Cleantech. A Call To Enter To CLimateLauchPad





Sustainability: Reality or Myth?

Last year was an immense milestone for Sustainable Development Goals 2030 while maintaining the post-2015 agenda that provokes sustainability issues when climate change lays down on another side of the coin.

But how the issue can be provoked if it aims to assure global growth by bringing inclusive society? On the other hand, is it that bad idea if the new smart investments will be complementing to each other and create growth? In this case, what is going to happen if it challenges more technology involvement where the dramatical size of human labor is anticipated? So many questions. Let`s review this issue in the model of potential smart cities of tomorrow.

Sustainability brings a new way of thinking, starting from a small environmentally-friendly action till reaching to the level of funding that respects and meets “People Profit and Planet” triangle concept. To bring it down to the Earth and make it more tangible, one sustainable city can be a good model of this huge yet ambitious universal agenda. Even if it could seem a way far from the reality, some cities in the world such as London, San-Diego, Singapore, Barcelona and many more you name already achieved to build this sort of urban development model.

What is a Sustainable city and what is it about?

To simplify, it is a city that considered as liveable when it unites on its territory recycling, sanitation, health, and water system.This is not only a technically highly infrastructure city but also an interactive society and complementary SMEs are promised.

Turning back to the answer of why we need cities that are economical, socially and environmentally sustainable are the lessons learned from the past and ideas for the future that we want to have.The last twenty years, the development of cities was already important, but it is going to be exponential in the near future. According to the forecast by 2050, our planet will have 6.4 billion urban residents, that means 70% of the world population will live in the cities. Like all ecosystems, cities have balance and complex operations in a context of increasing demand. That is why it is essential to building a successful city that is also environmentally responsible.

Creating smart city is possible, but how?

A sustainable city is a harmonious city, open to the world, that enhances economic dynamics, bringing new ideas and design thinking tools into their community. It is also a city which manages resources in a sustainable way, not wasting any essential product (water, energy, mobility, health, education etc.), control and avoid different types of pollution it generates. Finally, it is a city that sees its citizens as active players. And most importantly, it ensures that the city is resistant and able to cope with risks.

However, many challenges remain to build new smart cities: Cities should continue to create opportunities for developing jobs and wealth, while not straining land and resources. In this case, common city challenges are congestion, shortage of resources to provide basic services, lack of adequate housing and declining infrastructure and the challenge of what if growing new Agile technology smoothly replaces humans and features only high-skilled labor in the job market.

But these challenges can be overcome in particular ways that allow cities to continue to thrive and grow while developing the use of resources and decreasing pollution, step-by-stop poverty and the network can be implemented with the strong national urban development strategy. The desirable city ensures better services and new opportunities, with access to renewable energy, social housing, mobile transportation… to reach all levels of the society… that will bring more inclusiveness. And importantly, it`s not about to adopt SDGs last year and report the formalities by 2030. Development is a gradual process with gradual actions and later on culmination stage of reaping the harvest comes.

What about the city you live in?

What kind of actions would you take or you think you can make to link the AleemDataPoverty-1400x500physical capital with social one?

Author: Gunay Mukhtarova

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