Eco City Design (DP IB Geography)

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