#supercities

I had the wonderful honor to meet and listen to urban planning scholar and thought leader John Friedmann speak in a very intimate gathering of planning students and scholars at the University of Hawaii’s Department of Urban and Regional Planning in February 2017- this was just a few months before he passed.  Here is my reflection of his thoughts regarding the ongoing challenges of our contemporary super cities - from Beijing to New York. 

     As John Friedmann aptly remarked, “We are planning in a context of a world in movement.” This hasn’t been more so the case than it is today. In this setting, Friedmann described several challenges that are unique to this era of development. First, he mentioned the surge in population and productivity growth. Though both population and productivity will eventually taper off, productivity is bound to plateau well before the population does. A surge in population can be difficult for supercities, and more so as people are living longer. New issues to address the aging population and marginalized populations will be the focus of this era. What is unfortunate currently is that many cities are not including crucial stakeholders in the planning process. For example, those involved in the informal economy are frequently left out because this group lacks legitimacy in the eyes of policymakers. In addition, the old problems in planning are still a reality today – agencies not sharing critical information with each other, lobbying, misinformation, withholding information, and of course, corruption in all levels.

     The second challenge is planning in a context of radical uncertainty. The rise of terrorism has made cities that were once considered safe, a target for terrorist attacks, which kill innocent people and destroy a city’s infrastructure, costing millions of dollars of repairs and hurting the city’s reputation and economy. Also, as terrorist organizations are non-state actors, there is no clear state “enemy” like there once was (i.e. Russia, Germany). This invisibility makes it difficult for cities to prepare for such an attack. Complicating all this are the negative externalities being generated by the market economy, the stability of the entire system is being threatened. This applies in the political, social, and environmental realm. Nation-states are reappearing and populism is reappearing all over the world.

Altering most of today’s cities to eliminate cars altogether would be a daunting, if not impossible, proposition – which is why China is starting from scratch. Great City will be built around a high-rise core housing 80,000 people, entirely walkable, and surrounded by green space.

“Sustainable City” may be a buzzword these days, but it’s a buzzword with substance. The number of buildings featuring green innovations is growing at a phenomenal rate. In the residential sector, 62 percent of firms building new single-family homes are building green features into at least 15 percent of their projects, according to a recent report published by McGraw Hill – a level that is expected to reach 84 percent by 2016. And a U.S. Green Building Council report projects that 55 percent of new commercial structures will qualify as green buildings by 2016 (up from 44 percent two years ago.)

Here are some of the top trends for urban sustainable architecture in 2014:

1. Net Zero Energy. For many, the gold standard for green buildings is Net Zero – buildings that produce as much or more energy than they consume. Through a combination of energy efficiency and on-site renewable energy systems, buildings such as the Center for Sustainable Landscapes in Pittsburgh are achieving this goal. Net Zero Energy building certification is available through the International Living Future Institute.

2. Water conservation and reclamation. Awareness of the global water crisis is rising, and so is implementation of water-saving technology in the building sector. In addition to low-flow fixtures and other conservation measures, many architects and builders are turning to methods for on-site water capture and re-use. Structures such as New York City’s One Bryant Park and the C.K. Choi Building at the University of British Columbia incorporate various technologies such as composting toilets, graywater systems, cisterns and rain barrels, rain gardens, and constructed wetlands to maintain a responsible water use profile.

3. Innovative materials. No longer are building materials restricted to what can be ordered at the lumberyard or steel mill. Whether it’s natural materials such as straw bale, recycled materials such as reclaimed lumber and old shipping containers, or state-of-the-art building materials using phase changetechnology, green builders and architects remain open to possibilities. Anything goes, as long as it meets aesthetic and performance criteria!

4. Green roofs. If you could take an airplane tour over urban America, you’d likely notice something you probably wouldn’t have seen 10 years ago: patches of green springing up not just around but on top of buildings. Green roofs – roofs topped with a thin layer of soil and living green plants – are literally a growing trend in sustainable building, and for good reason. They help reduce heating and cooling costs, filter stormwater and moderate its flow, improve air quality, and can extend the life of the roof. They also contribute a more natural aesthetic to the built environment.

5. Integrated urban farming. Green roofs aren’t the only way plants are being used to make buildings more sustainable. The surge in interest in local food production has led naturally to an exploration of ways to integrate food production with urban infrastructure. Increasingly, this is taking place on or within the buildings themselves. In areas where space is at a premium, rooftop farms and gardens  — such as New York’s Brooklyn Grange  — are becoming increasingly popular. Chicago’s O’Hare’s Urban Garden proves that a farm can be sleek and chic enough to double as interior decorating, too!

6. Building automation. Building operations and maintenance are just as important as structure when it comes to performance. Distributed computerized control systems are increasingly being employed to monitor and control multiple systems within a building, including HVAC, lighting, mechanical and humidity control. The benefits of such systems are many, including energy savings, faster detection and resolution of problems, reduced need for maintenance labor and even lower insurance premiums.

7. Sustainable Neighborhoods. A single green building is a good thing, but its effects are relatively limited. Extending green infrastructure to neighborhoods and entire communities can result in more far-reaching environmental and social benefits. Just as there are certifications for green buildings, developers wishing to document their green subdivisions and neighborhoods can do so with certification programs such as LEED for Neighborhood Development. One advantage of sustainable building at the community level is that it can help bring the benefits of green infrastructure to low-income families and others for whom it would not be otherwise accessible.

If one was to identify an overarching trend in sustainable architecture, perhaps it would be “holistic”. More and more, architects and builders are responding to a growing awareness that everything is interconnected. To change one aspect of a building will inevitably affect other parts of the structure, along with the mood and health of its occupants and even the neighborhood and community. One can only hope that as builders continue to implement positive changes, it will result in positive changes for us all.