Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
wind-turbine industry is a multibillion euro industry, with more than 350 companies
producing turbine towers and blades, gear-boxes, generators and control systems
(City of Copenhagen, 2012). Most importantly, the city's people have orientated
themselves to sustainable change and their democratic values have given the city a
reputation for being socially inclusive. In recent years there has been a shift from
managerialism to entrepreneurialism that, in addition to public and private partner-
ships, has also seen the re-emergence of a democratic and communicative planning
discourse on public participation in the planning processes. However, participation
is not always particularly high, invariably due to lack of time and interest on the
part of citizens as well as official attempts to diffuse antagonism, the stuff of democratic
debate, through seeking permanent consensus and rational solutions (Ploger, 2004).
Nevertheless, the global design and lifestyle magazine
Monocle
named Copenhagen
as the 'Most Livable City' and 'Best Quality of Life for 2013' in its global quality
of life survey.
Urban development in China is proceeding at an unprecedented rate. There are
more than 170 cities in China with more than one million people, and in recent
years construction firms have built more than two billion square metres of apartments,
offices and skyscrapers. New infrastructure development consumes a considerable
amount of steel, aluminum, cement and energy. However, as David Biello (2012)
writes,
The Chinese government and various organizations are beginning to come to
grips with the challenge, however. The central government has eliminated real
estate as a priority industry in the latest Five Year Plan in a bid to restrain this
unsustainable growth. It has also begun to consider mandated efficiency measures
for new construction. China's central government hopes ultimately to build an
“ecological civilization” via a “circular economy” of recycling and sustainability.
Tianjin Eco-City, scheduled to be completed by 2018, exemplifies many of the
proposed attributes: minimal waste, wise water use, and power generated mainly
from renewable sources such as the sun, wind, and geothermal wells.
Case study: Curitiba (Brazil)
Curitiba is the seventh largest city in Brazil with a population of 1.8 million people
and with a global reputation for being one of the most successful eco-cities in the
world thanks to the efforts of former mayor Jaime Lerner and his colleagues. Over
a forty-year period dating back to the early 1970s when Brazil was ruled by a
military dictatorship, Lerner and a relatively small group of planners, architects and
business people have transformed the city. Using essentially technocratic and somewhat
autocratic methods that have ignored the democratic participation processes that
occur in Europe and North America, Curitiba has become an award-winning icon
of urban sustainability and Lerner himself a much sought after lecturer on the global
conference circuit. Advocates of 'natural capitalism' such as Bill McKibben (1995),
Paul Hawken
et al
. (1999) and the ICLEI (2002) have been ardent admirers of the
entrepreneurialism and sustainability achievements of the city technocrats. In getting
the job done, Lerner and his colleagues have, according to observers (Moore, 2007;
Macedo, 2004, 2013), implemented five innovative strategies:
