What is Eco-Friendly City?
Eco-city is an ecologically environmentally friendly, sustainable, sensitive, and healthy city. The idea of an eco-friendly city design aims to protect the environment and resources, repair damages, and establish a developed urban order while doing these.
The biggest causes of damage to the biophysical environment in developed cities can be identified as excessive consumption, negative consequences of technology, and uneven population growth.
The main goal of the eco-friendly approach is to try to change the future world ecologically in a positive way.
Eco-Cities Intentions | Eco Friendly Design
An eco-city cannot consume more than the renewable resource it generates. It does not create toxic to the ecosystem it is in. Its wastes should not cause environmental damage.
The ideal goals of eco-cities are to provide energy from completely renewable energy sources, to stimulate economic growth, to have a high population, and to achieve high efficiency. It is to improve health conditions and eliminate poverty.
Origins
The first Urban Ecology organization introduced the concept of eco-city. This organization was founded in 1975 by Richard Register. Richard Register is one of the world’s important theorists and authors in eco-city design. Established in Berkeley, the foundation purpose of this organization is to build cities in balance with nature. Richard recently founded Ecocity World, a new organization to pursue his vision of the eco-city.
This team has conducted many eco-city activities. For example, they planted high streets, worked with the local legal system to promote and improve the use of public transport, and built solar greenhouses.
According to the Founding Register, eco-cities are ecologically healthy cities. At the same time, he dreamed of producing cities that would respond to social problems, such as eco-cities and cities where non-violent world peace would be achieved.
What Can Be Done and What Are The Benefits?
Energy-saving: The use of non-renewable energy resources such as coal, oil, and natural gas should be reduced. The use of environmentally friendly energy production tools such as solar panels and wind turbines should be expanded.
Water conservation: Green buildings encourage water conservation. It is the most important helper in leaving clean and abundant water resources for future generations. Besides, the use of resources such as rain should be expanded through technologies such as rainwater harvesting. Recycling of water should be encouraged.
Low Cost: Environmentally friendly green buildings are more costly than normal buildings during construction. However, this is the opposite in the long run. Environmentally friendly structures provide long-term gain thanks to their energy efficiency, and they continue to exist concerning nature and minimum damage. This method should be promoted as an important investment route.
Improving Health: Green cities are safe for health as materials containing harmful chemicals and components are not used in buildings. People are not exposed to dangerous elements caused by pollution. It also creates an atmosphere of peace in these people.
Improving Mental Health: Green cities reduce stress and improve quality of life. It provides an environment that is beneficial for both physical and mental health.
Sustainable Materials | Eco Friendly Design
Less waste is a very important factor in eco-friendly cities. All kinds of materials are chosen in a way that they do not create waste and have a long life. In these environmentally friendly and green structures, long-lasting and recyclable materials are used. Examples of these materials are Bamboo fiber, cork, bioplastic compostables, recycled glass, aluminum.
Eco-Friendly City Example – Copenhagen
Copenhagen is known as the city that has taken the most environmentally friendly step today. The culture of life in Copenhagen is ecological. For example, cycling has been a part of their culture for many years. People have adopted and placed the use of bicycles as a vehicle in their daily lives.
Besides, Copenhagen has been integrating green roofs into its infrastructures since 2010. Beyond encountering large-scale buildings with green roofs in Copenhagen, you can even see a waste center with a ski slope on its roof. This is BIG’s world’s cleanest waste center project. With these and other important and original steps, Copenhagen is a successful example of becoming an ecological city.
Also, at the end of 2019, all public transport buses in Copenhagen switched to electric motors, and a target program was launched by the Copenhagen Municipality to plant 100,000 new trees by the end of 2025. A large number of advanced wind farms and solar farms were produced while supporting agricultural activities.
Street Lab Project Copenhagen | Eco Friendly Design
Street Lab has been determined as a test area to try and develop innovations in the urban area and to apply them to the whole city. This area is a laboratory where we can test eco-friendly, sustainable, innovative solutions under real urban conditions in the city center. It is a 2 km long test ground established in 2016 in the city center of Copenhagen.
The aim is to test solutions and innovations within a certain limit. Thus, preliminary preparation and testing are made for application in wider areas of the city. Since setting up this test site, solutions have been tested in areas such as smart parking, urban nature care, waste management, and air quality measurement.
