Sustainability Issues Course
Blog Presentation
Built Environment – High Density Development
Before we start to investigate high density development in the built environment, we need to define what high density development means. High density development is defined as, having a high concentration of residential and non-residential development within a given area. One the best examples of high density development is New York City. And while many people may view NYC as a crowded city with lots of noise and too many people, the city is actually one of the most sustainable cities in the nation.
This is due to several characteristics of most high density metropolitan areas:
1. The city development is so condensed that most resident do not own vehicles, they simply walk from one destination to another, or utilize the mass transit system such as the subway.
2. Most NYC resident live in smaller, individual dwellings, which do not require copious amount of energy to distribute living utilities such as water and electricity.
3. Most of the common businesses such as grocery stores, post offices, dr. offices, and more, that resident depend on to live, are located within just a few blocks of their homes and can be reached on foot, and do not require a vehicle. Which in turn, dramatically reduces the amount of CO2 being introduced into the environment.
Streetsblog.org
4. Many stores and business are locally owned, therefore any business that is generated there, stay within the local community, thus supporting the local economy.
The graphic below shows the many sustainable aspects of New York City, and the bi-product of those green efforts.
EIA Release Date Information for New York: US Department of Energy
So let’s review the advantages of high density development such as New York City:
1. City residents living in a higher density, use foot, bike, or mass transit systems for transportation, thus reducing the number of vehicles on the road, reducing CO2 admissions.
2. City residents require less energy to distribute their basic utilities such as water, gas, and electricity; because of the short distance those commodities have to travel from the plant to the resident of the city.
3. The majority of local businesses are locally owned, therefore when the resident go to the grocery store, or pharmacy, their money is staying within that community, thus supporting the local economy.
While there are plenty of positives to living in a city such as New York City, many view the negatives before weighing those positives. Living in a large city such as NYC, puts limitations on the way most Americans have come to live.
1. There are limited amounts of green space, outside of parks such as Central Park, which in turn, limit residents in enjoying the outdoor environment. Due to that fact, it is very unappealing for couples with children, families, and retirees.
2. On a physical aspect, due the lack of frequent green spaces, and the domination of concrete and gravel, there is a significant amount of contaminated water runoff from rain and other natural moisture. That in turn, does require an additional attention from local water treatment facilities; however, the local vegetation along the sore lines acts as a natural purification system, thus relieving some of the stress on local treatment plants.
3. The cost of living in such a dense metropolitan area is much higher than it would be in urban areas, and this too becomes a large deterrent for families and other limited budget residents.
Now that we have taken a look at the advantages of high density development, let’s look at the disadvantages.
1. The limited green spaces throughout a high density development, often limits the variation in demographics from singles, families, and retirees.
2. The overwhelming use of concrete, a non-permeable material, creates large amounts of water runoff that is often contaminated with toxic materials from vehicles, people, businesses and even animals.
3. The additional toxic water runoff then requires larger water treatment facilities to meet the demands of the local residents.
4. The cost of living is often higher than that in urban areas, which also limits the variation of demographics among city residents.
While high density development does have its advantages and disadvantages, the numbers speak for themselves. When it comes to teaching by example, New York City is living proof of the advantages of a higher density development. As we move more towards a more sustainable world, city officials have evaluated those sustainable weaknesses and have begun to solve those problems.
New York City is once again leading the way in sustainably planning for the future with forward thinking infrastructure development plans. The New York City Green Infrastructure Plan aims to reduce combined sewer overflows (CSOs) by 40 percent, while reducing energy consumption and the city's carbon footprint through "green infrastructure."
At its heart, the plan is a strategy for dealing with the large amounts of water in the city's sewer systems following heavy rainstorms and the consequent CSO discharge of raw sewage, industrial waste, and polluted run-off into the city's waterways. CSOs are set up to prevent sewage from backing up in an overloaded system by bypassing the treatment plant and discharging directly into overflow areas, which are usually nearby rivers, streams, lakes and shores (here is a map of the main locations of the more than 400 outlet pipes around NYC from a city water quality report [PDF]). A traditional approach to reducing CSOs would be investment in 'gray' infrastructure, such as by building more pipes, storage tanks and treatment plants, which increase the capacity of the sewage system to collect and treat water. New York is investing in a small amount of this, but with the Green Infrastructure Plan the aim is to reduce the amount of water going into the sewers in the first place. This can be achieved by investing in green roofs, planting in public spaces, and the use of more porous surfaces for sidewalks and car parks, amongst other measures.
NYC's Green Infrastructure Plan
Alison Killing, 29 Oct 10
Alison Killing, 29 Oct 10
Resources for this Blog Entry
Wikipedia – Urban Sprawl - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Urban_sprawl
Urban Land Institute - http://www.uli.org/sitecore/content/ULI2Home/ResearchAndPublications/Reports/Affordable%20Housing/Content/~/media/Documents/ResearchAndPublications/Reports/Affordable%20Housing/HigherDensity_MythFact.ashx
Streetsblog.org – How clean is your commute? - http://www.streetsblog.org/2008/10/14/how-clean-is-your-commute/
Worldchanging – NYC’s Green Infrastructure Plan - http://www.worldchanging.com/archives/011693.html
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