Hatch RobertsDay urban designer & city strategiest, Stephen Moore, explains how “Circular Cities” could transform the built environment and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
Two-thirds of the world’s population is predicted to live in cities by 2050. With cities responsible for more than 70 per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions, there is a need for a more sustainable approach to city design and planning.
The solution lies in ‘circular cities’, which are designed as living ecosystems that minimise waste, and reduce, reuse and recycle resources as much as possible.
Cities operate under a linear model, whereby raw materials are used to create goods, which are then consumed and disposed of. Urban planners should consider shifting infrastructure, transport and building design to make them adaptable and stand the test of time.
The design of our cities should also look to maximise happiness and minimise hardship, and focus on creating great places that people will love and enjoy. At its core, the way we design a circular city is through the lens of people.
Urban designers and planners need a framework to create cities that prioritise people and the environment. Here are four tactics to design a sustainable, circular city model:
- Prioritise walkability and accessibility. The design of most cities is causing half the population to lack independence and mobility. Design compact cities that are dense and mixed-use. Planners should redistribute road space to prioritise pedestrians and cyclists, introduce more green spaces, and bring amenities and jobs closer to neighbourhoods. This will ensure land is used effectively and puts people first – promoting better accessibility and walkability.
- Introduce green infrastructure. A key component of the circular city is the ability to reduce waste. Green infrastructure, which refers to a network of environmental features and green spaces that provide a natural means of reducing heat, improving air quality and mitigating waste. Green infrastructure can include street trees, constructed wetlands and green roofs – roofs that are almost entirely comprised of vegetation. The lifespan of conventional flat roofs can be doubled with greening. In Berlin, for instance, some green roofs are estimated to last 100 years] as they can better withstand weather, high temperatures and sunlight. Green roofs can also insulate buildings, regulate indoor temperatures and, therefore, reduce energy consumption.
- Use data and technology and collaborate with communities. Technology and data collection are valuable resources that planners and designed could utilise to create a circular city. Data mining – analysing raw data to extract meaningful trends – can help inform planning decisions to increase the longevity of a design and its acceptance in a community. A Hatch RobertsDay project in Palmerston City Centre, NT, involved mining community data to improve the City’s public, economy and use of its key public space, Goyder Square.
- Consider mobility. When designing circular cities, planners could focus on the modes of transport accessible to the community to reduce car dependency. Multi-modal mobility – incorporating different modes of public transport and innovations such as ridesharing into an integrated system – can assist with this. For instance, when Hatch RobertsDay worked with Coffs Harbour City Council in NSW to reshape the town’s approach to transport, Council considered investing $5 million in parking infrastructure. However, Hatch RobertsDay proposed the city shift 10 per cent of its transport to accommodate sustainable options, such as public transport and cycling, instead. Now the city is using its parking infrastructure budget to integrate traffic, public transport, cycling and pedestrian movement into a continuously improving system.