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Sustainable development(essay
The relevence of sustainable development to development
The concept of sustainable development
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Introduction Since the late 1980s, the notion of ‘sustainable development’ has transcended beyond the eminent United Nations report titled Our Common Future, to mainstream dialogue throughout the globe at all scales within government and public spheres. This form of development seeks to balance current environmental, social and economic needs of the population, “without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs” (World Commission on Environment and Development, 1987, 43). Used interchangeably with ‘sustainability’ (Seghezzo, 2009), the concept has been fastened to a plethora of themes, including that of cities where ‘urban sustainability’ speaks to negligent urban expansion and resource depletion. However, as the idea of urban sustainability has begun percolating into widespread discussions, so to have the obstacles and conflicts surrounding sustainable development. The following sections will examine these complexities, beginning with the ambiguity of sustainable development, followed by interpretations of urban sustainability, and finally, the political ecology of sustainable development in an urban environment. Sustainable Cities or Cities that Contribute to Sustainable Development Critique of the term ‘sustainable development’ has primarily surrounded its wide scope of interpretation, which is regarded as both a strength, in its ability to foster multi-stakeholder cooperation, and a weakness, in that anybody can claim they are contributing to sustainability goals (Dale, 2001; Robinson, 2009). Satterthwaite’s article entitled “Sustainable Cities or Cities that Contribute to Sustainable Development” (1997), alludes to the ambiguity of the term and explores the predicament rather than benefit th... ... middle of paper ... ...18(1), 67-85. Redclift, M. (2005). Sustainable Development (1987-2005): An Oxymoron Comes of Age. Sustainable Development, 13(4), 212-227. Robbins, P. (2004). What is Political Ecology? In Political Ecology (pp. 1-15).Malden: Blackwell Publishing. Robinson, P. (2009). Urban Sustainability in Canada: The Global-Local Connection. In C. Gore, & P. Stoett (Eds.), Environmental Challenges and Opportunities: Local-Global Perspectives on Canadian Issues (pp. 159-181). Toronto: Edmond Montgomery Publications. Seghezzo, L. (2009). The five dimensions of sustainability. Environmental Politics, 18(4), 539 - 556. Satterthwaite, D. (1997). Sustainable Cities or Cities that Contribute to Sustainable Development? Urban Studies, 34(1), 1667-1691. WCED. World Commission on Environment and Development. (1987). Our Common Future. New York: Oxford University Press.
Finally in 1991, the federal government initiated a ‘Better Cities Program’ which aimed to make Australian cities sustainable and more liveable. It encoura...
The fifth section compares and contrasts the two opposing visions of environmentalism: Livingstone 's “big-city modernism” and Prince Charles 's “agrarian utopianism” (p. 215). After evaluating the contrasting visions, Glaeser supports the urban dense living. The sixth section highlights the challenge of sustainable urban development in developing economies. He compares the carbon emissions per household between China, India and America. The growing car usage including the “Tata’s $2500 car” suggests rise in future traffic jams and carbon emissions (p. 220). The final section
Through past generations we have seen exemplifications of considerable innovation among city and municipal authorities in Canada regarding sustainable development. Due to Canada’s population density and the number of cities apart of it- I chose to study the sustainability of the city closest to my heart, my home, the City of Pickering. Sustainable development “is development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.”(Brundtland, 1987) The city of pickering is in the midst of a transformation from a suburban community to a sustainable city. “By 2031, the Region of Durham is expected to grow by 430,00 people and 160,000 jobs.” (Bodgan, 2007) It is estimated that Pickering
Who hasn’t seen the critical examples of overpopulation that are always depicted with large cities, tall buildings and many people? It is a common thought that cities are the cause of air pollution and are in no way thought of to be sustainable or as having a smaller footprint than those residing in rural zones. Yet, this chapter shows that the criticisms have no bearing when it comes to cities and rather, cities are better in terms of stronger economies, those who live in cities have smaller families, and the more the city is developed the lower the level of poverty (unlike rural areas which shows to have a higher level of poverty). The misconception that cities are actually overusing resources and contributing to environmental degradation is not the case. The chapter cites that this is not so, it is rather “industries and commercial and industrial enterprises (or corporations) and middle and upper income groups with high consumption lifestyles.” (56) These wealthier people who want to live more luxuriously, often live on acres of land with multiple cars, thus do not often reside in the city. The chapter continues to list the positive roles of cities, for example, “lower costs per household and per enterprise for the provision of piped, treated water supplies…collection and disposal of human wastes.” (56) Another positive is the efficient use from recycled waste, also a smaller demand for land relative to the population in cities. The fourth advantage is listed as more efficient heating techniques, and fifthly, a greater use of public transportation. The rich culture found in cities is also cited in the chapter. It concludes with the need for “good governance,” whereby the goals are met and cost is not past onto others, without it the cities are left to be sources of pollution, sickness, and waste
It is a melancholy object to those who travel through this great country to see isolated corners of this fair realm still devoted to protecting the environment. The wretched advocators of these ideals are frequently seen doling out petitions and begging at their neighbours’ doors to feed their obsession, which keeps them in the contemptible poverty that they so richly deserve.
(7) Adams, W. M. The Future of Sustainability: Re-thinking Environment and Development in the Twenty-first Century. Rep. The World Conservation Union, 22 May 2006. Web. 23 Oct. 2013.
Urban sustainability, as stated by the World Commision on Environment and Development in 1987 (University of Technology 2013) is the idea that development needs to be sustainable to meet the needs of the current environment but also must not compromise the ability of the future to meet their needs. The stakeholder mix creates a challenging situation that urban sustainability cannot overcome as there is such a large pool of differing values, opinions, morals and preferences that there is “no easy way for people to assign a priority to a way of tackling the issue at hand.” (Troy. P 2013) . This highlights the predicament that share economy businesses, an idea rehashed as a “collaborative consumption” (The Economist 2013) of goods and services, face in the urban setting. Share economy businesses are developed with the intention of tackling a wicked problem, however their success lies in the interaction and critique of a varied mix of opinions that stakeholders
When discussing the word sustainability, the first topic that comes to mind is the environment. We as humans have “received a particular view of what sustainability means,” believing that it is “essentially about eco-efficiency” (Foundation for International Education). Although the environment is an aspect of being sustainable, the word encompasses much more. Webster’s English Dictionary defines the word as “using a resource so that the resource is not depleted or permanently damaged.” Being sustainable can relate to every aspect of life, whether it be environmental, social, or economical. These three areas contribute to sustainability and the idea of holistic effectiveness. According to the FIE Sustainability Lecture, something is “holistic because it is not just concerned with ecology but also the economy and society, and it is effective rather than efficient because it is not just concerned with doing less harm but with making a positive impact.” In a large metropolitan city such as London, it is easy to analyze these three areas with their relation to sustainability. In every heavily populated city, traffic volume is a big issue; London being
“Sustainable development is development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generation to meet their own needs” (Sassi, 2006).
As previously implied, cities are currently the antithesis of even the barest sense of sustainability. To succinctly define the term “sustainability” would be to say that it represents living within one’s needs. When it comes to the city, with almost zero local sources of food or goods, one’s means is pushed and twisted to include resources originating far beyond the boundaries of the urban landscape. Those within cities paradoxically have both minimal and vast options when it comes to continuing their existence, yet this blurred reality is entirely reliant on the resources that a city can pull in with its constantly active economy.
It has taken 20 to 30 years, based on images taken in space of the Earth during the late 1960s, for people to realize that the environment ‘is like a bathtub of limited capacity’. Cities have been developing based on human culture whilst trying to be sustainable at the same time. Although it may be sustainable, the production process and the energy producing systems where they burn fossil fuels, contributes to the amount of carbon emissions that we produce each day. Green city is an expression for eco-city which is a city built off the principles of living within the means of the environment. It has been perceived as a concept rather than it circumstantially solving an ecological collapse like the ‘green Disneyland’ in Masdar City described
Cities all over the world are developing. As war ended in 1942, a significant number of people move to the city because they want to improve life. This urbanization process is causing a number of problems and should be met by sustainable development policies. In the beginning, it is important to know the definition of sustainable development. There are some definitions for sustainable development, but simply they say that sustainable development is a development which using resources now and preserving them for future generations (Adams, 1999, p.137). This concept has been agreed internationally at a Rio Conference in 1992 to be implemented by all government policies which mostly known as “Agenda 21” principles (Adams, 1999, p.141). This paper will show that traffic jams and housing problems caused by urbanization can be met by sustainable development policies. The structure of this paper will first explain the situation that leads to traffic jams and housing problems. Next, it will elaborate the sustainable development solutions, implications for the solutions, and evaluations how effective the sustainable development solutions solved the problems.
The notion of sustainable city has mounted a paramount place in the contemporary urban planning. In the world Conservation strategies in1980, the concept of sustainable development was firstly introduced.
We all know the urbanization rate is an index to value the development of a country. However, though urbanization provides great convenience to some individuals, it also brings about negative effects. Problems such as pollution, overcrowded and the high unemployment appear during the process of urbanization and they are hard to cope with. In face of the sequence of problems, a new way of development ----sustainable development was put forward. Just like its literal meaning, the word sustainability has something to do with continuity. It was used since 1980s and first appeared in Britain law in 1993. Sustainable development can help solve parts of the problem caused by urbanization, including environmental damage, overuse of resources, and natural disasters.
Oelofse. C. 2001. Sustainable Development: Theoretical and conceptual issues, LA 21 Training Programme. School of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Natal, Durban