Week 10: What role can urban planning play in creating more sustainable and livable cities?

Suburban development that has taken over prime cropland. (Miller 609)

The role of urban planning on quality of life in cities: the importance of transportation, green space, and smart growth.

I find this question important and relevant because I have learned a lot about the impacts that living in an urbanized city like NYC has on energy demand and human health. Therefore, it is important to learn what better urban planning can do to fix problems and make future cities more sustainable. As the world’s population grows and cities continue to grow, they will encounter pollution, congestion, a surplus of waste, and other issues that may be solved with improved planning. Understanding the role urban planning has in creating a better-designed city will help avoid problems that put people at risk in the future. Some ways that urban planning can help create a sustainable and liveable city are through the use of green transportation, the inclusion of green spaces, and smart growth. Transportation is incredibly important in minimizing air pollution. By utilizing public transportation and accessible bike lanes to minimize vehicular traffic, a city will have fewer air pollution issues. Including green spaces in urban planning is important to improve the quality of life of its citizens. Green spaces in cities create an area for community gathering and activity and minimize the urban heat island effect caused by large amounts of gray infrastructure. Smart growth is a method that concentrates urban growth in a central, walkable area to avoid urban sprawl and the need for cars. According to Miller, “a person living in a typical suburb emits about 9 times more CO2 per year, mostly by driving, than a person living in a typical central city“ (Miller 609). Difficulties can arise in smart growth due to a demand for open space that may not be available in a compact city. Including enough green space in a smart growth city may be difficult, but both urban planning techniques create a sustainable and liveable city.

A large knowledge gap in urban planning surrounds social inequity and how urban development can ensure that every community can benefit. Environmental justice addresses issues in urban planning, such as a lack of green space in low-income minority communities. There needs to be further development in avoiding these imbalances and ensuring that at-risk communities do not face environmental hazards. 

Word Count: 377

Miller, G. Tyler, and Scott Spoolman. 2016. Living in the Environment. National Geographic Learning.