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Growing Green Cities: The Promise of Sustainable Urban Landscapes

  • stauss5
  • Jul 1
  • 5 min read

In 2022 the world’s population reached over 8 billion people, with more than half living in urban areas - a number expected to rise up to 70% of people living in cities by 2050 (1). This urban growth comes with pressing challenges: air pollution, sprawling infrastructure, and limited public spaces, which are exacerbated by increasing climate threats. And while cities offer opportunities and innovation, the rapid expansion of urban areas often leaves housing, infrastructure and basic services far behind, leading to sprawling slums and vulnerable living conditions. The urgent question is how cities can transition to sustainable models that not only meet these demands but thrive within them. Approaches like ‘sustainable cities’ and ‘green infrastructure’ integrate natural elements directly into urban planning to foster environmental, economic, and social well-being. Through green infrastructure, cities can not only green their streets but also mitigate climate risks and enhance the quality of life for residents.


What Makes a City Sustainable?

A sustainable city is an urban area designed to minimize environmental impact, support economic resilience, and enhance the quality of life for its residents through efficient resource use, renewable energy, green spaces, and sustainable transportation and housing options (2). Central to sustainable cities is green infrastructure - the strategic incorporation of natural elements like green roofs, permeable pavements, urban forests, and rain gardens. These green spaces not only serve to beautify neighbourhoods, but also create resilient ecosystems in urban landscapes that can absorb rainwater, reduce heat, improve air quality and support biodiversity. By shifting urban planning away from purely “grey” infrastructure - relying on hard surfaces and concrete - toward nature-based solutions, green infrastructure provides a flexible and adaptive response to environmental stresses while offering a host of social and economic benefits.


Traditional grey infrastructure solutions tend to treat urban challenges as isolated problems, whereas the sustainability approach recognizes cities as complex, interconnected systems. Thus, the siloed approach amounts to ‘quick fixes’ that fail to address root causes or far-reaching impacts. Understanding a city as a system recognizes the connections and interactions between the different components of urban ecosystems, such as air, water, flora and fauna and inhabitants, so that lasting, effective solutions can be created. Consider, for example, the heat island effect, where cities experience higher temperatures due to heat-absorbing materials like asphalt and concrete. Rather than relying on increased air conditioning to mitigate this effect, green infrastructure solutions such as tree canopies, green walls, and reflective surfaces tackle the issue holistically by cooling urban areas naturally and reducing overall energy demands. Similarly, green infrastructure improves stormwater management by capturing and slowly releasing rainwater into the ground, thereby reducing the strain on city drainage systems and the risk of flooding.


The Benefits of Green Infrastructure: Solving Multiple Urban Problems

Urban energy consumption and pollution figures are very alarming as cities occupy only 3% of the Earth's land area but are responsible for 60-80% of energy consumption and 75% of carbon emissions3. Many cities are also more vulnerable to climate change and natural disasters due to their high population concentration and location, so strengthening the resilience of cities is crucial to avoid environmental, social and economic losses. According to a study on the German building sector a combination of refurbishment and the use of renewable energies can reduce the primary energy consumption of existing buildings by 80% by 2050 compared to the current situation (4). But rather than merely adapting to rising challenges, green infrastructure can provide solutions that address multiple issues at once while also mitigating their long-term effects:


  • Climate Adaptation and Resilience: Green infrastructure helps mitigate climate impacts by cooling urban areas, absorbing stormwater, and filtering air pollutants. These features make cities less vulnerable to heatwaves, flooding, and poor air quality.

  • Benefits for Public Health: Studies have shown that green spaces in urban areas are associated with improved mental health, lower levels of stress, and lower incidence of diseases like asthma and cardiovascular conditions. Urban greenery enhances social contacts and physical activity, which benefits mental and physical health (5).

  • Economic Uplift: Green infrastructure can raise property values and attract businesses by making cities more livable. Moreover, it offers direct financial savings. For instance, green roofs and urban tree canopies help lower energy costs by providing natural cooling, reducing the reliance on air conditioning.

  • Biodiversity and Ecosystem Support: Green infrastructure has the potential to reverse the trend of declining biodiversity in urban areas, which has been caused by urban growth. Rain gardens, urban forests, and rooftop gardens improve local ecosystems by providing habitat for birds, pollinators, and other species.

Addressing Inequality with Sustainable Urban Development

What should not be forgotten when talking about sustainable urban development are the existing inequalities. Currently, over 1 billion people live in slums or slum-like conditions, a figure expected to double in the next three decades (6). These areas are frequently affected by insufficient infrastructure, poor air quality, and a lack of public spaces, which makes them particularly vulnerable to climate-related issues. Low-income neighborhoods are often the least able to deal with these challenges, even though they feel them the most. Green infrastructure offers the opportunity to address these inequalities by focusing on marginalized neighbourhoods that lack resources. Cities can prioritize low-income neighbourhoods in their green infrastructure initiatives and provide cooler, greener spaces that improve health and climate resilience of residents. In addition to improving public health, these projects can also create jobs and boost economic development in historically underserved areas. You might feel these problems are distant, but reality looks different - almost 34 million Europeans cannot afford to heat their homes (7). By increasing energy efficiency, cities can help reduce energy costs, alleviate energy poverty, and create healthier living conditions for all residents.


Building Cities That Serve Both People and Planet

Green infrastructure represents a shift in how we approach urban sustainability, moving from isolated solutions to holistic, interconnected approaches that serve the planet and its people. Cities that invest in green infrastructure reduce climate risks, boost public health, drive economic growth, and address social inequalities. This transformation, however, requires collaboration among various stakeholders like governments, communities, and the private sector. By working together, cities can become hubs of resilience and equity. Ultimately, the goal of sustainable urban planning is to create cities that serve all their residents a place where each individual can thrive within an environment that respects natural ecosystems and prioritizes future generations. Through thoughtful investments in green infrastructure, cities can not only meet the challenges of today but build a healthier, more equitable tomorrow.


References:

(1), (6) United Nations. (n.d.). Sustainable cities and communities. Retrieved from https://www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/cities/


(2) United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). (2018). SDG 11: Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable. Retrieved from https://wedocs.unep.org/bitstream/handle/20.500.11822/25763/SDG11_Brief.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y


(3) United Nations. (2018). Goal 11: Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient, and sustainable. United Nations. Retrieved from https://www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/Goal-11.pdf



(5) World Health Organization. (2016). Health impacts of climate change in Europe: 2016 evidence report. Retrieved from https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/9789241565271


(7) European Commission. (2020). EU's Green Deal: The European Commission proposes new climate laws. European Commission. Retrieved from https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/api/files/document/print/de/ip_20_1835/IP_20_1835_DE.pdf


Author: Student of MBA Sustainability Management Class 2 (2024-2026)

 
 

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