Sustainable Cities

If our cities in the future are to be pleasant and safe place to live we need to solve problems like … Traffic Pollution Use of derelict land Crime Housing designed with sustainability in mind Sense of community Environmental factors

These are all major issues, but let us start to look at ways we can solve some of them Saving water Saving energy Insulated houses Cutting traffic Recycling material Attracting wildlife Building a community Using technology In order to design or improve an area sustainably we need to think about..

One area that is being redeveloped with sustainability in mind is the Greenwich peninsula in London Area in 1985 Plan of what finished area will look like

So how is this development sustainable? Saving Water Rain falling on O2 roof is collected and used to flush toilets and water plants as is waste water from the village. Saving Energy Supermarkets make use of their own wind and solar power. They have glass roofs to reduce the need for electric light during the day. They have high banks of earth around the sides to increase insulation and reduce heating costs. Houses are well insulated and fitted with energy saving appliances. Use south facing windows to increase natural light and heat

Cutting traffic Have a good bus service and tube station to give access into the city. Network of safe and pleasant cycle routes. Have not included may parking spaces so use of a car is discourage. Encourage the use of internet shopping – again reducing the need for a car. Recycling All the building materials can be recycled or used again in the future. Have organised recycling collections Attracting Wildlife They have planted over trees and made large areas of parkland with lakes and ponds. Building a community Offer a wide variety of housing to attract people of different ages. Have shared lawns and gardens with neighbours so they get to know each other Technology All houses have computers, burglar and fire alarms linked into local services

St Mary's Island, Chatham Another example or the redevelopment of a brownfield site that has been done with sustainability in mind is this development on the site of an old navy base on the river Medway in Kent. For details of this development use the link below..

Sustainable transport Fastrack Dartford and Gravesham form an area called Kent Thameside. This has huge development potential, which will bring up 50,000 new jobs and 30,000 new homes over the next 20 to 30 years. But this amount of development cannot happen if everyone uses a car for local journeys. So a real alternative is needed, which is why a high quality, attractive public transport system is essential as part of the redevelopment of the area. Fastrack is the new part of the public transport system in Kent Thameside that will make a real difference. Use the link above to discover more.