The world currently faces a number of major threats, most of which find their roots in the environment. From hunger to global warming, remedies for humanitys greatest challenges lie in taking better care and making sustainable use of our environment. Among the principle areas where this is possible is on arid lands, particularly waterfronts as they are easier and cheaper to develop. In this essay, the problem, inherent opportunities, potential solutions, how to implement those solutions and potential benefits are explored for ecologically developing an arid waterfront.
The Problem
As the world grapples with overpopulation, arable land is becoming more expensive and scarce. For this reason, food has become expensive, subjecting hundreds of millions in the third world to starvation. In early 2008, the situation was so bad that social unrest spread across continents, from Ivory Coast to Haiti, with even a government being toppled. At the same time, centuries of environmental degradation through felling of trees and release of carbon into the atmosphere has put our delicate climate in peril, besides causing desertification and flooding, both of which make more land inaccessible.
Solutions can be found for these problems, among which is sustainable arid land development. For dry lands which are close to water bodies, urban developments that are ecologically sound can be put up in such a manner that they produce their own food for consumption, increase their area of vegetation cover, use sustainable energy and minimize on pollution, among other things.
Implementation
In designing such an urban development, cutting edge technology and overall thinking are required at every step of the way. Ecological urban planning concepts are necessary to take advantage of the lake breeze, which can be harnessed for wind energy to cater for a significant part of the new citys energy requirements. The city plan should also allow for the breeze to penetrate the streets and residential areas rather than block it. When this is done, ecological architecture can be employed in designing self-cooling buildings, which have the advantage of not only saving on air conditioning. This is desirable because it both saves on energy and preserves the environment, seeing as most air conditioners are environmentally harmful. The urban plan also needs to take care of existing ecosystems if there are any streams, trees or wildlife habitations, the city and building designs should be made around them.
Buildings will need to be fitted with solar panels to take advantage of the abundant sun in arid lands, thus further adding to the energy supply provided by wind. Wherever possible, buildings should have green roofing. This is where gardens are made on top of roofs for purposes of food, beautification and more. This will have a number of advantages food will be more abundant, a cool microclimate will be created (further reducing the need for air conditioning), and the carbon footprint will be drastically reduced or eliminated. The buildings can also be constructed with double walls using recycled material (for sustainability). Double walls have the effect of keeping temperatures low when its hot outside and warm when its cold outside.
Stretches of idle land just outside the city can be used to plant ecologically friendly biofuel crops such as Jatropha Carcus, which is drought-resistant, to complete whatever energy requirements that may remain. Being at the lakefront, clean water for most chores might prove a challenge to get, thus the need to preserve and recycle whatever water can be harnessed. One of the ways to do this is by use of a Sewerage Treatment Plant (STP), which filters sewerage to produce water for irrigation and gas for cooking. This way, other clean sources of water can be less burdened. Energy needs will also be met. Gardens and parks should be organic to reduce the amount of fertilizer and chemical pesticides necessary to maintain them.
Sustaining the Gains
All the outlined gains of an eco-city would be to naught if the residents do not sustain them. Residents should be encouraged to carpool when going to work, or better still to cycle to work to minimize the carbon footprint. As much as possible, recycled material should be used and other material should be recycled. The use of plastic bags should be banned, instead encouraging the use of bio-degradable baskets. For lighting, energy-saving fluorescent bulbs and tubes should be used. Each home should have a garden in its compound, with at least a tree or two. The gardens, for domestic food consumption, should be grown organically. The beach area should be kept clean, with no littering or dumping of chemicals or effluent into the lake. This will help preserve marine life and overall aesthetic beauty.
Positive Impact
If such a city can be constructed, myriad gains will have been made
Positive Environmental Impact
The immediate impact of all the new vegetation the green roofs, home gardens, biofuel crops, etc would be the creation of a cool microclimate in the developed area. Being in front of a lake, the arid land as it currently is cannot benefit because all the moisture being brought in by the breeze either evaporates or travels long distances inland, benefiting other areas with vegetation. With the new vegetation however, the moisture would be trapped, and as the plants perspire, vapor would rise into the local sky, thereby creating rain at that local level. The overall reduced heat levels would also slow down evaporation rates, ensuring that the soil remains moist, helped also by the increased rain. Naturally, more rain is bound to increase vegetation cover, further enhancing the value of the land and creating a positive cycle.
Positive Impact on Soil
As the vegetation grows and dies, the soil would be enriched organically as the foliage decomposes, increasing its productivity. This happens when the decomposed foliage turns into humus, and mixes with the local sand. This has the effect of bonding the soil together while creating an acceptable level of drainage and porosity within it. If the soil is further enriched with the waste products of the STP process, the overall composition of the soil will become highly favorable to agriculture. It would also be conducive for worms and other soil organisms to grow, which in turn further enrich the soil with vital nutrients.
Positive Economic Impact
Another area of profound impact will be economic from the time of construction right through to the establishment of offices and residences, employment opportunities will abound for both locals and immigrants. The eco-friendliness of the area will also attract investment - a lot of which these days is conscientious thus spurring growth. Being at the lakefront, the city is also highly likely to attract considerable international tourism as tourists seek clean and new areas to escape from winter or simply to unwind. At the same time, the marine fishing industry is bound to experience a boost from the clean fishing areas, with ready market locally provided by residents within the new city. They may even be able to export, depending on other factors. At the domestic level, people will be able to grow food and reduce their household budget. They may even be able to sell some of it and generate income the city can be a net exporter of food.
Positive Social Impact
Socially, lives will be upgraded as a result of economic activity, increasing incomes and expanding opportunities as the city grows. Inevitably, schools will be built, as will be hospitals and other social facilities that will improve the overall living conditions. If there had been locals in the area, they would improve in their educational levels, making them more productive as a workforce and be able to draw high-skilled industries such as manufacturing and Business Process Outsourcing. All these would be complimented by improved health care, as infant mortality drops to boost the workforce and the current workforce also ends up being productive for investors. As their incomes grow, so will their needs and wants, causing entrepreneurs to supply more services and goods to the area, further creating jobs and improving the economy.
The Problem
As the world grapples with overpopulation, arable land is becoming more expensive and scarce. For this reason, food has become expensive, subjecting hundreds of millions in the third world to starvation. In early 2008, the situation was so bad that social unrest spread across continents, from Ivory Coast to Haiti, with even a government being toppled. At the same time, centuries of environmental degradation through felling of trees and release of carbon into the atmosphere has put our delicate climate in peril, besides causing desertification and flooding, both of which make more land inaccessible.
Solutions can be found for these problems, among which is sustainable arid land development. For dry lands which are close to water bodies, urban developments that are ecologically sound can be put up in such a manner that they produce their own food for consumption, increase their area of vegetation cover, use sustainable energy and minimize on pollution, among other things.
Implementation
In designing such an urban development, cutting edge technology and overall thinking are required at every step of the way. Ecological urban planning concepts are necessary to take advantage of the lake breeze, which can be harnessed for wind energy to cater for a significant part of the new citys energy requirements. The city plan should also allow for the breeze to penetrate the streets and residential areas rather than block it. When this is done, ecological architecture can be employed in designing self-cooling buildings, which have the advantage of not only saving on air conditioning. This is desirable because it both saves on energy and preserves the environment, seeing as most air conditioners are environmentally harmful. The urban plan also needs to take care of existing ecosystems if there are any streams, trees or wildlife habitations, the city and building designs should be made around them.
Buildings will need to be fitted with solar panels to take advantage of the abundant sun in arid lands, thus further adding to the energy supply provided by wind. Wherever possible, buildings should have green roofing. This is where gardens are made on top of roofs for purposes of food, beautification and more. This will have a number of advantages food will be more abundant, a cool microclimate will be created (further reducing the need for air conditioning), and the carbon footprint will be drastically reduced or eliminated. The buildings can also be constructed with double walls using recycled material (for sustainability). Double walls have the effect of keeping temperatures low when its hot outside and warm when its cold outside.
Stretches of idle land just outside the city can be used to plant ecologically friendly biofuel crops such as Jatropha Carcus, which is drought-resistant, to complete whatever energy requirements that may remain. Being at the lakefront, clean water for most chores might prove a challenge to get, thus the need to preserve and recycle whatever water can be harnessed. One of the ways to do this is by use of a Sewerage Treatment Plant (STP), which filters sewerage to produce water for irrigation and gas for cooking. This way, other clean sources of water can be less burdened. Energy needs will also be met. Gardens and parks should be organic to reduce the amount of fertilizer and chemical pesticides necessary to maintain them.
Sustaining the Gains
All the outlined gains of an eco-city would be to naught if the residents do not sustain them. Residents should be encouraged to carpool when going to work, or better still to cycle to work to minimize the carbon footprint. As much as possible, recycled material should be used and other material should be recycled. The use of plastic bags should be banned, instead encouraging the use of bio-degradable baskets. For lighting, energy-saving fluorescent bulbs and tubes should be used. Each home should have a garden in its compound, with at least a tree or two. The gardens, for domestic food consumption, should be grown organically. The beach area should be kept clean, with no littering or dumping of chemicals or effluent into the lake. This will help preserve marine life and overall aesthetic beauty.
Positive Impact
If such a city can be constructed, myriad gains will have been made
Positive Environmental Impact
The immediate impact of all the new vegetation the green roofs, home gardens, biofuel crops, etc would be the creation of a cool microclimate in the developed area. Being in front of a lake, the arid land as it currently is cannot benefit because all the moisture being brought in by the breeze either evaporates or travels long distances inland, benefiting other areas with vegetation. With the new vegetation however, the moisture would be trapped, and as the plants perspire, vapor would rise into the local sky, thereby creating rain at that local level. The overall reduced heat levels would also slow down evaporation rates, ensuring that the soil remains moist, helped also by the increased rain. Naturally, more rain is bound to increase vegetation cover, further enhancing the value of the land and creating a positive cycle.
Positive Impact on Soil
As the vegetation grows and dies, the soil would be enriched organically as the foliage decomposes, increasing its productivity. This happens when the decomposed foliage turns into humus, and mixes with the local sand. This has the effect of bonding the soil together while creating an acceptable level of drainage and porosity within it. If the soil is further enriched with the waste products of the STP process, the overall composition of the soil will become highly favorable to agriculture. It would also be conducive for worms and other soil organisms to grow, which in turn further enrich the soil with vital nutrients.
Positive Economic Impact
Another area of profound impact will be economic from the time of construction right through to the establishment of offices and residences, employment opportunities will abound for both locals and immigrants. The eco-friendliness of the area will also attract investment - a lot of which these days is conscientious thus spurring growth. Being at the lakefront, the city is also highly likely to attract considerable international tourism as tourists seek clean and new areas to escape from winter or simply to unwind. At the same time, the marine fishing industry is bound to experience a boost from the clean fishing areas, with ready market locally provided by residents within the new city. They may even be able to export, depending on other factors. At the domestic level, people will be able to grow food and reduce their household budget. They may even be able to sell some of it and generate income the city can be a net exporter of food.
Positive Social Impact
Socially, lives will be upgraded as a result of economic activity, increasing incomes and expanding opportunities as the city grows. Inevitably, schools will be built, as will be hospitals and other social facilities that will improve the overall living conditions. If there had been locals in the area, they would improve in their educational levels, making them more productive as a workforce and be able to draw high-skilled industries such as manufacturing and Business Process Outsourcing. All these would be complimented by improved health care, as infant mortality drops to boost the workforce and the current workforce also ends up being productive for investors. As their incomes grow, so will their needs and wants, causing entrepreneurs to supply more services and goods to the area, further creating jobs and improving the economy.
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