Sustainable Urban Living

• Sustainable city

  A city built with facilities to minimise the impact on the environment whilst providing infrastructure needed for its residents
• Water conservation

  Rainwater harvesting systems (RHS) - harvest rainfall that has fallen freely from the sky typically onto the roof
• Forms of energy conservation

  • Solar panels
• Solar panels

  A source of energy and is renewable
• Types of waste conservation

  • Recycling
• Green space

  Space that is left undeveloped to promote environmental health and improve the quality of life
• A city can be sustainable by conserving energy
• Ways to manage traffic congestion

  1. Congestion charge
  2. Cycle lanes
  3. Bike shelters
  4. Smart motorways
  5. Park and ride
  6. Toll roads
  7. Public Transport
  8. 2+ Driving lanes
  9. Car sharing schemes
• Water conservation: Rainwater harvesting system

  • Harvests rainwater that falls freely from the sky typically on the roof of your home
  • Stores up to 6500 litres of water
  • Gray water comes from bathtubs, shower drains

  An example is the California Orange county water district:

  Takes used / sewage water and returns back to the drinking supply and produces about 70-100 million gallons of water

  Produce water for 850,000
• Energy Conservation

  • Solar panels and wind turbines are a source of renewable energy
  • > cuts down carbon emissions + other pollution
  • Laying loft insulation: reduces amount of heat escaping
• Waste recycling:

  • Recycles waste instead of putting in landfill
  • Different coloured bins

  Example in sweden:

  • 50% of waste is used as energy to power homes
  • There is a 10-25p deposit to encourage people to return it
• Green Spaces:

  • Trees and Shrubs remove dust + other pollutants from the air
  • A green roof: Parts of a roof covered in vegetation - reduces temp. In cities
  • Summer - reduce house temp.
  • Winter - allows sun to warm trees thus housing