Urban Revolution: The Blueprint for Sustainable Living

What is sustainable design and why is it so important?

Sustainable design is an integrated, holistic approach to architecture that positively impacts all phases of a building's life cycle (U.S. General Services Administration, 2023). This has become a central focus of the construction industry as society becomes increasingly environmentally conscious. Governments have started to implement comprehensive strategies and policies to accelerate the adoption of greener practices and developments. This includes renewable energy, better waste management, eco-friendly materials, and decreased carbon-footprint - all in the hope of building a better future (Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government, 2021). 

As well as the strategic use of resources, sustainable development considers the space itself, maintaining biodiversity and reducing the impact to surrounding areas. But it’s not just about buildings. Transport, vertical farming, rooftop gardens and renewable energy integration have been adopted in cities around the world, with technology and innovation at the heart of the green urban movement. Smart grids contribute to efficient energy usage, whilst data driven decision making can aid in city planning and management. Many of them also house public spaces, serving the needs of diverse populations and encouraging community engagement. These measures make for a healthier, more sustainable way of living. Would you live in a city like this? Let’s take a look! Here are my top 5 sustainable cities:

1. Oslo, Norway

Tackling the city’s waste, energy and consumption issues, Oslo aims to reach its target of being the world’s first emissions-free major city by 2030. It houses several green spaces, and energy-efficient districts with geothermal wells and solar heating systems - all that with an amazing electric powered buses to take you round the city (Nikel, 2023).

2. Amsterdam, Netherlands

Famous for its canals, bike paths and commitment to sustainable transportation networks, the Dutch capital aims to be emission free by 2030. With several green spaces, eco-friendly restaurants, and sustainable fashion shops, Amsterdam is renowned for its forward-thinking commitment to sustainability. The city is also committed to sustainable urban agriculture, growing fresh quality produce in vertical farms (Iamsterdam, 2023).

3. Copenhagen, Denmark

Copenhagen has 239 miles of bike lanes, making it an extremely cyclist friendly city, as well as providing electric run public transport services. The Danes are famous for their clean energy and waste management, aiming to make everything be recycled or reused by 2050 in their ‘Denmark without waste’ scheme (Russel, 2023).

4. San Francisco, USA

San Francisco is regarded as the greenest city in the states. With their public transport systems, most residents choose to take the eco way around. Most building are fitted with solar panels, and single use plastic bags have been banned there since 2007 (Bonnici, 2022). 

5. Stockholm, Sweden

Stockholm has the world’s lowest level of Scope 1 greenhouse emissions per capita, meaning it has the purest air quality in Europe (Pellegrino, 2022). Car usage is minimal due to a wide range of public transport services, making it easy to get around the city for you to enjoy their vintage shops, local restaurants and eco-attractions (O’Reilly, 2022).

But of course, this is only a handful of cities that are going green. Aside from our MVPs, some honourable mentions include Vancouver (Canada), Helsinki (Finland), Reykjavik, (Iceland), Singapore, Berlin (Germany), Tokyo (Japan), London (UK), Seattle (Washington, USA) and Paris (France).

So, if you’re seeking inspiration for your year abroad, girls' trip, lads' holiday, or just a scenic escape, visit one of these and you won’t be disappointed!

The Future of Eco-design

Unfortunately, these green-city glow-ups don’t happen overnight; eco-developments require a lot of time and money, ranging from smaller installations to entire new infrastructures. The truth is that large scale sustainable design and innovation is only available to governments with deeper pockets, leaving behind those who lack the financial resources to support these developments. Saudi Arabia’s famous new megacity project, ‘The Line’, has been marketed as a future eco-paradise. However, the estimated development cost stands at 500 billion pounds… not exactly budget friendly, is it (Othman, 2022)? Whilst we should encourage sustainable developments on a global scale, we must empathise with the financial challenges faced by less well-developed countries, recognising that their capacity to invest may be constrained by immediate economic priorities and limited resources. Nonetheless, in a global collaborative effort, governments should invest in making their cities more sustainable, and maybe one day they’ll make it onto my top 5…

helena_richardson03@outlook.com

Bibliography

Bonnici, T. (2022). Learning from San Francisco’s single-use plastics ban. [online] Zero Waste Cities. Available at: https://zerowastecities.eu/learning-from-san-franciscos-single-use-plastics-ban/.

Iamsterdam (2023). Sustainability in Amsterdam. [online] I amsterdam. Available at: https://www.iamsterdam.com/en/conventions/key-sectors/sustainability.

Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government (2021). Rigorous new targets for green building revolution. [online] GOV.UK. Available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/rigorous-new-targets-for-green-building-revolution.

Nikel, D. (2023). Sustainable Cities: How Urban Scandinavia Is Going Green. [online] Forbes. Available at: https://www.forbes.com/sites/davidnikel/2023/10/01/sustainable-cities-how-urban-scandinavia-is-going-green/.

O’Reilly, E. (2022). The green guide to visiting Stockholm. [online] The Independent. Available at: https://www.independent.co.uk/travel/sustainable-travel/stockholm-green-guide-sustainable-travel-b2106097.html.

Othman, A. (2022). Financing MBS’s $500 Billion Desert Dream. Bloomberg.com. [online] 1 Aug. Available at: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/newsletters/2022-08-01/financing-mbs-s-neom-megaproject-opec-and-russia-dubai-s-crypto-trading-shops.

Pellegrino, S. (2022). Where are the most sustainable cities in the world? [online] City Monitor. Available at: https://citymonitor.ai/sustainability/most-sustainable-cities-world.

Russel, H. (2023). Visit the sustainable city of Copenhagen. The Telegraph. [online] 27 Sep. Available at: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/discovering-hygge-in-copenhagen/copenhagen-sustainable/.

U.S. General Services Administration (2023). Sustainable Design. [online] U.S. General Services Administration. Available at: https://www.gsa.gov/real-estate/design-and-construction/sustainability/sustainable-design.