grand designs: sustainable city task

Grand Designs ?

GEOGRAPHY DESIGN TASK

Gifted and Talented Session

• Context of the activity.• Could be used with any group / ability • Designed to last around 1 hour• Provided a briefing in advance, with a

chance for students to do some preparatory work

Where is this ?

What do you know about Dubai..

Use NOEL’s Dubai presentationSee GeographyTeachingToday

website.

What do you know about Dubai NOW....

City of the Future• For the first time, more of us live in

cities than in the countryside• We are consuming resources at an

ever-increasing rate, and the costs of energy and food are rising sharply

• The disposal of waste products is ruining our fragile world (and we only have one)

The Challenges….• In your teams, you will need to produce a

description of a SUSTAINABLE CITY, of your own design, incorporating ideas that have come from your preparations, or your imagination.

• Credit will be given for ideas which are:a) Realistic / achievableb) Original / innovativec) Relevant

SUSTAINABILITYWHAT DOES IT MEAN ??

TABOOYou will need to come up with suggestions that I hadn’t thought of first…

Pick your 2 favouriteideas…

• Groups of 3• Each group has a whiteboard and pen,

and after discussion, they write down 2 of their favourite ideas. Hold up the boards, and get points if they suggest realistic solutions which I haven’t mentioned…

Challenge 1A new Secondary school is to

be built in your town. Suggest some ideas for how it

is going to be made more sustainable.

I thought of….• Solar panels on the roof• Recycling the paper that is wasted in lessons• School buses to bring students to school• Rewarding pupils who arrive by bicycle• Catching rainwater from roof and using it to flush the toilets• ??

Challenge 2The roads in your town are

getting ever more crowded with cars.

How can you encourage people to use their car less, and sustainable transport more ?

I thought of….• Park and ride scheme introduced• Free bus passes for all pensioners and children• Congestion charge for people wanting to drive into the town centre• Open a monorail• Improved cycle routes and secure cycle parking near the centre of town• ??

Challenge 3At the moment, the energy in

your town is provided by a coal-fired power station. What

sustainable energy sources could you switch to instead…

I thought of….• Build wind turbines…• Provide a grant for those people installing a solar panel on their roof• Collect any rubbish that can be burned separately, and generate electricity with it.• All new homes have to be fitted with energy efficient technology.• ??

Challenge 4You’ve noticed that a lot of

people are filling their bin each week with rubbish that could have been recycled instead.

How can you discourage non-sustainable waste disposal ?

I thought of….• Provide everyone with recycling bins for different types of waste e.g. paper, glass, tins…• Increase the council tax for people who have less in their recycling bin than their ‘normal’ bin.• Open a recycling centre, where people are paid for the rubbish that they bring e.g. glass bottles• Recyclable packaging…

Challenge 5A piece of derelict land that

used to be a chemical works is going to be redeveloped.

Suggest some projects that could improve the quality of life

for people in the town.

I thought of….• A sports centre, with subsidised entry fees to encourage people to get fit• A park• A lake for people to walk around, and go fishing in.• ??

Challenge 6

What other sustainable ideas that have NOT been

mentioned so far can you suggest ?

Lunchtime !!