initiatives attempt to reduce sprawl by focusing on:

  • the construction of higher-density housing closer to the center of cities

  • walkable cities

  • mixed-use development

  • public transportation 

• Mixed-use neighborhoods have developments that serve more than one purpose and are easily walkable

  • For example, the same area will be zoned to contain residential, commercial, and entertainment facilities

  • Mixed-use development focuses on providing commercial, residential, and entertainment options within a walkable distance, thus reducing the necessity of private cars

• Affordable housing is a key component of sustainable design which is safe, healthy, and accessible

• Walkability is the idea that cities should be navigable by foot or bicycle and not require access to an automobile

  • All goods and services should be within walking distance from residential areas

  • Walkability promotes pedestrian-friendly urban layouts with:

    • safe sidewalks

    • parks

    • nearby amenities

• Sustainable development is also transportation-oriented and focuses on the growth of mass public transit

  • High-density residential areas should be near transit hubs and have access to robust transportation options to minimize car use

• Slow-growth cities prioritize limiting a city’s growth to maintain quality of life and improve environmental sustainability

Urban sustainability

• Urban sustainability aims to improve the social and economic living conditions of a city’s population while limiting environmental degradation

• Proponents of urban sustainability focus on projects such as:

  • remediation and redevelopment of brownfields

    • A brownfield is land previously used for industrial or transportation purposes, but which has since been abandoned

    • Brownfields carry potential pollution hazards due to their previous use

    • Redevelopment of brownfields aids in urban beautification projects and expands available land for residential development

  • establishment of urban growth boundaries

  • farmland protection policies

• Positive results of urban sustainability initiatives include: 

  • reduction of sprawl

  • improved walkability and transportation

  • improved and diverse housing options

  • the promotion of environmentally sustainable options

• Negative outcomes of urban sustainability initiatives may include: 

  • increased housing costs

  • possible de facto segregation

  • potential loss of historical character

Zoning Practices

• Zoning is used to regulate how land can be used in a city

• Local governments are responsible for zoning

• Types of zoning include:

  • residential zoning: areas designated for housing

  • commercial zoning: areas for businesses, such as shops, restaurants, and offices

  • industrial zoning: areas for manufacturing, warehouses and factories

  • mixed-use zoning: areas that combine residential, commercial, entertainment, and industrial uses in the same area

• Benefits of Mixed-use zoning include:

  • reduced commute times

  • focus on walkability

  • increasing peoples’ use of the city center, reducing urban sprawl

• Inclusionary zoning focuses on providing affordable housing to people with low to moderate incomes in urban areas

  • It requires developers to include a percentage of affordable properties in new housing projects

    • Developers are often offered incentives such as tax breaks to adhere to this requirement

  • It promotes social equity by ensuring diverse incoming groups can access the same urban opportunities