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School of Built Environment

Professor Steffen Lehmann Expert Group Meeting, UN ESCAP, 2-3 Dec. 2014

Key urban environmental dimensions for APUF 6

The Challenges The vulnerability of cities in the Asia-Pacific region

• Urban poor, equity

• Urban sprawl

• Water supply at risk

• Land use and tenure

• Waste management challenge

• Traffic congestion

• Lack of efficient public transport

• Growing consumption at household level

• Loss of housing affordability

• An existing building stock that is inefficient

• Demographic shifts and an ageing population

• many other challenges…

Today, all cities are committed to CO2 reduction targets.

Oslo and Copenhagen 2.5 t

Asian cities (average) 4.6 t

European and Chinese cities (average) 5.2 t

U.S. and Australian cities (average) 14.5 t

Average CO2 per Capita*

*does not include air travel

2014: Stockholm has just achieved 50% of its energy generated from renewable energy sources

Growing Consumption in the Asia-Pacific

Size of the middle-class populations, 2009 and 2030

Source: Kharas & Gertz, 2010

A rising middle-class in the Asia-Pacific: 3.2 bill. by 2030

The vision: Eco-City

traditional urbanism = ecological urbanism

Green Urbanism principles Traditional urbanism = Ecological urbanism

A well designed car

needs less fuel…

…but you will still

cause a traffic jam

Reducing car dependency

Re-compacting cities, doing away with the need to drive.

S. Lehmann, 2008

A holistic and principle-based

model of integration:

Green Urbanism

Some key trends and emerging issues for Post-2015 Towards a New Urban Agenda

• Identity transformation: New vs old – loss of identity and

heritage caused by rapid out-of-control urbanization. Better

engage with the existing building stock.

• Cities getting hotter: implementing green urbanism principles to

reduce the danger of the urban heat island effect.

• Public space network: integrating low-carbon mobility concepts

(cycling, walking, public mass transit, electric plug-in), new

types of public spaces, also for an ageing population.

Some key trends and emerging issues for Post-2015

• Shift in scale towards the urban precinct-scale: better demand

forecasting for resource-efficient, mixed-use precincts utilizing

decentralized systems.

• Values confronting consumption: behaviour change towards

sustainable consumption levels.

• Better participatory processes involving people: new forms of

partnerships, co-operation and sharing are emerging.

• Acknowledging medium-sized cities in the Asia-Pacific: fast

growing intermediate cities offer the best chances to implement

green urbanism principles.

Recommendations for APUF-6

• Engaging private sector in APUF-6 to link with real

demonstration projects: ‘Living Laboratories’

• Acknowledging medium-sized cities in the Asia-Pacific: fast

growing intermediate cities offer the best chances to implement

green urbanism principles.

• Involving universities and think-tanks for research that provides

the evidence base for better decision-making

• Organise Roundtable Discussions at APUF-6 about these

emerging topics.

Steffen.Lehmann@curtin.edu.au