The 10 basics for a green city

For a city to meet the characteristic of being truly green, there must be at least the following 10 basic green city requirements.

Parks are the "lungs of the city," architect Frederic Law Olmsted famously said about New York's Central Park. The parks provide a place for city residents to breathe, relax and connect with nature, and are a cooler to counteract the heat created by asphalt. (Not to mention flood protection.) Green spaces even improve the physical and mental health of urbanities.

While commuters in Beijing, Dubai, and Lausanne, Switzerland, have brilliant subway systems to make their trips to work, transit authorities in Mexico City, Istanbul, and Los Angeles have cleared the way for buses just by putting them in their own lanes. But, whether they're high-tech or simple, transportation solutions that allow people to get around quickly and easily without the need for a car are a key element to a green city.

In the midst of busy buildings and roads, a green city must have places that are built (or renovated) on a human scale, places where people can walk safely and happily gather. Whether it's New York's High Line, a bed on the old railroad converted into an aerial walkway, or a popular pedestrian street in Curitiba, Brazil, these places not only encourage walking, but reduce the need for large private homes by creating community space for people to enjoy.

While the density of cities makes them, in theory, good at cycling, heavy traffic (and angry drivers) can make cycling unpleasant and even dangerous, with no designated lanes. Most of the more bike-friendly cities have separate bike lanes, have parking lots (and even solar-powered showers), institute bike-sharing programs, and allow cyclists to take their bikes on buses for longer trips.

It is not necessary for all the big buildings in cities to be green. But it is important that there are emblematic constructions that represent an example to follow in the city in terms of sustainable architecture.

Yes, recycling is the classic individual environmental act, but it doesn't do much good without someone providing conveniently located containers and a reliable collection service. The city's green initiatives go beyond collecting cans and bottles, electronics and food waste must be added to the list of recycled and composted items, and by establishing larger-scale programs to recycle water for industrial use.

Good planning is the key to a green city. As other metropolises expand farther and farther away, Hamburg, Germany, is renovating its outdated port into a mixed-use neighborhood with offices, commercial premises and residences, while Sacramento, California, is breathing new life into old streets. These types of projects "recycle" the existing space that is already in the urban fabric.

Not every city official is going to be a "gentleman on a shiny bike" like London Mayor Boris Johnson, who stopped an assault while riding a bike. However, government officials, such as Atlanta Mayor Shirley Franklin, former Austin Mayor Will Wynn, and the head of the city council of Marburg, Germany, are heroes in their own right for cleaning up their cities' sewer systems, promoting wind energy and biodiesel, and taking mandatory solar installations on new and renovated buildings. An active citizenry provides leadership from the grassroots to encourage politicians to go in the right direction.

Purchasing renewable energy and mandating efficiency measures are two ways a city can use its economic power to help build a greener product market while reducing its own environmental impact (and often operating costs). Phoenix, Arizona, for example, is increasing the amount of energy it extracts from renewable sources and building new city buildings with LEED standards, while San Francisco is building a large new solar system, Austin, Texas, mandates home energy audits, and New York is looking at opportunities in offshore wind farms.

Being eco-friendly shouldn't be all work and no game, and the best green cities celebrate their eco-friendly lifestyle with farmers' markets filled with tasty produce, bars and restaurants serving the best organic food, showcasing fascinating eco-conscious artists and music festivals offering valet parking for bikes and solar-powered stages.

FG_AUTHORS: Val Escobedo

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