The evolution of urban cities has taken the world by surprise and storm as it is essential for thriving and sustainable cities. This urban globalization is a transforming phenomenon that has affected commercial real estate and residential real estate immensely.
It has positively and negatively impacted the communities living in the urban center. On practical grounds, sustainable urban development ensures that cities can provide for their growing population and handle environmental challenges in the urban cities.
What is Sustainable Cities Development?
Sustainable Cities development is defined as the development of cities that meet the standards to meet the needs of the communities thriving in these cities. It upholds the standards and essential requirements, prioritizing economic, environmental, and social sustainability.
These cities are designed to ensure they are able to handle any uncertain situation arising all of a sudden. Sustainability ensures the cities are livable and supportive of economic, social, and ecological resilience in changing climatic conditions.
Sustainable Cities development focuses on creating cities that are more than just economically vibrant but also include quality of life balanced with environmental needs and social requirements of the communities fulfilled as per the standards set up. It also combines the improvement of transportation structures and aims to reduce pollution by planning strategies to overcome it. Also, effectively managing and preserving the natural resources.
Sustainable cities are designed to provide the best facilities like public safety, health, social amenities, and housing. It also includes integrated approaches to urban planning that respond to the needs of the local stakeholders, communities, and the natural environment.
Importance of Sustainable Urban Development
There are numerous advantages of sustainable urban development that could be long-term and short-term economic benefits that could bring in improved quality of life and reduce environmental impact. The foremost advantage of a sustainable city is that it initiates job creation and growth while aiming to reduce energy usage, pollution, and wastage at the same time. Even sustainable cities bring in improved living conditions and create opportunities for social inclusion among the various sectors of society.
When the cities become overly populated and congested, the demand for solutions and easing out of the congestion arises. The cities need to be redesigned to address the prevailing issues and be innovative, efficient, and sustainable in practice, with greener infrastructure that will be more efficient over time. This will significantly impact the environment as it will control pollution and reduce the waste of resources and energy consumption. Once the city is moving towards sustainability, it will work towards reducing carbon dioxide emissions and help to reduce global warming.
Also, once the cities go green, they will reduce pollution and improve air quality, traffic congestion, and noise pollution. It will eventually bring down the cost of living for the citizens. Another essential development that prevails with sustainable cities is that they can attract businesses, draw new enterprises, and create new opportunities.
Using energy efficiency strategies will reduce operating costs and make more profitable businesses, allowing better wages that will boost the local economy. Even the reduced waste in the cities will bring down the cost of municipal services, freeing the funds for other essential needs like healthcare, education, and housing.
Sustainable cities bring in better, greener areas for the people who reside. It will help citizens enjoy economic work with a better quality of life. It provides green locations, better parks, green spaces, and leisure activities. All these facilities in sustainable cities will benefit the lower income people as they can attain enhanced opportunities and provide them with the potential for upward mobility.
Challenges of Sustainable Urban Development
These days, sustainable development is the increasing need of the time due to an immense increase in the population and growing cities; the communities are striving to look forward to finding a solution. The best solution is greener and friendly environments free of multiple issues and concerns.
Yet, the cities face numerous challenges while creating sustainable cities as they face financial crises, lack of understanding, and many more challenges to build sustainable cities. The major constraint is the resources, as they have limited resources and huge demand. The development has to be done on a vast scale. They need to have the tools or materials to pursue their project ideas. Also, the projects need timely finance to complete.
A sustainable city’s completion and development needs expert knowledge and an experienced workforce to attain the project as per plan. Often, well-knowledgeable, trained architects who know the concepts well and efficiently with convenience complete the projects. Otherwise, inexperienced designers will need more expertise, and they will not be able to deliver the projects with proper green buildings, and energy efficiency plans will not be implemented in the plan.
Pakistan’s corporate and real estate industries are equally involved and participate in producing projects that bring sustainability to the city. Especially in Blue Area Islamabad, the corporate projects being built have the best strategies to incorporate amenities and facilities that help make the city sustainable.
Another challenge is the political and cultural roadblocks that hinder sustainable urban development. It could create conflicts that will be an issue in collaboration and implementation. Even cultural norms are often obstacles to sustainability initiatives, and even communities could be reluctant to change their lifestyles, so they might be friendly and accept sustainable practices as they might think they threaten their cherished traditions.
Conclusion
Despite the challenges and the constraints, the communities strive for sustainable cities as it is a long-term benefit and will create successful initiatives. They understand the challenges and overcome them to attain the desired goals. Sustainable towns have an immense positive impact on the lifestyle, economy, education, health, and the environment.
