Experts feed

Joan Busquets: Geography, history and diversity

Signe Cecilie Jochumsen — Tue, 08 Feb 2011 13:42:29 +0000

1. In your opinion, what are the three main qualities that characterize a sustainable city?

Thomas Sieverts: The prerequisite of a sustainable city is beauty

Signe Cecilie Jochumsen — Wed, 05 Jan 2011 14:37:06 +0000

How would you define the sustainable city of the future?
The most important thing that a sustainable city has to have is beauty. Because if something is not beautiful or not meaningful people do not take care of it and do not develop responsibility and they forget about it. Things that do not stick to memory in a positive way or at least in a stimulating way will never be taking care of.

Leo Abruzzese: Cities will have to choose to be sustainable

Maria Nørlyng Leal — Mon, 29 Nov 2010 13:21:13 +0000

How would you define the sustainable city of the future?
It is a good question. Cities will have to make a choice to either be sustainable or not. And cities have a lot of different priorities. Especially in emerging markets the city might choose to prioritise poverty reductions or health care. In that way a sustainable city is going to have to start with a city that chooses to make that a priority. Because, sustainability is an important priority but it is not the only priority. So that is going to be the first decision.

Luciano Ducci: Sustainability is a constant search

Maria Nørlyng Leal — Fri, 26 Nov 2010 09:19:37 +0000

What does it mean to Curitiba to be ranked highest in the Latin American Green City Index?
In Curitiba we are, of course, very happy and understand the ranking as a recognition of the work that has been done in the city for the past 40 years. We have prioritized urban planning, transportation, the environment and social issues.

Janette Sadik-Khan: Rethinking the city

Sarah Armitage — Wed, 03 Nov 2010 10:09:23 +0000

What are the qualities that characterize a sustainable city?

Vandana Shiva: A city that functions like a cluster of villages

Sarah Armitage — Wed, 18 Aug 2010 14:46:08 +0000

What are the qualities that should characterize a sustainable city?
“In my opinion, a sustainable city is really a city that functions like a cluster of villages, in the sense that each part of it is self-reliant and self-sufficient, that you should be able to walk out of your house and find your groceries, and the laundry, and everything else that you need for everyday living. Basically a density of occupation, a multi-functionality and density of use, both to liberate space and to create community.”

John Whitelegg: Health in the sustainable city

Sarah Armitage — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 09:41:54 +0000

What are the three qualities that should characterize a sustainable city?

Pan Haixiao: Learning from Shanghai

Sarah Armitage — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 07:56:56 +0000

What are the qualities that should characterize a sustainable city?
“If you look at the definition of sustainable development, first that we would have a developed country, that we would have some kind of development… where people can survive in the city. So economic vitality is very important. At the same time, with less environmental impact. And also, that [the city] can be shared by different social groups, that different social groups can be participants in decision making.”

Hilmar von Lojewski: A global balance

Sarah Armitage — Mon, 19 Jul 2010 12:21:00 +0000

Q: What are the three qualities that should characterize a sustainable city?

Thomas Ermacora: The metabolic city

Sarah Armitage — Sun, 18 Jul 2010 10:21:56 +0000

Q: What are the three qualities that should characterize a sustainable city?
People-Centric
‘One of the things that I would find attractive in a city would be that it has a very strong focus on liveability, that the lifestyle component really makes you feel that you don’t have to be an eco-monk.... It’s the wanting, rather than the having to, which I believe we have to perform as a paradigm shift. And that is really why I believe that the participatory nature of the process would help, because people need to empathize with it.’

It’s all about behaviour

Søren Smidt-Jensen — Sat, 17 Jul 2010 08:15:38 +0000

Q: What are the three qualities that should characterize a sustainable city?

Cameron Sinclair: Diversity and Complexity in a Simple World

Sarah Armitage — Wed, 16 Jun 2010 14:10:49 +0000

Q: What are the three qualities that should characterize a sustainable city?
Mobility: ‘For me, mobility is a big issue—how we transport ourselves in the city. When you look at New York, it’s actually one of the most sustainable cities in the world, just because of the sheer number of people that take public transportation versus use cars. It doesn’t seem like that because our roads are clogged, but it actually is a very sustainable city.’