19196780 – Samson V.

Varghese
Cities and Sustainability. 13th March 2022

Urgency
The years of unsustainable development patterns have
broken our ecosystems resulting in extreme climatic
conditions. (IPCC, 2022) However, when viewed along with
the nine planetary boundaries, this appears not to be the
primary problem. There are other novel areas, as illustrated
in Figure I, where the sustainability threshold is already
breached, rather well beyond the point of return. (Persson
et al, 2022)

With urbanization on constant rise, over 60% of the world

population will be residing in cities by 2030 (United Nations, Figure 1 : The nine planetary boundaries
2018). Clearly, the cities are going to play a major role in (J. Lokrantz/Azote based on Steffen et al.
determining a sustainable future for the planet. 2015.)

How sustainable are our Cities?

A truly sustainable city is the one which meets the needs of its citizens, provides advanced
connectivity and economic prosperity, and ensures that they secure the needs of future citizens
as well. Considering this Arcadis have measured the city sustainability for 100 global cities.
(Arcadis, 2018) Further, building on this index they have identified four “City Clusters”. These
clusters are based on citizen experiences across eight “Citizen Centric City Archetypes,” as
shown in figure 2. (Arcadis, 2018)

Figure 2 : City Archetypes and clusters Detail (Arcadis, 2018)

Based on this report, the cities from Europe are the most sustainable cities. (Arcadis, 2018)
These well interconnected cities provide security and excellent quality of life through being
automated and data driven. (Arcadis, 2018) The top cities in this ranking are pre-dominantly old
traditional cities like London, Amsterdam, Copenhagen, Paris etc., whereas the major cities from
Asia and Africa are ranked in the last quartile. This is alarming, as due to their exponential
increase in urbanization (United Nations, 2018), the performance of sustainable practices in the
Asian and African cities will have a massive global impact. To accommodate the increasing
population and its needs, these cities have become unchecked sprawling machines causing
adverse impacts on individuals, communities, and biological ecosystems. (Verderber, 2012)

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What makes European cities more sustainable?

Gentle Density
The life of a city is in its vibrant streets and one of the pre-requisites to have a vibrant street, as
per Jane Jacobs, (2002) is to have a relatively high density. The density factor is imperative for
sustainability. A dispersed city is not the solution to the increasing population demands, but
rather a compact city has great benefits to the urban sustainability. The CABE’s report (2005)
identifies that high density housing, of about 3-4 stories, optimizing the density and minimizing
overcrowding, creates livelier neighborhood, enriches local economy, are energy efficient and
economically viable for public transport.

City Layout
Despite of a steady rise in the population, London, and Paris, both are ranked in the top quartile
of SCI ranking. (Arcadis, 2018) These densely populated cities have a traditional urban structure
with smaller irregular blocks. Unlike the modern cities which are connected by fast modes of
transportation, these cities were developed when walking was the best means of transport.
(Small, 2016) The walkability is clearly visible in the city grid of traditional cities in figure 3.

Figure 3: Street Patterns in Various Cities (https://transatlanticurbanism.tumblr.com/

post/12690217417/
Unlike the straightforward grids of the modern cities which are only good for fast vehicles, the
grids in the traditional cities are good for “green mobility.” (Matan and Newman, 2016) Cycling
is an everyday means of transport for the cities in Netherlands due to such grids, which is
embraced by citizens and supported by the law. (iTV4realfans, 2015) Such grids are good for the
development of compact cities, (OECD, 2012) as they help reduce carbon emission, lower
transport costs and increases productivity of individuals due to lesser travel time. (OECD, 2012)

Low car
Cars are highly inefficient way to get around compared to the public transports which can transit
far more people. Going car free would be 30 times more beneficial for health than switching to
electric cars. (Klien, 2018) To “Pedestrianize” its streets and to reduce the noise and pollution in
the city, Paris is making its city center no entry zones for non-essential vehicles by 2024 which
will take off around half of the traffic. (O’Sullivan, 2022) To attract people to go car free, Oslo
has added more space for pedestrians and cyclist on its road by removing on-street parking and
increased the capacity of its public transport and made it cheaper. (Klien, 2018) Such measures
lead to lesser CO2 emissions, lower transport costs and lower infrastructure investments.

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Green Spaces
Having more green spaces in a city block has direct positive results on the physical and mental
well-being of residents. (Kardan et al, 2015) More trees should be planted within the city blocks
as trees can lower the surface and air temperature. The green streets of Amsterdam are a
delight to eyes. In addition, this will add more healthy residents in the city’s workforce and will
help in reducing the healthcare expenses. In its efforts to be more sustainable, London plans to
be the first ‘National Park City’ by turning its roofs and pavement green. (Beale, 2019)

Conclusion
On closer observation, the European cities which rank among the top in SCI ranking, reflect the
humane and liberal aspects of the city design, as indicated in “Responsive Environment.” (Bentley
et al, 1985); and have “city spaces for people,” unlike the modernist cities, which are less about
people and more about buildings and the roads. (Annie et al, 2016) On the contrary, most of the
low ranked, sprawling cities from Asia and Africa, inspired by “Radiant city” designs, may be
grand, but among the grandeur of all of these, a “Brasilia Syndrome” can be noticed, where the
place looks grand from above but are totally lifeless at ground level. (Gehl, 2010)

If we want to slow down the hazards of unsustainable development, our cities will have to be the
hubs for “climate resilient development.” (IPCC, 2022) We need our Planet but not at the cost
of People or Profit. All three pillars of sustainability must be equally considered. To meet that
balance, our cities should be replicating the traditional city designs, which can be rightly
summarized in Peter Calthorpe’s words as “preserve, mix, walk, bike, connect, ride and focus.”
(TED, 2017). The city designs should be people centric and planned at eye levels not from up
above. (Gehl, 2010)

Word Count excluding in-text citations: 990 words

Reference List

Arcadis (2018) Citizen Centric Cities: The Sustainable Cities Index 2018. Available at:
https://www.arcadis.com/campaigns/citizencentriccities/images/{1d5ae7e2-a348-4b6e-b1d7-
6d94fa7d7567}sustainable_cities_index_2018_arcadis.pdf (Accessed: March 03, 2022)

Beale, C. (2019) ‘London is becoming the world’s first National Park City.’ Available at:
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Bentley, I. et al. (1985) Responsive environments: a manual for designers. Oxford: Architectural.

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itv4realfans, 2015, Chris Boardman compares cycling in Holland and Britain. Available at:
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Klein, A. (2018) ‘Banning cars in major cities would rapidly improve millions of lives,’ New
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TED, (2017) 7 principles for building better cities | Peter Calthorpe. Available at:
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