Ch1 An Introduction to Sustainability Concepts and Principles

the definition of "sustainability" also addresses the need to provide for the future by meeting our needs_

"without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs"

what is the use of the data recollected from indicator programs and from what source are collected?

-Data for most indicator programs are collected from annual government reports and public public surveys -Seeks information on individuals' level of satisfaction with city services, public access, and other subjective factors such as feelings of safety, livability, sense of community, and happiness levels

what are the 3 domains of sustainability?

-Economic development -Equity or social capital - Environment

what are the three pillars of sustainability?

-Environmental -Social -Economic

what did the 1980 Groundwater Code?

-Established management goals for five designated urban areas with the heaviest reliance on mined groundwater

what supply for agriculture is decreasing due to exceed available limit? what this demonstrates?

-Freshwater supplies for agriculture -It demonstrates the decline in ecosystem services for this vital resource

what are the three levels that the ecological footprint can be used?

-Individual -city -national

How the Ecological Footprint is measured? (include the type of land taken into account in this equation)

-It is measured by equating the land area needed to sustain the resource consumption of a particular population (person, city, country, and university) -The amount of land in this equation is the biologically active land area required to produce the resources consumed (water, fuel, crops, and land needed for waste assimilation)

from where 2 things the idea of sustainable development comes out? (include the goal and what was developed)

-The idea of sustainable development comes out of two earlier international UN conferences -The first was the 1972, UN Conference on the Human environment, also known as the Stockholm Conference. It focused on the need for a common outlook on the environment and human conditions. -While developed countries' concerns focused on environmental quality and diminishing natural capital, developing countries' concerns were primarily about poverty, water shortages, land degradation, living conditions, and pollution -The goal was to reach a compromise among the nations about the needs of the "human environment" -The notion of meeting present needs and assuring future needs was developed, thus establishing the sustainability framework

In 2007, what was the total global ecological footprint worldwide and the average person's footprint in global hectares? How it decreased later?

-The total global ecological footprint worldwide was 18.0 billion global hectares and the average person's Footprint was 2.7 global hectares -It decreased to 1.8 global hectares per person

As a task incumbent upon urban sustainability today, what is biophilia?

-To reintroduce indigenous nature back into cities through the inclusion of wildlife corridors, reintroduction and restoration of indigenous vegetative species, enhancements of biodiversity and protection of fragile urban ecosystems, reestablishment of natural infrastructure systems, preservation of natural areas within cities, and restoration of region green networks

why the first eco-city vision was developed and by whom?

-by Ebenezer Howard -it was formulated in reaction to the severe congestion, pollution, overcrowding, and deteriorating health problems of an industrializing London, England

This chapter first argues that it is at the_level that sustainability solutions have to be found and that the international conferences host by _ over the past 20 years have moved stridently and quickly toward _

-city -United Nations (UN) -sustainability actions for cities

what the two key aspects of sustainable community development entail?

-consuming and producing locally -making decisions using "life cycle accounting"

The environmental costs for producing the basic materials are calculated on the basis of_ (2)

-fuel consumed -utilization of natural materials and ores, water, and other factors

The_and_pathways are important concepts in urban sustainability

-global-to-local -local-to-global

what does prevents the demand of water from the groundwater aquifers in the United States to start exceeding the carrying capacity level and leading to overshoot? How this is called?

-groundwater aquifers can be replenished through efficient rainwater catchment and wastewater recharge into the aquifer, where natural system will help restore the groundwater -This is referred to as ecosystem services

Sustainability requires an examination of_to establish a framework that will _

-human values and behavior and the longterm adverse impacts to ecosystems and diminishing natural capital -eliminate ecological deficit while building communities that are safe, just, healthy and inspired by nature

what two considerations are within sustainable community development?

-implies consideration of supporting the local economy while simultaneously protecting and restoring local ecological services

To have the ability to meet future needs implies a need for_, and thus society cannot permit the_. This idea is rooted in the limited and dated concept of_

-integenerational equity -continuous increases in ecological deficits in natural capital through consumption -"sustainable yield"

what the concept of "social justice" encompasses and give example (4)?

-it encompasses the principle of the equal distribution of the resources in a city -cities are exploring methods to increase public accessibility to mass transit, develop affordable housing, expand access to jobs especially as employment centers relocate away from central cities, and promote broad access to open spaces and parks

Sustainability implies an integrated balance between_

-managing resources or economy, achieving social equity, and protecting the environment

the change in city size has resulted in the creation of_; these_that have population over _(#)persons

-megacities -metropolitan -10 million

the ecological footprint is an important_, now extensively used to_

-metric -demonstrate the comparison between consumer demand on natural resources and the carrying capacity of these resources

Sustainability indicators are _and necessarily recognize the connections among_

-multidimensional -the 3 domains of social equity, economy, and environment

what are some of the problems (11) of this unprecedented rate of growth in our history?

-poverty -grim health conditions and problems in health conditions -high air pollution levels -expanding slums that have by now become permanent features on the landscape -lack of infrastructures -severe water scarcity -food security: migration to cities impacts food production, water scarcity, soil erosion, and land degradation -supply crises -social disorganization -political conflicts -natural disasters

what "the idea of development that meets the needs of the present" considers? (6)

-poverty -homelessness -ecosystem degradation -disappearing species -reduction of our natural capital -social equity

what programs were created to address the problem of limited groundwater resources in Arizona and promote long-term water supply planning? explain them (both on the demand and supply side)

-regulations were based on demonstration of a 100-year water supply that was developed on the basis of current and committed demand, as well as growth projections -On the supply side,municipalities can purchase land outside of their jurisdictions in order to own the rights to use groundwater under the land -On the demand side, municipalities can enforce conservation policies and promulgate price structures for withdrawing water

Consuming and producing goods locally will also help develop sustainable neighborhoods by establishing _ (2)

-self-sufficiency and capital accumulations

cities are beginning to think about sustainability in terms of its_as well as a means of _

-social dimensions -protecting environmental resources

what are the social dimensions of sustainability? (3 key aspects of sustainability)

-social justice -sustainability indicators -public participation

While_ can help in increasing our capacity for production as illustrated by the _, or as nation we can _

-technology -Green Revolution -find other sources of nonrenewable oil, the limits to continuous, unmanaged growth based on natural capital is being reached

what does sustainable community development also requires?

-transformational governance to make informed decisions about complex ideas under a level of uncertainty - as well as new approaches to governance through the use of adaptation strategies, advance scenario planning, and anticipatory governance

_is requisite in decision-making that necessitates the _'s participation in the political processes and is inherent in developing and implementing policies to achieve _

-transparency -public's -urban sustainability

In terms of sustainability, much of the discussion and recent development of environmental degradation have centered on the problems and their sustainable solutions at the_level. why and how?

-urban -because it is now recognized that the impacts of global climate change, while occurring at regional levels, will be observable especially at urban levels -It is at the local level that we see the development of "adaptation" policies to prepare cities for threatening future events. Moreover, recent reports have examined how cities have begun to initiate climate action plans (like help reduce carbon dioxide emissions and increase water efficacy).

what are the two causes of growth of these cities?

1. It is due to the significant increase in the global population from 1960 to the present global population, mostly in developing and industrializing countries 2. It is caused by the migration from rural areas to cities, which we expect to continue in developing countries for the foreseeable future

what are 7 steps that can be taken to reduce the global Ecological Footprint?

1. Preserving our natural capital and using technological substitutes; 2. Incentivizing or lessening of the rate of consumption, though legislation or otherwise; 3. Investing in expanding the natural capital through programs such as land banking for future groundwater supplies; 4. Restoring and regenerating natural capital; 5. Utilizing renewable energy sources; 6. Practicing sustainable yield principles; and 7. Applying economic tools and values to ecosystem services

what are the three types of indicators existent and what they do?

1. economic indicators that examine such things as employment levels, poverty rates, and home ownership rates 2. Social indicators that measure such things as high school graduation rates, crime rates, physician availability per capita, political efficacy, and level and quality of public services 3. environmental indicators, that typically address air quality, water pollution, safety drinking water, and the number of contaminated sites

what are the 3 E's of sustainability?

1. equity 2. environment 3. economy

The plan (as conceived by Howard) contained many of the elements identified for a green city today:_(5)

1. small human scale 2. open space in gardens and urban agriculture 3.employment based on local production 4. livable communities 5. public transportation

sustainability consists of _

3 overlapping spheres or domains known as the 3 E's

what did UN released in 1992?

Agenda 21

why cities must be the focus of sustainability related with greenhouse gas? (3)

Because over 50% of the world's population now lives in cities, it is expected that 75% of the world's energy is consumed in urban areas and cities are responsible for up to 80% of the GHG emissions

what the citizen participatory processes include in terms of sustainability?

Citizen participatory processes including visioning sessions with community members are fundamental in evaluating the future direction of a community in terms of sustainability and in identifying strategies to achieve sustainability goals

Describe Howard's "garden city"

Consisted of roughly 30,00 people living on 1000 acres surrounded by greenbelts

why sustainable solutions and actions are urgent?

Due to the changing nature of cities that sustainable solutions and action are urgent given that urban problems are compelling, large scale, and likely to worsen over time

why it is now more important than ever to incorporate sustainable planning for urban development?

Due to the increase in population that would be absorbed by the urban areas and the rural migration, it is important to incorporate sustainable planning for urban development as a modality to addressing the inadequate infrastructure and negative environmental impacts that are pervasive in urban areas

Social equity is encapsulated within the framework of the_Movement

Environmental Justice Movement

what city is used as an example of en eco-city in this chapter?

Freiburg, Germany

How the intergenerational equity applies to today's ongoing global deficit in terms of the role of the current urban sustainability?

Given that there already is an ongoing global deficit, the role of current urban sustainability is to find approaches to stabilize these socio-ecological systems for further degradation and then to restore or regenerate the loss in "biologically active lands"

what is the argument of the update of the well-known study "Limits to Growth" in base on the presented global computer model showing continuous and projected exponential population growth, along with diminishing availability of nonrenewable fuels, food production, and bio-productive land as well as increased air and water pollution?

Its argument is that at the global level, we are exceeding the earth's capacity in natural resources because of huge and unabated consumer demand

what does sustainability indicators investigate in contrast with the conventional goals of cities?

Sustainability indicators are exemplified by how well cities are performing in terms of such issues as public transit mileage and usage, amount of recycled materials, availability of public open space, number of LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certified buildings, city fleet vehicles using reduced-emission fuels, amount of renewable energy used, and number of green jobs, among other factors

what is the most widely accepted definition of "sustainability" from the Brundtland Commission? *on quiz*

Sustainable development is development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs

what were the two megacities in the world in 1970?

Tokyo New York

what is meant by "food deserts"?

areas without supermarkets or grocery stores mostly in low-income, minority neighborhoods where residents frequently do not have access to cars

how the environmental and social problems in cities were viewed by early 20th century transcendental writes like Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry David Thoreau?

as an anti-nature and devoid of spiritualism

what is a primary goal of sustainability that deals with ecological footprint and how performs it?

avoid ecological deficits by either expanding the carrying capacity level to assure future assets and capital or by reducing consumer demand

Besides the fact that cities themselves are changing very rapidly and impacting global environmental conditions, what is another reason cities need attention and sustainable development?

because urban conditions are generally worsening

what does life cycle analysis or accounting does? Include what this system does not include

calculates the environmental cost of each phase of the product cycle, from attaining the materials (mining, lumbering), to transporting the materials for processing, to manufacturing, through packaging, to retail markets, and ultimately to a landfill or to be used as a recycled material -the expenditures are less if the life cycle costs are measured between "cradle to cradle" (because the cost of disposal of waste is eliminated) rather than "cradle to grave" because it assumes there is not a recycling component

the global production of which crop must be increased due to high demands and high population growth?

cereal production

much of the focus on the problems themselves and their solutions have been in the context of _

cities

what is happening within cities to fix give solutions to climate change at global level?

climate action planning is prevalently taking hold and that "adaptation" strategies are being developed and implemented

Many of the sustainability indicator programs are products of collaborative decision-making at_levels

community

our global_has been increasing to the point where it now surpasses its carrying capacity

ecological footprint

what are the approaches that our book takes to fix this problem (3)

how to remake cities, build new ones, and apply sustainability concepts

what did the agenda 21 report stated?

indicators of sustainable development need to be developed to provide solid bases for decision-making to all levels and to contribute to a self-regulating sustainability of integrated environment and development systems

what is ecological footprint?

is the amount of bioproductive land that is equivalent to the total consumption of people for food, fuel, clothing, and consumer products plus land utilized for waste and assimilation of pollution

what the idea of this book "resiliency thinking" consists of?

is to at least consider environmental issue within a framework of a socio-ecological or human-ecological coupled system

what did Environmental Justice Movement focuses on?

it focuses on the disproportional risk suffered by minority and low-income populations resulting from environmental risks and hazards

what is an application of the ecological footprint concept?

it is compelling as a crude indicator, as it informs us of the current level of our "ecological debt" that needs to be restored or regenerated in order to return to our one earth biocapacity

define "overshoot"

it is known as consuming more than our carrying capacity

what is the result of importing food only to supermarkets outside the inner cities?

it leaves food desserts

what sustainable yield suggests?

it suggest that the consumption of forests, fisheries, and land must have limits in order to continue the generation of the yield without diminishing returns

Sustainability requires that decisions about consumption of products, whether it is the decision regarding which furniture to purchase, or whether to take public transportation or a car to work, requires_

life cycle assessments

The Ecological Footprint in plain language _(what it does?)

measures the demands of a given population on nature

what can be used as the ultimate example of urbanization, and thus may provide valuable insight for urban geographers and planners who try to understand the impact and implications of urbanization processes and to help contribute to finding urban sustainability solutions?

megacities

what particular part of Burndtland Commission's definition of sustainability has been part of significant debate?

particularly about meeting the needs of the present and meeting the needs of future generations

Environmental costs are the direct and indirect costs of _

producing a product

what quality of life indicators provide?

provide data to determine whether the municipal efforts are meeting their stated goals

what is the benefit of ecosystem services?

provide important benefits to the human-ecological system

when combined, many of these indicator programs are referred to as_

quality of life indicators

The_dimension is integral in developing sustainable solutions

socio-political

what is the sustainability indicator programs that have been implemented by many cities during the last 15 years? (include how they vary)

sustainability indicator programs measure how well the community is doing along different dimensions, which vary among cities because they reflect the specific characteristics of the community and concerns of the local residents

what tries to fix the problems of inner cities along with food deserts and how?

sustainable community development aims to find solutions for these problems through the community planning (like by providing light rails and neighborhood revitalizing through gov. grants)

what was created in Arizona to manage the state's finite groundwater resources aggressively in order to support the growing economy?

the 1980 Groundwater Code

how the socio-political dimension applies to the "agenda 21" report

the agenda 21 report promoted actions and policies for advancing sustainability through recommendations for participatory forms of governance

what is the interesting phenomenon taking place as the world's population is shifted and urbanizing very rapidly? (developed vs developing cities)

the developed, industrial countries have essentially stabilized the percentage of people living in their cities, while cities in developing countries, many of which are impoverished, are continuing to grow in population numbers and in geographical size

what is the central issue in sustainable development regarding ecological footprint?

the ecological footprint has been expanding over the last few decades as an aggregate measure due to population growth and on a per capita consumption basis

what is the problem of having imported from outside local areas the food and other consumption products?

the number of smaller neighborhood business are diminishing and being replaced by larger national outlets, thus altering the character and sense of place of cities and leading to the decline of many areas as the local economy loses its resiliency and even viability

This book argues that global problems, for which sustainable development is imperative, have as their bases_

the serious environmental and social conditions that must be resolved at the urban level

explain what the ecological footprint says about cities

the total consumption needs of a city (in terms of fuel, foodstuffs, ores, water, clothes, and waste disposal) far exceed the land area of the city itself

why sustainable solutions for the poorest cities in the world require immediate and global attention?

there is looming failure to support their exploding populations because the bare necessities in food production and potable water are declining at dramatic rates

what part of social justice has not applied to minority populations?

there is strong evidence that minority populations in some cities have to travel farther to enjoy open spaces and that there is less park space per capita in minority neighborhoods

what other problems do have inner cities? (food deserts) (4)

these communities often have low employment levels, a lack of medical clinics, few parks, and pollution from nearby highway traffic

how cities contribute negatively, as singular entities, to the global level?

they contribute substantially and exceedingly to the declining condition of global natural assets and ecosystems

what global level concern have been one of the major debates of the last two decades?

to lower the amount of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in the atmosphere in order to abate catastrophic climate change

what is done, when calculating the ecological footprint, once the global land equivalency is calculated? (2)

we can estimate the biologically active land that exists as ecosystem services and compare population demand to the global biological capacity of the earth's ecosystems

while these issues deal with intragenerational equity, how the Brundtland definition is concerned with the intergenerational equity?

we have a stewardship (administration) responsibility to assure future generations that we will not leave the world any "deficit" in terms of overshooting the carrying capacity of the earth's ecosystems

As a textbook on sustainable cities, the overreaching question concerns:_

what do, and what should, sustainable cities look like?

explain a global-to-local and local-to-global pathway and the two responses of the cities

while climate change may already be impacting cities through greater frequency of flooding and long-term drought conditions, it is the extensive use of fossil fuels for automobiles and heating and cooling of a multitude of buildings that result in the most significant emissions of carbon dioxide that ultimately affects the global climate -Therefore, policies and plans related to reducing carbon dioxide emissions through the use of alternative renewable energy technologies, such as solar power and wind power, and other sources -Second, there are "adaptations" strategies that are targeted at the reducing the level of vulnerability to threats from natural hazards due to climate change impacts