Sustainable City Project
We have been studying sustainable cities and land use. In your groups, you will look deeply at these ideas and incorporate them into a city design.
Use these questions to help you research how to begin this project. These must be answered in complete sentences and submitted with your finished project.
1. What is smart growth? List tools cities can use to promote smart growth in terms of limits and regulations, zoning, planning, protecting land from development, taxes, tax breaks, and revitalizing and planning cities and towns.
2. Describe the major resource and environmental problems of urban areas relating to (a) sustainability, (b) resource use, (c) biodiversity preservation, (d) land use, (e) tree cover, (f) food production, (g) microclimate (urban heat islands), (h) water supply and flooding, (i) pollution and human health, (j) noise, (k) excessive light, and (k) poverty and social problems.
3. What are the environmental benefits of urbanization?
4. What is urban sprawl? List the major harmful effects of urban sprawl in terms of land and biodiversity, human health and aesthetics, water, energy, air, climate, and economic effects.
5. What is sustainability?
You must also address the following aspects of city living in both your graphic representation and in written form. Include how these impact residents and what your leadership team is doing to prevent or alleviate them.
- Air Quality
- Biodiversity
- Energy Use- what kinds does your city use? What does their facility provide?
- Climate Change
- Food/Agriculture- where does their food come from? Is there agriculture close to town? How do citizens obtain their food?
- Waste- how do they dispose of their solid waste? Hazardous waste?
- Economy- what is their economy based on? What industries exist in your city?
- Parks/Open Space
- Transportation
- Public Information/Education- how do citizens obtain important information (TV, newspaper, emails, etc.), what kind of governing bodies are in power in your city (county commissioners, mayor, etc.)
- Human Health- where does their drinking water come from? What kind of health facilities are located in your city?
Your city must have (this is the minimum):
1. A name
2. 50 single family homes to accommodate family sizes of 2-8 people
3. 10 townhomes to accommodate family sizes from 1-4 people
4. 25 apartments
5. Basic services- (hospital, city hall, courthouse, jail, etc)
6. a community shopping area
7. an industrial area
8. an office park
9. park area(s) with natural areas and recreational fields
10. an elementary, middle, and high school
11. a transportation system (roads, bridges, buses, subway, etc.)
12. Energy source facility
These must be hand drawn and colored (not printed from the internet; they may be traced)
You may use the San Francisco model to help you (you may not copy their policies!!!)
You are to design your city using the principals of smart growth. You will present your design to the class. The winning design will earn bonus points.
This must be neat and well thought out. If you waste class time, you are responsible for completing the project.