Cities People Planet: Liveable Cities for a Sustainable World [Paperback]

Cities People Planet

Liveable Cities for a Sustainable World

by Herbert Girardet; Wiley Academy 2004, pp 296 £ 20

Review by Judith Ryser

Herbert Girardet is well known for his relentless campaigning for a sustainable world. Through films, exhibitions, books, speeches and built examples he gathers arguments and evidence to rally people to his cause and make their contribution "to make a difference". This book is no different. He postulate a revolution of `future proofing' cities and especially megacities which are environmentally voracious. Ever the optimist he believes that solutions shown in his 95 case studies will proliferate and convert the resource gobbling urban monsters into tame liveable and sustainable places. Widely travelled he has incorporated many of his own pictures which are impressive as usual and should make readers pose to reflect on their own wasteful behaviour.

His proposals are imminently sensible. Reducing waste to zero, using increasingly scarce water with care, producing food near the places where it will be consumed and resorting to renewable energy sources is possible as many proven technologies exist to work in that direction. He accepts that other movers and shakers have different views and tend to dismiss what they consider the scaremongering of the green warriors. In his book he tries to deflect such opposed views by conceding certain aspects without withering on the essentials. For example he agrees that tall buildings can be ecological, not New York skyscrapers though, or worse still, bad copies scattered around the mushrooming megacities in the developing world. His model is Ken Yeang's eco-tower surrounded by urban agriculture and open spaces to have fun.

He shows more generally how new technologies had a direct impact on urban development, good or bad, having turned "London into the great pioneer in unsustainable development". However, his belief in appropriate technology is boundless. Relentless city growth turns cities increasingly into dependent systems facing global competition. It also breads a worsening geography of inequality. Combating urban poverty has become an urgent priority. Despite efforts and international funds, only few experiments such as Lerner's Curitiba have managed to make these megacities in the developing world liveable. "Developing a sustainable relationship between people and planet while transforming local environmental conditions in cities is one of humanity's greatest challenges.." One way forward is to conceive cities as eco-technical systems and improve them by reducing their ecological footprint and taming traffic with good public transport and shift to cycling and walking.

Most serious urbanists are familiar with the eco-arguments about sustainable cities as well as the evolution of cities over the past 2500 years. However, Girardet's potted Eurocentric version of urban history with a cultural and environmental focus is a useful reminder. He concludes that continuity of human settlements in Europe as well as in the Far East relies on their good relation with their hinterland. The chapters on the various ecological design solutions constitute a handy reference compendium of successful applications at both the building and urban design scale.

Desirable as it may be, an eco-city needs yet to be designed and realised, possibly as a real life laboratory to test the claims on both sides. Who would finance such an undertaking though? Meanwhile, Girardet discussed partial results at a smaller urban scale. As an urbanite himself he is convinced that with the right attitudes and with the help of politicians and other enlightened activists cities can become the beacons of a culture of sustainability. Immaterial gray power, the knowledge and ingenuity of city dwellers are expected to create new masterpieces of human creativity. In his view, EcoPolis which has rediscovered its own bio-region is possible by 2020. Sustainability Planning has helped it along and a new aesthetic emerges from energy efficient zero waste buildings surrounded by green spaces for recreation and growing food. Actively involved citizens are not foregoing their living standards. They are merely changing them to more worthwhile ways of life, drawing on their locally funded entrepreneurship in environmental technology. Green collar workers can sell their ecological ware in local markets and community spirit is prospering. Curitiba style environment universities for the young can open their minds. They will become active participants in eco-change, building on best practice examples collated by numerous NGOs through the UN Habitat Best Practices and Local Leadership programmes accessed through global digital networks. Who does not hope that Girardet's vision will come true? Cities have always been in the forefront of innovation, but they also harboured among the worst poverty and physical conditions and the question is can ecocities come about without a negative price to pay?

Judith Ryser, CityScope, London November 2004