CITIES OF FUTUREFROM MY PERSPECTIVES

AGENDA

• What properties characterizes a ‘city'?• Today’s great challenges• Future’s great opportunities

CITY...

• …. is an administrative unit or a certain population density.

• …. is perceptions of an urban way of life and specific cultural or social features, as well as functional places of economic activity and exchange.

• …. has the property of proximity where there are educational institutions, entertainment, medical facilities, friends and family etc with a good infrastructure system.

CITIES CONTRIBUTE BOTH TO PROBLEMS AND TO SOLUTIONS

• Globalization has led to a loss of jobs – and this has been amplified by the economic crisis.

• Many cities face a significant loss of inclusive power and cohesion and an increase in exclusion, segregation and polarization.

TODAY’S GREAT CHALLENGES OF CITIES

CLIMATE CHANGES Nowadays climate change is the biggest problem of the human being. It is

already happening and represents one of the greatest environmental, social and economic threats facing the planet.

Most of the warming that has occurred over the last 50 years is very likely to have been caused by human activities.

POLLUTED AIR

We cannot escape from the polluted air-it’s everywhere, even in our homes and we are breathing it non-stop.

Ground-level ozone can damage lung tissue, and is especially harmful for those with asthma and other chronic lung diseases.

POPULATION BOOM

The reason that it is becoming a concern is because it has affected the economic, environmental, and social aspects of our world.

Very large population becomes a problem when there isn't enough space to live, and not enough food and supplies to live.

SCARCITY OF RESOURCES

Decline in the quantity or quality of a renewable resource

that occurs faster than it is renewed by natural processes.

FUTURE’S GREAT OPPORTUNITIES

THE OPPORTUNITY TO REDESIGN AND TRANSFORM CITIES – GREEN CITIES

• Cities can and must become the most environmentally-friendly model for inhabiting our earth via implementing Green Urbanism principles.

• Green Urbanism should make every effort to minimize the use of energy, water and materials at each stage of the city’s or life-cycle, including transportation of materials, their fabrication, and, ultimately, the ease and value of their recycling when a life-cycle is over.

GREEN URBANISM PRINCIPLES:• To have reduced or have no CO2 emissions, as they are self-sufficient energy

producers, powered by renewable energy sources, • To eliminate the concept of waste, as they are based on a closed-loop

ecosystem with significant recycling, reusing, remanufacturing and composting,

• To integrate landscape, gardens and green roofs to maximize urban biodiversity

• To use deep green passive design strategies and solar architecture concepts

THE OPPORTUNITY TO HARNESS THE POWER OF HUMAN INNOVATION – HIGH TECH CITIES

• Innovation – the successful exploitation of new ideas.

• Measuring the level of innovation in an economy is difficult.

• Innovation is the result of a series of complex interactions between people, businesses and institutions.

HIGH TECH CITIES WILL INCLUDE

• Solar Surfaces Solar energy will be harvested from space and beamed

down to earth, providing clean, cheap and efficient electricity to power our cities

• High-Speed Long-Distance Travel People will travel hundreds of miles in just minutes through

solar-powered pods that travel through elevated tubes• Self-Driving Electric Cars All vehicles will get their energy from the electrical grid.

There will be no exhaust pipes, no carbon dioxide emissions, no gas stations, and no car accidents.

THE OPPORTUNITY TO LIVE MORE SUSTAINABLY• Sustainable cities are the most cost-effective, environmentally sound,

and efficient way to provide basic services, opportunities, and a high quality of life for all.

• A sustainable city is marked by a green economy, a healthy and happy community, smart infrastructure, and are biodiverse, low-carbon, resilient and resource-efficient.

• A sustainable cities is a where economy, society and the environment all balance out and can agree with each other so that it is fair for everyone.

FINALLY...

The future is bright. And its cities are green.

THANK YOU