Sustainability in Master Planning

 Sustainable development is development that meets the needs of the present without
compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.
 Sustainable City: is a city designed, built, and managed in a manner where all its citizens are able
to meet their own needs without endangering the well-being of the natural world or the living
conditions of other people, now or in the future.

Why sustainable development:

 The world’s population is now at 6 billion, and estimated to grow to 8 billion in the next 20 years.
 While most countries’ economies have grown economically in the last 20 years, some have
declined.
 In the developing world, one in every five persons lives in extreme poverty and many associated
social problems result: disease, disintegration of family, crime and use of drugs.
 800 million people in the world are still malnourished due to poor distribution in more remote
areas.
 Diseases such as AIDS and malaria have greatly affected populations
 Since 1971, global energy use has increased by 70% and is expected to rise 2% per year in the next
15 years. This will increase greenhouse gases by 50% over current levels.
 The level of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere has increased enormously since 1950, with the
global climate changing drastically.
 Increased atmospheric nitrogen from fossil fuel combustion and farming of root crops, which
release nitrogen, has intensified the occurrence in of acid rain
 Natural resources (e.g. soils, forests, fish aquatic habitats) continue to decrease in quantity due
to fires, pollution and human influences.
 Loss of biological diversity has resulted from human activities such as deforestation and pollution.
40% of our global economy is dependent on biologically derived products.
 Water, soil and air have been strained due to high pollution levels.

Three components of sustainability:

 Environment – maintaining the earth’s life support system (e.g., ecosystem services such as
pollution filtering).
 Social – maintaining community (civic) capacity that fosters effective participation and ‘equitable’
treatment of all stakeholders.
 Economic – maintaining an economic system that provides a non-declining standard of living for
this and future generations.