* Any views expressed in this article are those of the author and not of Thomson Reuters Foundation.
For the first time in history, the average Chinese resident now emits more CO2 than the average European. Hallie Keenan of Energy Innovation offers a remedy.
For the last several years, China has been the world’s largest emitter of carbon dioxide. Emissions have been growing on both a per capita and absolute quantity basis. Within the last decade, China’s per capita emissions have increased from well under five tons to more than seven tons. While one or two more tons per person may not sound like much, when you multiply this increase by over a billion people, it becomes unnervingly clear that changing consumption patterns can have dire consequences for China, and the rest of the world.
With millions of people added to China’s cities each year, urban areas face increasingly greater pressure to implement clean and sustainable features that minimize their contribution to local pollution and global climate change.
But a cleaner, less consumptive lifestyle need not be a sacrifice for urban residents. In fact, several studies indicate that urbanization – the process by which more people come to reside in urban areas – can reduce per capita greenhouse gas emissions, while also offering abundant economic, health, and cultural benefits.
The way in which new cities are built will drastically determine whether they contribute to the reversal – or acceleration – of climate change. Proper design of urban form and transportation systems will be crucial for getting these cities right.
So what does a city need in order to be prosperous? First and foremost, it needs to cater to the needs and desires of its citizens, and not its cars. Many of China’s cities are frequently burdened with paralyzing traffic jams. And yet the current car ownership rate in China is still less than 10%. One can imagine the calamity that would ensue if this rate went up to a quarter or even half of the population.
Cities need to encourage alternative modes of transportation – walking, biking, and public transit. These alternatives must be both safe and efficient if people are going to forego their private vehicles, so cities must be developed in a way that give people safe and efficient access to the things they need: workplaces, schools, shopping, recreational space, and more. Forming dense networks of streets and paths reduces block lengths and road widths which makes walking and biking much more effective transportation options. Pedestrians and bicyclists are much safer on roads with less or no car traffic, so street networks ought to include car-free routes, dedicated bike lanes, and one-way roads.
When people need to travel longer distances, or when walking and biking is not fast enough, public transit must be a smart alternative to private driving. China’s cities have implemented some of the world’s greatest Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) systems, which operate similar to a subway system, but are built above-ground at about five percent of the cost of their underground counterparts. Successful BRT systems are routed through the most developed, population-dense parts of the city where their demand is greatest.
This strategy of ‘transit-oriented development’ makes public transit a convenient option for the largest possible number of people, and has been found to increase the value of nearby properties. Smart location of transport systems also considerably reduces vehicle-miles travelled, which alleviates road congestion and decreases car-related emissions.
In addition to creating the infrastructure needed to support alternative modes of transportation, cities should likewise create programmes and establish policies that push inhabitants away from the use of private cars.
Singapore and London have implemented pricing systems that make it more expensive to drive and park in the busiest parts of their cities (typically downtown centers) or during the busiest times of the day (typically commuting hours). Some of China’s largest metropolitan areas have taken an even more restrictive approach to private vehicle use by setting up license plate auctions or lotteries to limit the number of cars being registered.
Mixed-use zoning is fundamental to getting people to substitute walking or biking for driving. In a mixed-use neighborhood, retail and commercial businesses comingle with residential areas. The upshot is that more goods and services, as well as jobs, are offered within the same locale, which means more of a households’ daily needs can be satisfied nearby. Reducing the distance between housing, services, and amenities also eliminates the advantage that private car travel has over other modes of transportation. If cities aim to get more people out of their cars and onto the streets, their neighborhoods need to be vibrant, entertaining, and accessible. Putting parks and ground-level shops throughout a neighborhood makes the walking and biking experience more enjoyable. And it facilitates interactions between neighbors, which additionally contributes to a sense of community and a higher quality of life.
Once these great sustainable cities have been built, it is critical that any new development in the area is constrained to the existing footprint of the city. Maintaining compact regions has environmental as well as economic benefits. It not only preserves the surrounding land, but also reduces travel distances, which decreases fuel consumption for transportation. Higher density in cities has been correlated with increased labour productivity, while urban sprawl has been estimated to cost billions of additional dollars. A recent study suggested that building more compact cities over sprawling ones would save $3 trillion on infrastructure costs (globally) over the next 15 years.
These design elements for good urban planning can be seen in hundreds of cities around the world, from Copenhagen’s robust bike programs, to Singapore’s prodigious integration of parks and gardens, to Bogota’s pioneering TransMilenio BRT system. But bad examples exist too, many of which can be found in the sprawling, car-dependent, insipid suburbs of the United States. Despite the wide variation in ways a city might be designed, they all have one thing in common – the infrastructure they lay down will last a long time, from decades to centuries.
So China has a decision to make. It can lock in expansive superblocks, single-use neighbourhoods, and car-friendly roadways. Or it can create diverse and vibrant neighbourhoods that incorporate green spaces and safe roads for pedestrians and cyclists. The fate of millions – even billions – of people depends on China making the wise choice. Fortunately, there are positive signals that Chinese policymakers understand the importance of this choice and are embracing the tenants of building sustainable cities.
