Sustainable Development for Mass Urbanization

Md. Faruque Hossain

• Publisher: Elsevier
• Year: 2019
• Print ISBN: 9780128176900
• eBook ISBN: 9780128176917
• Topic: Technology & Engineering
• Subtopic: Construction & Architectural Engineering
• Index: Technology & Engineering

Sustainable Development for Mass Urbanization scrutinizes the challenges encountered when designing, planning and constructing sustainable cities. Chapters briefly explain the role of national and local governments in the strategic planning, development, implementation, monitoring and enforcement of ensuring that the water, air, food, and products used by the community are safe for the public and the environment. Other sections look at critical infrastructural systems, including Water Delivery Systems, Sanitation and Waste Disposal Systems, Power Systems, and Public Health Systems. Finally, new green technologies, practices and standards predicated by the need for sustainable office building and housing are covered.Case studies are presented in each chapter to further illustrate how these solutions are implemented in existing Megacities around the world.- Covers infrastructural systems, such as Water Delivery Systems, Sanitation and Waste Disposal Systems, Power Systems, and Public Health Systems- Scrutinizes the challenges encountered when designing, planning and constructing sustainable megacities- Presents case studies in each chapter to further illustrate how these solutions work

Part 1

Introduction

Chapter 1

Building a better urban system

Abstract

Since the 1970s, there has been an expansion in the huge development of mass urbanization, quickening the construction of conventional urban buildings, roads, power stations, and water and sewer systems. This expansion will eventually cause dangerous environmental predicaments for urban citizens. We certainly need the application of advanced technologies to mitigate these malfunctioning urban systems because these traditional urban development technologies are essentially wrecking the total urban systems and their environmental equilibrium. For hundreds of years, architects and engineers have been designing urban buildings, infrastructure, and transportation systems for the betterment of our daily lives. Now, however, those are instantly becoming obsolete because they are causing serious urban environmental vulnerability. Therefore, they are presently required by nature to be “environmentally friendly” in order to protect our urban system and its environment by conforming to sustainable technologies.

Keywords

Urban system; Environment; Transportation; Infrastructure; Buildings; Sewer systems

Since the 1970s, there has been an expansion in the huge development of mass urbanization, quickening the construction of conventional urban buildings, roads, power stations, and water and sewer systems. This expansion will eventually cause dangerous environmental predicaments for urban citizens. We certainly need the application of advanced technologies to mitigate these malfunctioning urban systems because these traditional urban development technologies are essentially wrecking the total urban systems and their environmental equilibrium. For hundreds of years, architects and engineers have been designing urban buildings, infrastructure, and transportation systems for the betterment of our daily lives. Now, however, those are instantly becoming obsolete because they are causing serious urban environmental vulnerability. Therefore, they are presently required by nature to be “environmentally friendly” in order to protect our urban system and its environment by conforming to sustainable technologies.

Henceforth, the sustainable development of mass urbanization can be illustrated by the commonly accepted definition, developed by the World Commission on Environment and Development in 1987, which described sustainable mass urban development as that “which meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs to secure a resilient urban system.” Naturally, sustainable strategies must work with climate conditions as well as with environmental factors.

Currently, widespread concern has been raised over the limitations of the urban environment as well as that environment's finite ability to absorb pollutants due to the practice of traditional development of mass urbanization. Therefore, conventional mass urban development needs to be corrected to protect urban resources and the environment by employing much more advanced sustainable technologies in order to keep the urban environment physically, chemically, biologically, and socially balanced. Consequently, this notional term of “resilience” must be implemented for sustainable mass urban development, which would be the “autonomous adaptation,” responds to conditions change by the adaptive capacity of modern urban system through applying proper planning and practicing flexible solutions on environmentally friendly technological applications. It will without a doubt make the urban system green and clean as a result of its versatility, adaptability, and manageability, which won’t result in maladjustment simultaneously, but the sustainability application for mass urban development.

So, what can we do as the first generation with the tools to see how the urban environmental system is running toward danger due to the practice of traditional mass urbanization? At the same time, we are the last generation with the opportunities to prevent these dangers. Indeed, we can do great work individually and/or collectively by applying these sustainable technologies in every sector of building, energy, infrastructure, transportation, and water development while socially helping to create a total view for implementing these technologies to confirm a cleaner and greener urban system. Moreover, to build such versatile capacity, all technologies for buildings, infrastructure, and environmental engineering systems must be enforced by rules, regulations, and laws to secure a sustainable mass urban system.

Part 2

Critical infrastructure system

Chapter 2

Introduction of megacities

Abstract

Ideally, a megacity is a very large city with a population in excess of 10 million people as per the definition of the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs. The United Nations Development Program forecasts that today's urban population of 1.2 billion total global habitants is nearly 6 billion, which one out of five people live in the megacities. This increase will be the most dramatic on the least-urbanized continents of Asia and Africa. Recent research and projections indicate that nearly two billion people, almost 29% of the world's population, will live in slums in urban megacities by the year 2030. Consequently, these megacities will exhibit high rates of disease due to unsanitary conditions, malnutrition, and lack of basic health care. People's lives and health will be seriously jeopardized by living in such megacities if no sustainable urban systems are developed.

Keywords

Critical infrastructure system; Environmental pollution control; Building sustainable; Innovative technology; Sustainable mass urbanization

Acknowledgments

This research was supported by Green Globe Technology under grant RD-02018-03. Any findings, conclusions, and recommendations expressed in this paper are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Green Globe Technology.

Introduction

By 2030, Asia alone will have at least 30 megacities, including Mumbai, India (2015 population of 20.75 million people), Shanghai, China (2015 population of 35.5 million people), Delhi, India (2015 population of 21.8 million people), Tokyo, Japan (2015 population of 38.8 million people), Seoul, South Korea (2015 population of 25.6 million people), and Dhaka, Bangladesh (2015 population of 18.2 million people). The megacities in the Americ...

Table of contents

• Cover image
• Title page
• Table of Contents
• Copyright
• Dedication
• About the author
• Preface
• Part 1: Introduction
• Part 2: Critical infrastructure system
• Part 3: Environmental pollution controls
• Part 4: Sustainable buildings
• Part 5: Conclusion
• Index