It has taken 20 to 30 years, based on images taken in space of the Earth during the late 1960s, for people to realize that the environment ‘is like a bathtub of limited capacity’. Cities have been developing based on human culture whilst trying to be sustainable at the same time. Although it may be sustainable, the production process and the energy producing systems where they burn fossil fuels, contributes to the amount of carbon emissions that we produce each day. Green city is an expression for eco-city which is a city built off the principles of living within the means of the environment. It has been perceived as a concept rather than it circumstantially solving an ecological collapse like the ‘green Disneyland’ in Masdar City described …show more content…
Constructing ‘green cities’ using the appropriate off-the-grid techniques would be a solution between human-environmental interactions. Off-the-grid methods uses little or without reliance on services but instead, uses schemes and technologies of alternative energy systems that uses renewable energy such as solar panels and wind turbines. Off-the-grid constructions tend to be costly mainly due to its upfront cost, nevertheless, in most cases, it would be cost-effective in spite of the minor maintenance cost and would also be a solution to some of the ecological concerns. Through understanding the environment, architects could ideally use the concept of eco-cities to minimise the carbon emissions and also consider self-sufficiency to resolve the issues between the production and the zero-emissions requirement.
Understanding the environment would help you recognise the appropriate energy production system to use. Renewable energy is an alternative natural source to fossil fuels like sunlight, wind and geothermal heat. Wind turbines and photovoltaic panels are examples of energy production systems where the conditions of a particular environment has to be taken into account. If a building is located alongside or near
(Hf) is considered as the convective heat exchange between the foliage and the nearby air which is sensible heat flux, and (Lf) is considered as the heat exchange due to evaporation at the foliage level. The energy balance equation at the soil level is presented in equation 3:
Alternative energy sources are renewable, and is most commonly referred to as free energy sources. There are many alternative energy sources such as hydro power, solar power, wind, biomass, and geothermal. Using alternative sources is more expensive in the long run, but it is the much safer option for our environment compared to fossil fuels. Although everything used is completely free, such as water and wind, the equipment used to generate these things are expensive. There are several pros and cons that come with the utilization of alternative energy sources.
In developed and developing countries, sustainable energy source is the most important subject. There are many different methods of energy production and consumption. Using the cheap, abundant and clean energy sources for generating the electricity is the basic idea of production. Electrical energy is generated from different kinds of power plants. These plants can be put into three groups; hydroelectric power plants, thermal power plants and nuclear power plants. Hydroelectric power plants are used the potential energy of water. Thermal power plants are used the non-renewable energy sources such as oil, coal and natural gas and the nuclear power plants are used the radioactive elements for generating electricity.
When energy was cheap and easy to come by, cities were developed with little regard for energy consumption, in terms of travel patterns, use of renewable resources and energy efficient building materials and methods. As the a...
In the world of the twenty-first century, the result of our intention to use natural resources which is non-renewable had spew more unwanted substances and energy into the environment than the earth is capable of digesting, and this had thrown the entire global ecosystem out of balance. Even worse when architecture now have been considered due to their tremendous impact on the environment both during construction and through their operation. Moreover, most of the green architecture we seen today do not actually touch the sensitivity of community history, culture and identity, and therefore it is not well adapt to the community.
Energy is the ability to do work. It surrounds us in all aspect of life. However, the ability to harness it and use it, as economically as possible, is the challenge before mankind. Alternative energy refers to energy sources, which are not based on the burning of fossil fuels or the splitting of atoms. The renewed interest in this field of study comes from the undesirable effects of pollution both from burning fossil fuels and nuclear waste by products. Fortunately, there are many means of harnessing energy that have less damaging impacts on the environment. One example wind power. Wind energy is a clean and renewable source of electric power and is also the world's fastest growing energy source.
Again, this section will give a working definition of the “urban question’. To fully compare the political economy and ecological perspectives a description of the “urban question” allows the reader to better understand the divergent schools of thought. For Social Science scholars, from a variety of disciplines, the “urban question” asks how space and the urban or city are related (The City Reader, 2009). The perspective that guides the ecological and the social spatial-dialect schools of thought asks the “urban question” in separate distinct terminology. Respected scholars from the ecological mode of thinking, like Burgess, Wirth and others view society and space from the rationale that geographical scope determines society (The City Reader, 2009). The “urban question” that results from the ecological paradigm sees the relationship between the city (space) as influencing the behaviors of individuals or society in the city. On the other hand...
Green growth is growth that is environmentally sustainable. It is efficient in its use of natural resources, clean in that it minimizes pollution and environmental impacts, and resilient in that it accounts for natural hazards and the role of environmental management in preventing physical hazards and excessive commodity price volatility. Green growth is a tool to achieve sustainable development, not a competing paradig...
A green building (also referred to as sustainable building or green construction) is a structure that employs an approach that is responsible for the environment besides being efficient in regard to resources all through its life cycle: This is from selecting the site to designing it, constructing, operating, maintaining, renovating and demolishing it. To achieve this, the client, the engineers, the architects and the entire design team closely cooperate at all stages of a project (Yan and Paliniotis, 2006). Practicing Green Building complements and expands the conventional building design areas of comfort, durability, utility and economy.
Since the late 1980s, the notion of ‘sustainable development’ has transcended beyond the eminent United Nations report titled Our Common Future, to mainstream dialogue throughout the globe at all scales within government and public spheres. This form of development seeks to balance current environmental, social and economic needs of the population, “without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs” (World Commission on Environment and Development, 1987, 43). Used interchangeably with ‘sustainability’ (Seghezzo, 2009), the concept has been fastened to a plethora of themes, including that of cities where ‘urban sustainability’ speaks to negligent urban expansion and resource depletion. However, as the idea of urban sustainability has begun percolating into widespread discussions, so to have the obstacles and conflicts surrounding sustainable development. The following sections will examine these complexities, beginning with the ambiguity of sustainable development, followed by interpretations of urban sustainability, and finally, the political ecology of sustainable development in an urban environment.
Well-recognized cities worldwide have built over the years great buildings with a variety of designs and concepts however consequently too much building has been making grievous decrease on energy efficiency. Now, “Green Architecture” has been popularized and as a result a modicum of energy efficiency has increased and also it has substantiated a new perspective, a new versatile way on architecture.
I consider it’s not very appropriate to say “sustainable X” because these “X”s are only sub-systems which exchange energy and materials within a larger overall system. Only a single small system reaching the “equivalence of sustainability” (if this ever exists) doesn’t mean the whole system is sustainable. That is to say, the hierarchy and complexity of systematical thinking must be taken into consideration of the definition of “sustainable city”. We should evaluate the city-system in its ecosystem and context. Sustainable is used to describe the overall complex system in which there are sub-systems exchanging energy and
Another alternative energy source is solar energy. This is predicted to be the most promising source of energy for the future, but there are still a few things that need improving to make it work in the most efficient way. Solar energy is produced when photovoltaic cells in solar panels absorb sunlight and convert it to energy. The energy from the cells is converted to electricity in an inverter and can be used or stored for later use. Solar energy is both renewable and sustainable. It is also a clean and quiet way to produce energy. Solar energy is good for remote or rural areas where it may be difficult to get power lines. Although solar panels are expensive to install they are low maintenance after installation. However, there is a need for a large, open area for the solar panels. Solar panels can only absorb energy during the day and even though the energy can be stored for use at night, it can be expensive to store energy. Solar panels are also less effective in bad weather when there is less sunlight to be
We know that our planet is under unprecedented stress at the moment and that the patterns of production and consumption that we have been using are no longer sustainable. The green economy presents an alternative vision for growth and development, in which economic growth and improvements in people’s lives are generated in ways consistent with sustainable development. In fact it is seen to be at the heart of renewed efforts to contribute to, or progress the broader agenda of, sustainable development and to contribute to achieving internationally agreed development goals, including the Millennium Development Goals. It means growing our economies in ways that benefit, not sacrifice, social justice and equity as well as the environment. The idea is to serve the needs of the present without threatening the quality of life of future
Surely there exist cities that are determined to transform into more eco-friendly representatives of urban civilization, yet these efforts are typically focused on minimizing the harmful output of cities rather than rew...