A New Urban Paradigm
By 2050 80% of the world’s population will live in or around cities and how we manage their development will have a massive impact on the planet and its resources.
The social, environmental and economic consequences of the development cycle are considerable and have a global impact and if we continue to use the same urban models that have been used for the past 100 years then our future demise is sealed; carbon dioxide levels will increase above 750ppm and we will pass the point of no return when negative feedback loops will accelerate global warming beyond our ability to control it.
The time has come to recognize that we need a new model for urban planning that is based on the development of positive infrastructure solutions and collaboration across all nations for the good of the planet.
Planet Positive Cities
As cities grow and new cities are developed so we need to generate new models that encourage and incentivise new positive development. A Planet Positive city is defined as a development that has a net positive impact on the climate and would lead to a new concept in urban design and twin cities.
The new model would achieve the following
- Reduced footprint
- Dedicated urban sinks around or distributed throughout the city that would provide the following
- Net carbon absorbers
- Water and waste processing
- Biodiversity and ecological capacity
- Leisure and well being
- Clean air lungs/climatic moderation
- Where land is unavailable then a twinned city relationship would be adopted by linking with a city/town in a poorer nation that contracts to provide matching environmental services that take the net impact beyond neutral to Planet Positive
Guy Battle
30.11.08
