5 Signs of the Eco-Cities of the Future You Can See Now
Miscellaneous / / March 23, 2022
Picturesque oases from science fiction films can already be visited in real cities, although ecovillages have not yet become a ubiquitous phenomenon. We tell you what modern urbanists should strive for in order to bring the “green” future of cities closer.
1. Use of alternative energy sources
Using renewable resources can be more difficult than consuming oil, gas and coal, but in the future, alternative energy will not have to pay a hefty price. Already, the side effects of the use of finite fossils are obvious: every year, air pollution worth a lifeAir pollution is a silent killer / WHO seven million people. And in economics there is a concept "resource curse"Is resource abundance a curse for green economic growth? Evidence from developing countries / Science Direct: countries with an abundance of minerals show less economic growth. Partial rejection of the widespread use of natural resources in favor of more environmentally friendly and modern technologies can have a positive impact not only on health, but also on the standard of living of citizens in general future.
Ecopolises will use less fossils also because futuristic cities strive for independence and self-sufficiency. Renewable energy is freedom from the supply of many critical resources that may simply not be available in some geographies. For example, regions without gas, oil and coal deposits will be able to provide residents with heating and hot water using solar panels or hydroelectric power plants.
Many cities are already moving towards this model: for example, in Reykjavik, 90% of the heating is generated by the heat of volcanoes. In Russia, the alternative energy industry is also activelyRussia Can Nearly Quadruple Share of Renewable Energy by 2030 Tweet / International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) is developing, and in 2019 the country ranked fifth placeRENEWABLES 2020 GLOBAL STATUS REPORT in the world in terms of hydropower generation. Clean cities of the future are already quite real: Dobrograd, a private city in the Vladimir region, has a policy of 100% environmental safetyCome rest, stay alive. How the new city of Dobrograd works / RBC. Local businesses are rigorously vetted and required to work with renewable energy, in particular from solar panels.
2. Pursuing Conscious Consumption
About 20%Foodsharing in Russia. Study of the products produced in the world are sent to the landfill. This is caused by habits of buying in reserve and impulsively filling the basket in the supermarket with unnecessary things. In the eco-future, the focus is likely to be on urban farms, and therefore on products with a short shelf life. It will not be possible to buy such for months ahead, and there will be less food waste. In the present, it is called upon to save products from the landfill foodsharing: don't eat it yourself - give it to someone else.
Conscious consumption concerns not only food, but also other purchases. For example, another industry that is dangerous to the environment is fashionfashion and environment. Huge water costs, millions of tons of waste, air pollution from industries and fuel emissions from logistics - this is only a small part of the damage that inflictsfashion and environment planet passion for beautiful clothes. But everything can be fixed here too: capsule wardrobes, individual tailoring and the popularization of second-hand are already helping to reduce the impact of the fashion industry on the environment.
3. An abundance of greenery
Ecovillages of the future are invariably associated with pictures of city streets immersed in greenery. Everywhere trees, lawns and shrubs, squirrels and birds are not afraid of people, buildings are built in symbiosis with the landscape and are overgrown with branches and lianas. The trend for such a design is a requirement not only for aesthetics, but also for health. Trees are lungs of the planetThe Earth Has Lungs. Watch Them Breathe/National Geographic, which carefully purify the air from carbon dioxide and prolong the life of people and animals.
Pictures of ecovillages are not a utopia — living in harmony with nature is quite real, and even familiar city landscapes can change and become greener. For example, in Russia, volunteers have been planting millionsMore than four million trees planted in the forests of the Leningrad region / RIA Novosti trees in different parts of the country, and the world comes to the ideas of urban greenhouses and "green" roofs with gardens and trees on houses. In addition, trees are a natural protection from the heat: studies showTrees found to reduce land surface area temperatures in cities up to 12°C / Phys.orgthat the temperature in cities with green cover is much more comfortable than in those dominated by bare asphalt and concrete.
4. Well-established waste collection and recycling system
From 2014 to 2019, e-waste only exceededWHO warns: Soaring e-waste is ruining the health of millions of children / WHO 56 million tons. This figure continues to grow, and the percentage of properly disposed of e-waste should increase with it. Only 17,4%WHO warns that e-waste is ruining the health of millions of children equipment that was out of use by 2019 was disposed of correctly, and even such a small volume easedWHO warns: Soaring e-waste is ruining the health of millions of children / WHO the planet's atmosphere by 15 million tons of carbon dioxide.
Reducing the amount of garbage burned is the second most likely benefit measureMore than 90% of the world's children breathe toxic air daily / WHO on global air purification on the planet. Healthy, green and self-sufficient cities of the future will have separate waste collection systems and safe recycling facilities. But unauthorized landfills, which are actively are fightingThe curator of the waste reform revealed the number of illegal dumps in Russia / RBC now, will go to the historical archives.
5. Streets without cars
When there are three bags of groceries on each hand, a leash slips off a finger, and a child cries in a sling, the decision to fight private vehicles can be questionable. But on the second side of the scale is life in a safe, controlled space with clean air. Cities designed for pedestrians do not suffer from traffic jams and cause less harm to the environment, and they are also safer, because the fewer cars, the fewer accidents and accidents. A future without the noise of the highway and the squeak of alarms under the windows is not necessarily associated with a complete rejection of cars - just the roads will go underground. Cars can coexist with the metro, and the surface of the Earth will be filled not with parking lots, but with parks.
A partial reduction in the rights of cars in favor of pedestrians is already happening. For example, modern residential complexes are designed with underground parking and exclusively pedestrian interior space. Car-free streets are increasingly appearing in cities. Around the world growsSales Analysis of Bicycles from 2013 to 2021 the popularity of bicycles, and cyclist paths are crowding car lanes. Another important step towards a safer world with clean air is the development of public transport. Expansion of subways, introduction of new electric buses and arrangement of convenient intercity communication help stop car overpopulation, because it will be profitable and comfortable for people to drive something friend.
Feeling like a part of the society of the future is easy today. For example, plant trees in your area, gather with your neighbors for a forest clean-up day, or participate in "Smart Route"created by the Russian society "Knowledge". Experts from various fields - from business to ecology and art - will share their knowledge and experience with a young audience in 130 Russian cities. Lectures, quizzes, master classes, workshops, workshops, debates — not only cities, but also the educational environment should be environmentally friendly and modern. The project is tailored to formats familiar to high school students and students: it will be more interesting for young students to study, expand their horizons of knowledge, change together and change their future native country.