The city and the stake of sustainable development

Résumé du document

I chose this subject mainly because I am very interested in urbanism. Indeed, I'd like to start a master called ISUR in French, which means: “Ingénieurie des systèmes urbains en réseaux”. It is a special program that allows to work in the urbanism sector in developing countries. It seems very interesting, since it ties both the environmental issue and the global poverty. Then, I've been inspired by a report made by the “Courrier International, n885” newspaper, called “Ma ville de demain”, which made me think a lot about the cities as an environmental issue. On the other hand, last year I was responsible in my school, in France, for the debates on movies and I organized one about Al Gore's documentary: “An inconvenient truth”, from whom I picked up one relevant quotation: "There is no more debate. We face a planetary emergency. The phrase sounds shrill but it is an accurate description of the climate crisis that we have to confront and solve." --Al Gore

Extraits

[...] Plan of the site named Courrouze” in Saint-Jacques-de-la-Lande Conclusion As a conclusion, we can highlight the successes which have been done in term of sustainable urbanism, as well as the projects. Many cities have now sustainable town-planning and in France for instance the very recent “Grenelle de l'environnement” has organised for the years to come local initiative and individual ones in term of urbanism. But one mustn't forget that the environmental issue of sustainable development is mainly linked to the efforts human beings, which implies individual ones and not only politician's, are able to implement. [...]

[...] In 1994, the ICLEI organized the Conference of Aalborg which saw the adoption of the "Charter of the European cities for a sustainable development” (commonly called "Charter of Aalborg"), adopted today by 650 municipal administrations, local and regional of 32 European countries, which concern more than 130 million Europeans, and with whom these local communities begin to carry out a local Agenda 21. The Campaign of the European cities for a sustainable development, also launched with Aalborg in 1994, and initiated by the European Commission, aims¶to encourage and support the action of the European local communities, eager to launch out in a process of sustainable development. ¶Some 1300 local communities, that is to say more than 100 million citizens, take part in it. [...]

[...] Today, the barracks and “environmentally sound and affordable construction”, as well as “bioclimatic” buildings, are gathered in the same area. The district favours pedestrians, riders and public transports which connect very quickly Vauban area to Freiburg downtown. Garage silos at the entrance of the area allow suppressing street car-parks, which lets the whole public pavement free for people. The most interesting feature in Vauban is that the inhabitants themselves demanded the sustainability nature of the area. They feel really concerned by the evolution of the place they are living in; indeed, decision-making is always considering the public opinion. [...]

[...] - sustainable urbanism: it includes four fundamental principles, such as : - a cultural pillar: any project of sustainable town planning ¶must include a cultural added value. - an economic pillar: there is no sustainable urbanism without taking into account of the collective costs in the long term. - a social pillar: there is no more sustainable town planning without research of a high life quality and of creation of social bond. - an environmental pillar: sustainable urbanism must be efficient” (objective “zero competitive materials, use of renewable energies . Throughout this essay I will first of all see how alarming the situation is firstly. [...]

[...] The concrete examples and success based on my own experience A. Vauban and Viikki, some achieved areas B. Saint-Jacques-de-La-Lande, a rising project I. The current situation: The background: the unbalance between urban and rural zones "The current situation of the human settlements in the¶world, as described in the third World Report/ratio on the Human settlements is alarming "notes the Economic and Social Council of the United Nations in sound preparatory report at the Johannesburg Summit. Urban population was multiplied by twenty in hundred years while the world population quadrupled. [...]