How can cities become more sustainable Compare and contrast cities in Essay - 1

How can cities become more sustainable Compare and contrast cities in the developed world and cities in the developing world - Essay Example Most of these cities had less than one million population in the beginning of 19th century; that surpassed to more than 10 millions in subsequent periods causing great distress on resources of water, clean air, energy. Situation in some of the cities in developing countries such as Shanghai, Mumbai or Sao Paulo is different. The density of these urban centers is more than double of that seen in the London or New York. All these cities are growing at the rate of 2 to 6 percent per annum and likely to cause further stress on the resources and derail the ecosystem. If this continues, the sustainability of the cities is in jeopardy unless some new ways are found. Cities in the Developed World London, Paris, California, New York all have become the huge unrestrained consumption centers of cheap energy and profligate material supplies that has caused ecological imbalances in those countries. As mentioned by Rees, William (2009) in Scientific American in its March issue, â€Å"Politicians and planners have shaped cities with no regard for resource use or ecological concerns. Over the years building and infrastructure have consumed more than 40 percent of material and a third of energy.† He warns that all this must end. ... Rees is of the opinion that sprawling land areas for living increase the energy need by way of unnecessary transportation for work and shopping. Reliance on automobiles and cars should be reduced by providing path ways for cycling, and walking. Public transport system should be made efficient to avoid the use of personal vehicles. Recycling of used materials is a necessity and that should be done to lessen the use of fresh material so that natural resources can be conserved for a longer period of time. Cogeneration of electricity and waste heat recovery is need of a day to reduce per capita consumption of fresh energy. Energy efficiency and renewable energy are the good propositions but the big question is that city like San Francisco releases 78 percent of its greenhouse gases from the cars and transportation and only 17 percent from buildings and this is true for all major cities of North America. The solution essentially lies at using mass transit system and eliminating the use of personal vehicles as much as possible. Personal vehicle density in most of the US cities is so high that this is a single most cause of green house gases across all major US and cities of Europe. And solution lies in reducing or eliminating the use of these personal vehicles that can help reduce the green house emissions drastically and put the eco system in balance. Cities of Developing World In contrast to the cities of developed economies, there are cities of developing countries such as Sao Paulo, Shanghai, and Mumbai, where issues are, more than green house gases, inadequate availability of potable water, absence of proper sanitation facilities to slum dwellers, and cleanliness. More than one million people is said to have been living in slum area within