Geography Reference
In-Depth Information
safety, or sustainability etc.—that demands greater attention at a particular point in
time. However in many cases the condition of most towns and cities today requires
attention from several of these themes in order to develop policies of very different
types to improve the quality of urban life, ecology and economy.
Although the themes are relatively distinct in terms of their content and policy
derivatives it can be argued that all relate to one of two wider categories, those
linked to the desire to create more liveable and sustainable urban places. These
terms now have a wide variety of connotations which often makes them difficult to
pin down. For example, in terms of
liveability
many of the designs and policies of
New Urbanism were developed as an antidote to the faceless, auto-based sprawl of
many cities and to make new subdivisions more walkable, attractive and commu-
nity-orientated. Festive Cities illustrate the varied origins and range of festivals that
can often provide historical connections, but in all cases add episodic excitement
to the life of urban residents and attract visitors to boost a town's economy. Slow
City ideas seek to reduce the pressures of contemporary life and provide more en-
joyable and human-based experiences, frequently based on autochthonous cultural
practices. Just City ideas may be a unique and much needed new approach as in-
equalities rise within society. But since they are based on the value of 'fairness' for
those living in cities—giving all residents greater equality in service provision, op-
portunities, and to participate and influence decision-making processes—they may
be considered as part of the attempt to make urban places more open to all. This will
improve the liveability of places for
all
residents, not just the wealthy or social elite.
In terms of
sustainability
the obvious negative environmental effects created by
cities are increasingly being addressed by more attempts to improve the natural
ecology of places through creating more green spaces and rehabilitating the natural
environment, by Green City ideas, although this also adds to their liveability. Simi-
larly, actions to reduce such features as fossil fuel consumption and their negative
externalities, waste, and excessive resource use, form the basis of Sustainable City
and Transition Town initiatives. In a physical context the specific problems posed
by life in settlements in cold climates are discussed in Winter Cities. Resilient Cities
relate to the ability of settlements, and people within them, to mitigate the threats
posed by extreme, episodic and often unpredictable natural processes, thereby en-
suring their continued existence and ability to recover from devastations. In eco-
nomic terms a different type of sustainability is involved. Many cities search for in-
novative ways of ensuring their economic prosperity, given the new challenges that
have come from the loss of their older locational advantages for particular industrial
processes, and the effect of new spatial imperatives based on the new economy and
swifter transport links and electronic communication devices. It has led some to
search for ways for keeping and attracting one class, namely more creative workers
(Creative Cities); others have targeted a wider approach through focusing on new
knowledge opportunities as a basis for future growth, especially as manufacturing
has moved to low cost locations away from the developed world (Knowledge Cit-
ies). Sustainability can also be seen in a social sense through the Safe City policies
that are designed to ensure that people in towns and cities are as free from crime as
possible, which in the developed world has helped to counteract the rise in crime
