Aug 23, 2013 ... Seligmann's Positive Psychology or in Jurgen Moltmann's Theology of Hope. ...
Moltmann J (2012) Ethics of Hope, Fortress, Minneapolis. ... Rauland V and Hall
S (2012) Going Carbon Neutral – the Story of South Fremantle ...
A network of regenerative cities Hugh Gardner Representing: Australia Sponsor: Arup Focus: Sustainable development (1500 words) Recent city visions are about reducing impact or footprint. They start by showing that cities are a big part of the global planetary problem and they need to reduce this impact. Examples have been found where reduction of impact is now underway as the technology, planning regulations, governance and financing have combined to show we can reduce impact whilst improving liveability. Would it be possible for us to go beyond the reduction in impact to a new vision of how cities can begin to be regenerative? Could cities do more than easing planetary pain? Could they be a major part of the planetary solution instead of being part of the problem? The first signs of a network of regenerative cities are beginning to appear, showing that this could indeed be a possibility.
Hugh Gardner 81 Union Street Erskineville NSW 2043 23 August 2013
The Hon Anthony Albanese MP Major Cities Unit Australian Government Department of Infrastructure and Transport It is time for a considered national point of view on the future network of Australian cities – one that strategically aligns Australian cities to make sure that future cities are a part of the solution and not a part of the problem. Just as garden cities were a reaction to industrial smog and overcrowded housing, the sustainable and resilient city concepts were a reaction to the resource consumption and excessive footprint of the modern city. The visionary concept of Sustainable Cities was created to help us reduce the impact of our cities from fossil fuels, water and waste, and to ease the loss of biodiversity whilst maintaining or improving liveability (Newman and Kenworthy, 1999). Resilient Cities was created to help push this a bit harder by showing that issues like peak oil and climate change required us to reduce our footprint further and faster, indeed cities needed to help lead the need for 80% less CO2 by 2050. Or else they would not adapt fast enough to the vulnerabilities of declining oil and rapidly changing climate (Newman et al, 2009). All of these recent city visions are about reducing impact or footprint. They start by showing that cities are a big part of the global planetary problem and they need to reduce this impact. Many examples have been found where this is now underway as the technology, planning regulations, governance and financing have combined to show we can reduce impact whilst improving liveability. Would it be possible for us to go beyond the reduction in impact to a new vision of how cities can begin to be regenerative? Could cities do more than easing planetary pain? Could they be a major part of the planetary solution instead of being part of the problem? Is it possible to imagine Regenerative Cities that are like a living ecosystem which repairs and restores itself providing a positive contribution to the broader bioregional and biosphere cycles of carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus, water and minerals? Is it possible for a city to create more renewable energy than it consumes, using this to enable its productive functions (industries, buildings and surrounding agriculture) to grow and thrive? Is it possible for a city’s consumption of water, nutrients and minerals to be recycled and returned to productive use? Is it possible for a city’s biodiversity to play a major role in enabling regional biodiversity to be improved rather than depleted? Can a city create more ecological niches, not less?
What would be needed in Regenerative Cities in their cultural, social and economic life to enable such regenerative processes to occur? If what is needed to become regenerative can be shown, we can begin to imagine a future where cities are part of the answer to our planetary challenges. Instead of seeing urbanization and city growth as a threat to the world’s future it may be possible to see them as the promise or protector of the planet. The notion of a Regenerative City then is one that contributes to its local, regional and global contexts, not just taking from it. It does more than minimize its impact it restores the impact and helps rebuild past impact. Some ideas along this line have been suggested through publications like Lyle’s ‘regenerative design’ though this is mostly concerning how a city relates to its local ecosystem, not the global issues such as carbon (Lyle, 1994). The first signs are beginning to appear of how Regenerative Cities could indeed begin to show features like zero carbon emissions, recycling nearly 100% of their waste or creating arks of biodiversity (Newman and Jennings, 2008). But they are rare so most cities and most urban developments are happy if they can just reduce their footprint rather than constantly increase it. It helps to show that perhaps the skills and creativity are available to take this next step. The next steps will be set out in anticipated areas of innovation in regenerative cities. They build up from small examples in individual buildings to the policy processes that control our cities. Perhaps we can begin to regenerate at every scale of city making. Regenerative Buildings Regenerative Precincts Regenerative Regions Regenerative Biodiversity Regenerative Policy Processes and Tools Regenerative buildings would be largely self sufficient in their energy and water, through photovoltaic technology, rainwater tanks, recycling of sewage and energy efficient design. Some buildings are demonstrating this such as Michael Mobb’s ‘sustainable house’ in inner Sydney or the Pixel Building in Melbourne which was the first building to obtain the highest rating from all the major green rating schemes. The Regenerative Precinct will be one that creates more renewable energy than it consumes, that creates more clean water than it consumes. The excess energy and water would be used by the rest of the city as it also begins to become more regenerative. The development of regenerative cities out of regenerative precincts requires regional planning to enable regional transport systems, regional water and energy systems and regional waste systems to be part of an integrated and holistic approach to the city.
The bio-region around a city needs also to be part of the wider picture so that the water, energy, waste and food systems are fully integrated into the supporting catchments of the city (Newman and Jennings, 2008). The next stage of considering how a city can be regenerative would be to examine how the natural biodiversity of a city could become regenerative. Cities have been consuming not just resources from their bioregions but also destroying habitat and hence biodiversity. Is it possible to begin to reclaim this through modifying the urban ecosystem to become regenerative for biodiversity? Most examples associated with sustainability are isolated demonstrations and they are only hinting at the possibilities of regeneration. They show us what is possible but they are a long way from being mainstreamed. It will not be possible to regenerate cities and regions significantly without enabling the policy framework for a city or a region to be renewed and regenerated as well. A dramatic shift in thinking is required to move from a vision that largely relies on reduction of impacts to a model that begins to think of cities as a contributor that will, over time, build social and natural capital and even restore past damage. Sustainability advocates have used pessimistic and alarming climate change predictions as a mechanism for behaviour change. This approach, although sending a clear message, has struggled to maintain engagement. It suggests human society can only cause damage or at the most minimise damage. It may be more effective from an engagement perspective to offer a positive and transformative vision that creates a positive outcome for human society. Rather than looking to cause less damage, we should be trying to have a positive impact on human and ecosystem health – reflecting the cross-disciplinary shift toward constructive visions seen in work such as Martin Seligmann’s Positive Psychology or in Jurgen Moltmann’s Theology of Hope. The concept of Regenerative Cities has been demonstrated in more than just ideas but in real case studies where the possibilities of regenerating the environment have been outlined. The examples are probably summarised as the best of the previous paradigm of reducing impact whilst improving liveability. As this approach is being mainstreamed and demonstrated, especially in Europe and China, the Major Cities Unit should begin to look at what is the next big challenge on a national scale – a network of regenerative cities. Is it possible to see Regenerative Cities emerge as the paradigm for the next stage of urban development? Perhaps the transition from highly consumptive and ecologically destructive cities to sustainable cities just the next step before they can become regenerative, enabling us to dramatically contribute to creating a truly more sustainable and productive planet.
Sincerely,
Hugh Gardner
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