Sustainability and Cities

by Newman, Peter; Kenworthy, Jeffrey

• ISBN13: 9781559636605
• ISBN10: 1559636602
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 1999-02-01
• Publisher: Island Pr

Summary

Sustainability and Citiesexamines the urban aspect of sustainability issues, arguing that cities are a necessary focus for that global agenda. The authors make the case that the essential character of a city's land use results from how it manages its transportation, and that only by reducing our automobile dependence will we be able to successfully accomodate all elements of the sustainability agenda.The book begins with chapters that set forth the notion of sustainability and how it applies to cities and automobile dependence. The authors consider the changing urban economy in the information age, and describe the extent of automobile dependence worldwide. They provide an updated survey of global cities that examines a range of sustainability factors and indicators, and, using a series of case studies, demonstrate how cities around the world are overcoming the problem of automobile dependence. They also examine the connections among transporation and other issues -- including water use and cycling, waste management, and greening the urban landscape -- and explain how all elements of sustainability can be managed simultaneously.The authors end with a consideration of how professional planners can promote the sustainability agenda, and the ethical base needed to ensure that this critical set of issues is taken seriously in the world's cities.Sustainability and Citieswill serve as a source of both learning and inspiration for those seeking to create more sustainable cities, and is an important book for practitioners, researchers, and students in the fields of planning, geography, and public policy.

Table of Contents

Preface	xiii	(4)
Acknowledgments	xvii
Chapter 1 The Concept of Sustainability and Its Relationship to Cities	1	(26)
The Concept of Sustainability	1	(4)
Global Government Responses to Sustainability	5	(1)
Application of Sustainability Principles to Cities	6	(8)
City Size and Sustainability	14	(4)
Indicators of Sustainability in Cities	18	(2)
Sustainability Plans	20	(3)
Conclusions	23	(4)
Chapter 2 The Problem of Automobile Dependence at the End of the Twentieth Century	27	(41)
What Shapes Cities?	27	(13)
Constraints on Automobile-dependent Cities	40	(12)
New Economic Awareness of the Auto City	52	(7)
The End of Auto Cities?	59	(1)
The Global Auto City Protest Movement	60	(2)
Institutionalized Automobile Dependence	62	(2)
Conclusions	64	(4)
Chapter 3 The Pattern of Automobile Dependence and Global Cities	68	(60)
Introduction	68	(1)
Transportation Energy Patterns	69	(3)
Fuel Types	72	(2)
Technology-Vehicle Efficiency	74	(4)
Price and Income	78	(3)
Infrastructure Priorities	81	(13)
Urban Form	94	(10)
Transportation and Land Use Trends	104	(7)
Car Use and Wealth	111	(14)
Conclusions	125	(3)
Chapter 4 A Vision of Reduced Automobile Dependence	128	(112)
Introduction	128	(1)
Dispelling the Myths About Automobile Dependence	128	(13)
Approaches to Reducing Automobile Dependence	141	(3)
Techniques for Overcoming Automobile Dependence	144	(40)
The Future "Sustainable" City	184	(7)
Case Studies in Overcoming Automobile Dependence	191	(46)
Conclusions	237	(3)
Chapter 5 Greening the Automobile-dependent City	240	(45)
Introduction	240	(1)
Sustainability and the Urban Water System	241	(9)
Greening the City with Parks and Agriculture	250	(7)
Is the Green City in Conflict with the Low-energy City?	257	(7)
Urban Ecology Innovation	264	(17)
Conclusions	281	(4)
Chapter 6 Promoting Sustainable Urban Change	285	(21)
Urban Change	285	(1)
Modernist Professional Praxis	286	(2)
Postmodernism	288	(1)
Postmodernism and Cities	288	(1)
The Organic City Movement	289	(1)
Greening the Industrial Revolution City	290	(1)
The Organic City Family Tree	291	(1)
The Sustainable City Movement Today	291	(1)
Professional Praxis at a Time of Paradigm Change	292	(1)
New Principles for Professional Praxis	293	(11)
Conclusions	304	(2)
Chapter 7 Ethics, Spirituality, and Community in the Sustainable City	306	(27)
Introduction	306	(1)
Ethical Foundations for City Sustainability	306	(9)
City Planning and City Prophecy in the Late Twentieth Century	315	(5)
The Role of Community Groups in City Sustainability	320	(10)
Conclusions	330	(3)
Chapter 8 Summary and Conclusions	333	(10)
Appendix 1: Data and Methodology for the Thirty-seven-city Study for the World Bank	343	(17)
Appendix 2: Growth Management Approaches and Guidelines	360	(7)
Appendix 3: A Checklist for City Sustainability Using Economic Efficiency, Social Equity, Environmental Responsibility, and Human Livability Criteria	367	(7)
Appendix 4: An Economic Impact Statement for Urban Development	374	(11)
Appendix 5: Guidelines for New Urbanism Developments (The Ahwahnee Principles)	385	(3)
Appendix 6: A Guide to the Provision of Better Transit and Land Use Integration in Auto Cities	388	(11)
References	399	(24)
Index	423