Sustainability is the ability of a population to thrive socially and economically but without over using resources and damaging the environment for the future generations. This requires large amounts of planning and management of resources across the globe. Curtail in southern Brazil has the 5th biggest economy of cities in Brazil. The city acts as one of Brazier’s financial hubs. Nevertheless Curtail also has a strong manufacturing pedigree with the South American headquarters of Volvo trucks located here. As a consequence the city’s population swells to over 4 million during week days.
In order to cope with such large numbers of people the local government had to find a solution to the congestion throughout the city. After much consultation it was decided that the city would be pedestrians. Furthermore a deal was secured with the local Volvo factory to supply a new form of bi-articulated bus. These buses travel along designated routes carrying over 10000 passengers per day each. The Rapid Bus Network as it is known has been calculated to be 500 times cheaper than a subway system. Unlike a subway system the network can increase the number of buses in response to varying demand.
The Curtail ORB operates cost effectively, aging it extremely economically sustainable. London is also a financial hub. Unlike Curtail it has adopted an underground train system. The system is the oldest in the world, 150 years old. This has caused many issues that other transport systems would not experience. The old tunnels need constant repair and the operational costs of the old stations far exceed that of modern subway systems. Nevertheless authorities have enclosed strategies that have made the underground system economically and financially sustainable.
Over 80% of the operational costs are covered by ticket fares. With a new Ell billion improvement plan over the next 10 ears, the fugue is set to rise. One of the main issues faced by any urban environment is the disposal of waste. Curtail has adopted a unique method for dealing with such a problem. The bin men travel to the poorer suburbs. Here they exchange fruit and vegetables for waste materials that have been collected to be recycled. This not only gives incentives for people in the city to recycle, but it helps less waste on the streets go to landfill.
Thanks to such initiatives Curtail is able to recycle 75% of all of its waste, far more than almost any MEDIC urban environment. This has helped the city become highly environmentally sustainable. In the east of London new projects have been devised since 2000 to try and improve the environmental sustainability of the area. One of the main projects was the Greenwich Ecology Park and the 02 arena, one of the premier indoor arenas across the globe. Architects used the large surface area of the roofs to capture rain water and use it to flush the toilets in the facility.
In addition the Greenwich Ecology Park was opened. It consists of woodland and open parkland to allow people to walk and observe local ecosystems. Such parks are extremely environmentally sustainable as they act as co slinks as well as a place to support local wallet. Hanging Is a major Issue throughout the globe. Curtail experiences flooding on a regular basis due to its close proximity to the Amazon rainforest’s. As a result urban planners decided to build large reservoirs to hold flood waters and prevent flooding.
In its self this idea is extremely sustainable. However designers decided to integrate the reservoirs into a parkland with attraction events such as boating as well as waterfalls and fishing. The project has been a huge success and allows the city’s population to be no more than a short bus ride away from the park. This area will continue to perform its social and environmental function for years to come and will not drain resources. This makes the city parkland and reservoirs very sustainable. Fortunately London does not have the same risk of flooding as Curtail.
The main issue in London is the lack of housing. In Stratford in east London the Olympic site is under construction. The 2012 games are being marketed as the most sustainable ever and with good reason. For example the Olympic village which consists of 1 500 flats is not going to be destroyed after the games. Instead the flats will be renovated and sold to the public at affordable prices. This scheme will not only provide money to the Olympic fund but provide affordable housing to an area in the centre of London. Cities often act as centers for a wide range of Jobs.
The most successful and sustainable cities will demonstrate a Job market that is stable and has longevity. Curtail is home to the South American WHQL for Volvo trucks. This has provided over 1000 Jobs alone. Furthermore the city authorities worked in conjunction with Volvo in order to design a revolutionary bi- articulated bus. This has made Curtail a beacon for mass transport throughout the globe. Their approach by partnering Volvo has been so successful the system has been suggested a model for the redevelopment of Baghdad.
The 2012 Olympic Games act as a way in which London can be the most sustainable games ever. This claim must incorporate all aspects of the games including Jobs. As a result the London Olympic committee has pledged to provide 20% of all the Jobs on the Olympic park to Job seekers within the local area. Furthermore due to plans to maintain the Olympic site as a prime sporting venue after the games it is likely that many of these people will keep their Jobs. This provides social and economic sustainability to the area by ensuring that improvements are not temporary whilst maintaining their longevity.
Sustainability in urban areas is something that is extremely hard to achieve. It often comes as a compromise as 100% sustainability in urban environments is nearly impossible. However both London and Curtail have taken a systematic approach to solving complex urban problems. Both cities demonstrate economic, social and environmental sustainability to varying degrees. In response to this question I believe urban areas can be sustainable if the management of those urban areas considers sustainability equal to economic and social success.
