What Is Sustainable Housing in Cities?
Everyone desires to live in a safe, environmentally friendly, and easily accessible neighborhood. There have been numerous dynamic measures to upgrade old cities to meet modern cities standards. Perhaps you have come across many attractive places through magazines, televisions, or social media platforms.
Any sustainable city concept mainly incorporates all Eco-friendly practices, supporting technology in the urban setups to curb air pollution and green spaces, protect the available natural resources, and improve air quality. All these practices aim to make the cities have a healthier environment for all the residents, therefore, more sustainable.
Let’s look at what it means to have suitable housing in cities. Below are the best key factors to guide you through.
Even though automobiles help transportation, they are also the primary environmental pollutants. Seventy-five percent of C.O. pollution experienced in the U.S. is caused by cars. One can look at the Broadstone La Frontera for the perfect example of easy navigation within a community
These critical components of sustainable urban setups have many benefits:
- Decreasing congestion
- Reducing harmful emissions
- Enhancing air quality
- Improving health and wellness
A good example is Copenhagen, where the number of bicycles is more than cars in a ratio of 5:1. Nearly half of the citizen’s population use bikes to commute. In addition, the city management has continued to achieve the bike culture through building cycle superhighways using ample amenities lengthways, including air-pumps, traffic lights, and safer inspection.
Additional E.V. Charging Stations
As much as conventional fuel-driven automobiles generate approximately 4.6 metric tons annually, hybrids can cut this in half, and electric cars produce none. Therefore, every city aspiring to control carbon neutrality needs to include E.V. charging stations to meet its sustainability city needs and planning.
For easy construction of these stations, the urban areas management and planners can team up with different developers to determine the most appropriate locations to set up such charging stations. Adding more E.V. charging stations will have key benefits like:
- Lowering transportation costs
- Reducing strain on traffic management infrastructure
- Massive reduction of the carbon emissions
- Cleaner air
To achieve all these, every city aiming to maintain its sustainability needs to use a long-term approach since some achievements take longer. Therefore, a city should achieve emission-free ground transportation within twenty years.
Accessibility to Public Resources and Green Spaces
Imagine living in a city with a fresh circulation of air coming from the green plantations available. These could be trees, flowers, grass, e.t.c. Accessibility to biking parks, nature, and walking are crucial elements that any sustainable city should have.
People are highly attracted to natural resources such as recreational areas, parks, and nature preserves, which get them out of cars. Greenspace’s mental health benefits for humans are another factor to consider. Exposure to impurities can damage the central nervous system, which is linked to specific mental health conditions like depression. With the urban vegetation, noise pollution can be easily mitigated, which causes stress and sleeps disturbance.
Proper urban landscaping and infrastructure designs are important in making the cities more vibrant and enhancing public resources.
A city can improve its sustainability through the benefits created by this feature by:
- Creating more livable urban centers
- Improving urban mobility
- Supporting a diverse ecosystem, including bees, birds, and butterflies
- Improving residents’ mental health
Support Urban Farming
Better food supply equals a better feeding program. For example, a city that has adopted urban farming enhances its food production, elevates the effects of environmental food transportation, and reduces food insecurity. By growing local food, a city can reduce the distance between the farm and the consumers.
A city aiming to attain its sustainability status should consider practicing urban farming, which entails rooftop farming, vertical gardens, and community gardens—however, it’s also vital to encourage schools and restaurants to practice the same.
Urban farming comes with the following benefits:
- Meeting the increasing local food demand
- Improving the local economy
- Transforming under-utilized spaces into vibrant and edible landscapes
- Reducing the environmental effect of the agriculture supply chain
The sustainability of any city is aimed to benefit both the citizens and the developers. Therefore, if you are a citizen seeking to move into a sustainable city, find out if the features mentioned above are available before moving. They are the key determinant of a better city. However, real estate investors should also ensure that their properties meet the standards set for the city’s sustainability.