A Global Perspective on Cities of the Future:

Focus on China

developed by Cholehna Weaver2015 Fulbright-Hays Seminars Abroad Program Participant

Online link:https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1KyFXclGKV7Nm7i2ICCSVENzrsAxd0c0UvHYxFZjyjxs/edit?usp=sharing

“We do not inherit the Earth from our

ancestors; we borrow it from our children.”

Attributed to Author Wendell Berry.

“The greatest threat to our planet is the

belief that someone else will save it.”

Polar Explorer Robert Swan.

Lesson #1People, Population,

Potential

Lesson 1 Overview People, People Everywhere

1. POINT IT OUT: Discuss and identify challenges and benefits of population growth.

2. CHARTED: View and analyze charts showing world’s population growth.

3. CITY SLICKERS: Rise of Urbanization

Discuss the Hypothetical:

Imagine that your community’s population is expected to grow in the next five years. In fact, by 2020, your population is expected to triple. What are some of the immediate effects of this population growth? List the possible beneficial effects and list some of the detrimental effects of this growth.

Tech Option: Use Mind-Mapping tool (on tablets or desktops) to share brainstorming ideas. Paper Option: Use chart paper and have groups

from public

More time spent in car/bus

Discuss as a Class: How would Ocean City (as a city) need to plan and prepare for the influx of people?

For each of the issues identified, address how a city like Ocean City might prepare and plan the responses and preparations for each issue.

T-ChartEffect of Population Growth Possible Response or Preparations

Increased need for food

Increased need for water

Increased waste, litter, trash

Increased human waste

Increased traffic / need to move

Increased need for housing

Discuss the Reality:

Discuss the Reality:

Discuss the Reality:

Discuss the Reality:

How do the most populated places in the world deal with these challenges?

What happens when a city grows without the resources required for the number of

people?

What happens when we run out of stuff?(goods, supplies, resources)

What happens if a city doesn’t have a plan for trash removal?

What happens if a city doesn’t have a plan for traffic and the movement of people?

What happens if a city doesn’t have a plan for sewage removal?

Sewage flood 25 city coloniesTNN | Sep 22, 2015, 10.41PM IST

AGRA, INDIA: Residents of more than 25 colonies in the city are forced to live in insanitary conditions after the Agra Development

Authority dismantled a sewer draining into the Yamuna river at Dayalbagh without offering any alternative for sewage disposal.

With no outlet, sewer water has spilled onto the roads and foul smell has engulfed the entire area making life difficult here.

The Jal Nigam and the Agra Development Authority dismantled the sewer line passing through Rajshri Estate, Dayalbagh, on orders

from the National Green Tribunal, to check Yamuna pollution.

Residents claimed over 25 colonies in the area, including Amar Vihar, Rahul Vihar, Amar Bagh, Rahul Green, Radhey Green,

Vaishno Dham Colony, Maitri Bagh, Sant Nagar, Jai Ram Bagh, are facing problems as sewage water has spilled onto the roads and

foul smell has engulfed the entire area. The entire area has become a breeding ground for mosquitoes, thereby spreading fear of

dengue among residents.

The NGT has issued notice imposing a penalty of ₹1.41 crore against nine colonies and a school for discharging sewage into the

Yamuna. The notice was slapped on residents' welfare associations of the colonies in the area.

The residents held a meeting regarding the matter on Sunday.

Commuters passing through Rahul Vihar and Amar Vihar also face problem. It's impossible for pedestrians to cross the area due to

sewer water on the roads. Moreover, waterlogging on the roads has caused several accidents.

What happens if a city doesn’t have a plan for food supply?

What happens if if a city doesn’t have a plan for water quality and supply?

What happens if a city doesn’t have a plan for housing?

As populations grow around the world, what should we, as global citizens, be most concerned about? What should our priorities be?

As cities grow, people will still demand a high standard of living and quality of life. What factors affect one’s “Standard of Living”?

incomeemploymentpoverty ratequality and affordability of housingworking conditions (hours)vacation daysaccess and affordability of healthcareeducation

life expectancyincidence of diseasecost of goodsinfrastructurepolitical stability freedomenvironmental quality climatesafety

All of these factors need to be considered as populations change and grow. When a city is developed, many of these factors come into play when making decisions about how the city is structured and how it is organized.

Some priorities might be made for us...

Population Growth is a reality of our planet’s future. How we create our cities will determine what our future looks like.

When we think about cities in the future, we need to look at them as places of opportunity rather than places full of challenges and obstacles. Our energy use is predestined based on how our cities and communities are structured. The denser the population, the less carbon use. In fact, people are more willing to give up cars in the densest populations.

Watch the Ted Talk: Global Urbanization - The Shareable Future of Cities

Extension: History of Cities

Why did people decide to move to cities in the first place?

Ted Ed: Evolution of Urbanization https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fKnAJCSGSdkGood preview for cities of the future

Lesson #2:Case Study: China’s Urbanization Challenges

Lesson 2: OverviewCase Study: China’s Urbanization Challenges

1. SPOTLIGHT ON CHINA: China’s Unique Challenges 2. MORE PEOPLE, MORE PROBLEMS?: Student study

groups read specific examples about China’s challenges with population growth.

3. JIGSAW: Teach your classmates!

Facts about China’s Rapid DevelopmentChina's urban population will hit the one billion mark by 2030. China used more cement from 2011-2013 than the US did in the 20th

century.

China's cities will have added 350 million people, more than the entire population of the United States today.

China has 4 mega cities of over 10 million people.

By 2025, China will have 221 cities with one million–plus inhabitants—compared with 35 cities of this size in Europe today

A new skyscraper is built in China every 5 days.

China consumes 53% of the world's cement... and 48% of the world's iron ore... and 47% of the world's coal... and the majority of just about every major commodity

29% of San Francisco’s air pollution comes from China.

By 2025, China will build enough skyscrapers to fill TEN New York-sized cities.

On a global scale there are, by some estimates, as many as 1.25 million people moving from rural areas into urban centers on a weekly basis.

By 2025, China is projected to have a staggering 200 cities with populations over one million. America has just nine.

China has more individuals who have studied English than the United States.

Urbanization trends in China and selected countries from 1950 to 2010.Credit

A rapid push for urbanization1949: 10 percent of Chinese lived in cities

Globally: 51 percent of people live in cities

2015: 54 percent of Chinese live in cities

2020: 60 percent of Chinese projected to live in cities

2015: 82 percent of US residents live in cities.

What does urbanization in China look like?

View the following slideshow depicting life and land in the ever-changing, urbanizing landscape. Urbanization in China Slideshow, NYTimes

Rapid and Unprecedented Development57-Story Building Built in 17 Days

Why is China pushing for urbanization?● China needs to encourage domestic demand. They need more people in

their own country to buy products than people outside of the country. ○ Urbanization enhances domestic consumption: per capita income in

China is more than three times higher in urban than in rural communities.

● China’s arable land is running low. Rural China has little room to boost income growth by expanding agriculture and farms. Urbanization will reduce the poor agricultural population and open up possibilities for accelerated rural development through large-scale, modernizing farming practices.

● The drive for urbanization is ultimately linked to the aspiration of rural people to lead a better life.

China: What is the image of their future?from 2012 NY Times Opinion Pages, Henry Paulson writes:

“More innovative urban planning and design are also needed. To achieve the country's goals of raising living standards for a broader share of the population, cities must be better designed to yield energy efficiency and environmental sustainability. China's potential is stifled by traffic and pollution. Gazing out my hotel window in Beijing on a recent trip, I saw air that was hazy and polluted -- a stark contrast to the sparkling view of Lake Michigan I enjoy from my kitchen window at home in Chicago. This isn't just China's problem. Experts found that dirty air from China contributed up to 20 percent of the ground-level pollution on the American West Coast in 2010. And that is when just one-tenth of Chinese own cars. Imagine what China's air quality will become when this number triples, as some experts predict it will within the next several years.”

Wetlands

Report finds destruction of coastal wetlands

Wetland Ecosystems are in Critical State as Chinese Coastal Cities Expand

Water Scarcity in Cities

Overview of issue/defines prob-solution:http://www.coresponsibility.com/china-urban-water-disaster/Sponge Cities - A Solution:http://www.theguardian.com/sustainable-business/2015/oct/01/china-sponge-cities-los-angeles-water-urban-design-drought-floods-urbanisation-rooftop-gardens

Air QualityNews ELA:Air pollution takes years off lives in northern ChinaPDF

NEWS ELA:Chinese groups design an app to help environmentalists take on pollutersPDF

As China Roars, Pollution Reaches Deadly Extremes

Extension: US-China Meeting in Sept

Additional Background of US-China environmental commitments:http://www.nytimes.com/2015/09/16/us/us-and-chinese-climate-change-negotiators-to-meet-in-los-angeles.html

News ELA Article:U.S. and China agree to sharp cuts in greenhouse gas emissionsPDF

Extension Activity: Examine DeforestationProblems associated with:

http://news.mongabay.com/2014/04/after-widespread-deforestation-china-bans-commercial-logging-in-northern-forests/

Other problems associated with deforestation/history of deforestation:

http://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1204076/deforestation-blame-beijings-pollution

Illegal Deforestation and Pandas:

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/oct/21/chinas-panda-sanctuaries-risk-illegal-logging-greenpeace

China’s Great Wall of Trees:

http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/china-s-great-green-wall-helps-pull-co2-out-of-atmosphere/

Lesson #3Cities of the Future

Lesson 3POLLUTION SOLUTIONS and other creative ideas to solve problems with rapid urbanization

1. OUT OF THE BOX IDEAS: Shanghai World Expo and City Planning for the futurea. Megacity / Megabuilding in China’s Hunan

2. PRODUCT DESIGN REVIEWS: “Museum Gallery” of new city planning innovations

3. Team Design: City of the future

Shanghai World Expo

● In 2010, Shanghai hosted the World Expo with the theme: "Better City – Better Life" ○ This signified Shanghai’s new status in the 21st century as the “next

great world city.”○ One of the exhibits portrayed artistic renderings of cities of the

future with a focus on sustainability:■ Slideshow #1■ Slideshow #2■ Slideshow #3

The cities are the future.“NEW YORK — The world is building more cities, faster than ever before. China used more cement in the last three years than the United States used in the entire 20th century. By 2050, India will need new urban infrastructure to house an additional 404 million people — a task comparable to building every city in the United States in just 35 years. The global urban population is expected to rise to well over six billion by 2050 from 3.9 billion today.

The world needs more cities. The task, however, is not simply to build new cities but to design them for today, tomorrow and the next century.”

What is a sustainable city?What makes a city sustainable? What must a city produce so that it is not depleting natural resources faster than those resources are being produced? What factors and resources must be reduced, conserved, produced in a new way within a city? Brainstorm:

energy sourceswater waste

food staplestransportation

Sky City, Broad Group Changsha, China

City Model #1: Dragonfly City

City Model #2: Vegetal City

City Model #3: Plug-In City

City Model #4: Domed City

Green Building TechnologyCities of the future - Green Tech for cities. http://www.earthday.org/greencities/cities-of-the-future/

How stuff works: cities of the futurehttp://science.howstuffworks.com/environmental/green-science/5-green-future-cities.htm

Green Technology at Work

Solar Roadshttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/05/13/solar-road-power_n_7275278.html

3D-Printed Apartments3D printed apartmenthttp://www.theguardian.com/cities/2015/jan/31/chinese-firm-creates-worlds-tallest-3d-printed-building

http://www.3ders.org/articles/20150118-winsun-builds-world-first-3d-printed-villa-and-tallest-3d-printed-building-in-china.html

Final Project: REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL: Your team (3-4 students) has been approached by government officials to design a city of the future. You are going to design a new city that solves some of the sustainability issues that we’ve studied. You can use existing technology or create your own technology that will improve our planet. This city can serve as a model for many different places on the planet with technologies that are adaptable in different settings. Requirements:

● Illustration that serves as a blueprint or rendering that could be presented to government officials to showcase and “sell” your city design. Illustration should feature 3-4 new technologies or features that specifically address sustainability issues. Two of the technologies should be existing green tech innovations that are in production or previously-researched devices/structures.

● Project Narrative that describes the city and its features using evidence from previous research to demonstrate how each selected innovation addresses a real-world problem with urbanization.

● Presentation: Present your proposal to the class as though you were actually “selling” your idea to government officials. Your presentation should include some persuasive techniques including evidence from research and reading in class.

Extension: A Real-Life Sustainable City, Masdar

Abu Dhabi’s Masdar Cityhttp://www.nytimes.com/2010/09/26/arts/design/26masdar.htmlGraphic http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2010/09/26/arts/design/26masdar-graphic.htmlVideo: http://ed.ted.com/on/lBAGEOX2#watch

http://www.ziraisland.com/

Extension: A Real-Life Sustainable City, Zira Island

Conclusion

We all need China to reinvent its economic model. Working together on urbanization creates progress toward joint solutions to the challenges the world faces from overwhelming pressure on natural ecosystems, resources and commodities. We need Chinese cities to succeed, and we can help ensure that they do so.

Extension: Human Concerns with MegaCities

Jing-Jin-Ji Mega-city with videohttp://www.nytimes.com/2015/07/20/world/asia/in-china-a-supercity-rises-around-beijing.html

The need for Americans to gain greater exposure to and understanding of China is clear: there is perhaps no more important or complex

relationship in the world than that between the United States and China in terms of securing global peace and security. Virtually no major international issue – whether global economic recovery or climate

change or nuclear non-proliferation - can be solved without the active engagement of both the United States and China, working in concert.

Why study China?