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IPCC projections of CO2 mitigation potential in 2030 (IPCC, 2007) The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC, 2007) identifies the building and construction sector as the sector with the largest mitigation potential ( Figure 1). More than half of this reduction potential is situated in non-OECD-countries. Figure 1 also illustrates the mitigation potential that can be realized at a cost of less than US$20, less than US$50 and less than US$100 per tCO 2-eq. For the building sector, it is clear that about 90 per cent of the potential in reducing GHG emissions can be achieved at a cost of less than US$20/ton CO 2-eq. Furthermore the report states that a 29 per cent reduction in projected baseline emissions by 2020 is achievable at zero cost. Although the developing countries are emitting the lowest level of GHG, they are often the most vulnerable to the consequences. Developing countries, as well as countries with economies in transition, present the largest potential for new construction in the coming decades. Applying criteria for sustainable development, including, but not limited to energy efficiency of buildings as early as possible in the design and construction process, is far more cost efficient than a possible later retrofitting of the building stock.
Source publication
Ghent and KULeuven. He is chairman of the social-profit organization Domus Mundi. Its mission consists of enabling vulnerable groups to build in an ecological and a sustainable way. He had a master of Architecture in Ghent (B) and a master of Industrial Design in Milan (I). His research interest is focused on cost effective commissioning of low ene...
Contexts in source publication
Context 1
... it is one of the most important sectors in mitigating climate change. ( Figure 1). More than half of this reduction potential is situated in non-OECD-countries. ...
Context 2
... than half of this reduction potential is situated in non-OECD-countries. Figure 1 also illustrates the mitigation potential that can be realized at a cost of less than US$20, less than US$50 and less than US$100 per tCO 2 -eq. For the building sector, it is clear that about 90 per cent of the potential in reducing GHG emissions can be achieved at a cost of less than US$20/ton CO 2 -eq. ...
Context 3
... simplicity in operation and low capital investment requirements are the reasons to continue using conventional technologies with very high energy demand, representing 35-50% of the total production costs. It should be noted that the CO 2 mitigation potential for the production process of building materials is situated in the industry sector in Figure 1. Naturally available alternatives are preferred, e.g. the use of the energy demanding clay brick and cement can be substituted with bamboo or raw earth as described in Box 4. ...
Citations
... driving forces, and the land itself (Zeleke 2000;Bewket 2003;Li et al. 2009;Claes et al. 2012;Fura 2013;Hall et al. 2014). In other words, it is mostly seen as the result of the complex interaction between changes in social and economic opportunities linked with the biophysical environment (Tucci 2007;Jha et al. 2012;Berggren et al. 2013;Dodman et al. 2013;Mngutyo & Ogwuche 2013). ...
... Land use and land cover changes are affirmed to represent the most widely increasing and significant sources of contemporary changes in the earth's land surface (Balaban 2012; Claes et al. 2012;Mngutyo and Ogwuche 2013). They underpin the degradation of natural vegetation and significant increases in impervious surfaces (Parkinson 2003;Few et al. 2004;Birkinshaw et al. 2010;Berggren et al. 2013;Hao et al. 2015). ...
... Scholars in the field assert that land use is closely related to the urban development process of rapid urbanization that takes place in most developing countries (Miheretu and Yimer 2017;Abebe et al. 2019). In other words, how land has to be allocated to a variety of functions such as roads, utilities, housing industrial estates, shopping centers, offices, schools, hospitals and other elements of the physical organization of a city are attested to have far-reaching socio-economic, cultural, political, technical and ecological implications (Andjelkovic 2001;Parkinson 2003;Tucci 2007;Claes et al. 2012;Santato et al. 2013). ...
Background
Land use and land cover changes in urbanized watersheds of developing countries like Ethiopia are underpinned by the complex interaction of different actors, driving forces, and the land itself. Land conversion due to residential development, economic growth, and transportation is identified as the most serious environmental pressure on urbanized landscapes of the world. It results in the degradation of natural vegetation and significant increases in impervious surfaces. The purpose of the study was to analyze spatio-teporal changes in land use and land cover in the Huluka watershed with implications to sustainable development in the watershed.
Results
Forest land, cultivated land, urban built-up, bush/shrub land, bare land, grassland, and water body were identified as the seven types of land use and land cover in the Huluka watershed. Forest land decreased by 59.3% at an average rate of 164.52 ha/year between 1979 and 2017. Bush/ shrub land decreased by 68.2% at an average rate of 318.71 ha/year between 1979 and 2017. Grassland decreased by 32.7% at an average rate of 228.65 ha/year between 1979 and 2017. Water body decreased by 5.1% at an average rate of 1.06 ha/year between 1979 and 2017. Urban built-up area increased by 351% at an average rate of 16.20 ha/year between 1979 and 2017. Cultivated land increased by 105.3% at an average rate of 692.76 ha/year between 1979 and 2017. Bare land increased by 41.9% at an average rate of 4.00 ha/year between 1979 and 2017. Infrastructural and agricultural expansion, increased demand for wood, local environmental and biophysical drivers, rapid human population growth, economic drivers, technological drivers, policy and institutional drivers, and local socio-cultural drivers were perceived by residents as drivers of land use and land cover changes. Increased flooding risk, increased soil erosion, increased sedimentation into water resources like lakes and rivers, decrease in soil fertility, loss of biodiversity, loss of springs, decrease in annual rainfall, and increase in heat during the dry season were perceived by residents as negative local effects of land use and land cover changes.
Conclusions
Changes in land use and land cover in the study water shade imply the need for integrating sustainable watershed planning and management into natural resources management strategies. In other words, practices of appropriate land use planning and management, family planning, participatory planning and management, appropriate environmental impact assessment (EIA), and proper planning and management of development projects and programmes are of paramount importance to promote sustainable development in the Huluka watershed and beyond.
... Providing water and sanitation services to low-income communities is a key sustainable development challenge in urban areas especially in developing countries of the world [1][2][3][4] . In effort to promote sustainable sanitation and safe source of water, the World Health Organization had proposed an approach known as the water safety plan (WSP) as an effective means of consistently ensuring the safety of a drinking-water supply and encouraging sustainable development [5] . ...
Background: Land use/land cover change in urban watersheds of developing countries like Ethiopia is claimed to be a consequence of complex interaction of different actors, driving forces, and land itself. It is asserted to result in the degradation of natural vegetation and significant increases in impervious surfaces. The purpose of the study was to analyze spatio-teporal changes in land use/ land cover in Huluka watershed where Ambo town is situated and examine their drivers and effects with environmental implications.
Results: The overall increase of urban built-up area, cultivated land, and bare land use/land cover type with 351%, 105%, and 41.9% respectively between the year 1979 and 2017 implies the increase in flooding disaster risk in the watershed as such land use/land cover types exacerbate the run-off conditions in the watershed. Infrastructural expansion, agricultural expansion, increased demand for fuel wood and wood for construction, local environmental factors, local biophysical drivers, and local Social events were identified as proximate drivers of land use/land cover changes in the study area. Demographic factors, economic factors, technological factors, policy and institutional factors and cultural factors were confirmed as the underlying drivers of land use/land cover change in the watershed. Increased flooding risk, increased soil erosion; increased sedimentation into the lake (Dendi lake) and rivers (Huluka, Awaro, Debis, Boji, Bolo, Aleltu, Karkaro, and Korke), decrease in soil fertility resulting from flooding risk, and change in climatic parameters (decrease in annual rainfall and increase in heat during dry season) were claimed as the negative effects of land use/land cover change in the study area.
Conclusions: Practice of appropriate land use planning and management in the watershed, appropriate environmental impact assessment (EIA), and proper planning and management of socio-cultural, economic, and environmental development are of paramount importance to promote sustainable development in the watershed.
Climate change is an internationally recognized phenomenon generally held accountable for the increasing magnitude of extreme climatic events and temperature extremes. With increasing urbanization and the concentration of socio-economic activities in urban areas the challenge to contend with climate change is particularly pertinent in cities. In response to climate change impacts, a range of climate adaptation strategies have been developed to make cities increasingly ‘climate proof’. A qualitative research approach is employed to review climate change, its impacts and some adaptation strategies, focusing on ecosystem-based adaptation strategies from Belgium and the Netherlands and Water Sensitive Urban Design approaches developed in Australia. The article engages a case study of Essenvelt, Middelburg, the Netherlands where unanticipated warmer night-time temperatures are a primary concern, related to natural variability, the urban heat island effect and climate change. The article proposes certain adaptation measures for Essenvelt, based on the adaptation strategies reviewed.
Sustainable development has become a guiding principle on the development agenda across the world,
intensified by global population increases and intensified rural to urban migration. In this regard,
governments and development agencies regularly cite the now almost clichéd call for more balanced
economic, social and environmental development. However, realising economic growth has generally
been placed as primary concern to the detriment of the other legs held in the sustainability trinity. Africa
is no stranger to an overemphasis on economic advantages to the detriment of its people and natural
resources, endured in a shared history of colonialism. The almost singular focus on the economic has
remained, shown in this paper and its discussion on housing affordability in Angola. Following its
colonial past, and especially its more recent civil war, the Angolan government had to rebuild its
economy and proceed with the business of servicing its people. Despite tremendous increases in oil
production, the Angolan state remained unable to provide housing for its burgeoning poor population
without foreign help. In this regard, the Angolans turned to the People’s Republic of China and oilbacked
housing construction to promote economic exchanges and develop tentatively affordable
housing to resolve a post-war housing crisis – in what has become known as the ‘Angolan Model’.
This paper shows however, that the housing that resulted, such as the satellite city of Nova Cidade de
Kilamba, Luanda provided everything but affordable accommodation. The desktop case study
conducted in this research showed that Nova Cidade de Kilamba provided housing far beyond the means
of most Angolans, transforming the project into a ghost city due to a lack of suitability to its context
and target market. Remedial price cuts ensued, but only paved the way for middle-class citizens to take
up residence. The Angolan model may thus be regarded as successful when considering economic
opportunities facilitated via housing construction and development related revenues, but failed to take
societal needs into account – thus failing to realise real sustainability. This research adds to the dialogue
on developing suitable solutions to the African context, placing the focus on the poor who are most in
need of sustainable aid.
The South African Cities Network promotes sharedlearning
partnerships between different spheres
of government to support the management of
South African cities. It analyses the problems facing
the cities, particularly in the context of national
development challenges.
This paper argues that cities need to explore
ways of planning and land-use for the natural
and built environment to co-exist for community
benefit. To achieve this, cities may need to have
discussions about intergovernmental cooperation.
Such discussions can be difficult because they
deal with a wide range of issues at a regional
scale, across catchment areas, regional climates or
broad ecological perspectives. These issues include
integrative concepts of resource efficiencies, the
water-energy-food nexus, integrated water resource
management (IWRM) and resource decoupling. As
cities are defined by relatively small administrative
boundaries, it can be difficult for them to apply such
(broad) concepts and approaches. South Africa’s
cities need to find ways of embedding sustainability
into their mainstream planning, management,
monitoring and evaluation.
For many years, there has been a focus on urban
liveability and green infrastructure planning. It is,
however, challenging to integrate spatial planning
and green infrastructure, especially in city contexts
where land use decision-making has to address
the demand for housing and other services. In
this sense, green land uses are competing against
other uses and, when considering limited budgets
and urban space, green land uses are often not
regarded as priorities. This is also exacerbated by
the apartheid legacy.
Embedding sustainability thinking into city planning
means providing a multitude of services (economic,
social and environmental), allocating responsibilities
for managing land and monitoring the efficient
consumption of resources. This paper aims to inform
and encourage cities to do such, within current
planning approaches and strategies. It highlights
the benefits of green infrastructure (and ecosystem
services) for communities and explains how green
assets and ecological systems can function as part
of the infrastructure that supports and sustains
society and our cities
Estudio comparativo y presentación del caso del Delta Inferior del Paraná y su
relación con los procesos metropolitanos.
