Eco City Design (DP IB Geography)
Revision Note
Written by: Bridgette Barrett
Reviewed by: Jenna Quinn
Strategies to Manage the Urban Ecological Footprint
What is an eco-city?
The aim of an eco or sustainable city is to have the least possible impact on the environment
This may involve:
Minimising waste
The use of renewable energy and resources
Conservation of non-renewable resources
Green spaces
Local community involvement
Public transport
A city can be considered an eco-city when the needs of the present population are met without compromising the ability of future populations to meet their needs
The Rogers model outlines a 'circular metabolism city'
This model demonstrates how cities can be sustainable by being compact because:
Minimises the distance people have to travel
Reduces the amount of infrastructure required
Makes it easier to provide public transport
Urban ecological footprint
An urban ecological footprint is made up of several parts, including:
Carbon emissions
Land occupation
Water consumption
Waste production
The footprint is a measure of the urban population's:
Use of natural resources
Impact on the environment from the use of resources
Copenhagen
Copenhagen is the capital of Denmark
Located on the coastal islands of Zealand and Amager, it has a population of just over 600 000
With the aim of becoming carbon neutral by 2025, Copenhagen is regarded as a leader in eco-city development
The target will not be met in 2025 due to emissions from a waste incineration plant being too high but the city is determined to meet the target in the next few years
By 2018, the city had reduced emissions by almost 60%, despite population growth of 22%
This has been achieved by:
Increased use of public transport and bicycles
Working with businesses to monitor and reduce energy consumption
Increasing the use of renewable energy (50% comes from wind and solar energy)
Transport
Only 29% of households have a car
Over 45% of people in Copenhagen cycle to work or school everyday
Introduction of more cycle lanes and cycling initiatives
Some hotels provide guests with bicycles to reduce tourist use of cars
Bike sharing
Increased safety measures to make cycling safer
Sustainable districts which connect to public transport and bicycle networks
Formation of 'five-minute neighbourhoods' where residents can access all they need within a five-minute walk
New Metro City Circle Line to connect the outer areas of Copenhagen
Energy
Smart street lights are the replacement of old lighting with LED lights which increase or decrease in brightness as pedestrians or cyclists pass them
Over 98% of households are connected to a centralised heating system
Most of the city's electricity comes from wind energy
New buildings in Copenhagen have to meet strict energy efficiency regulations
The Copenhagen International School has a solar façade
More than 70% of hotels have some form of eco-certificate
The regional headquarters of the UN have solar panels, rainwater recycling and a seawater cooling system
Waste
The Circular Copenhagen plan (2019-2024) aims to reduce waste going to landfill and incineration
All residents have access to bins for a variety of types of waste so that it can be separated for recycling
There are five district recycling stations, which also include donation points for items which can be used again
Less than 2% of waste is sent to landfill
The city aims to recycle 70% of waste by 2024
The remaining waste is incinerated at plants such as Copen Hill
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