Building Sustainable Urban Systems for the Future

Public Spaces and the Covid-19 Pandemic – James Cook University

January 13, 2021January 13, 2021 by Paul Alberts

As the Covid-19 pandemic continues to cause unending disruption, researchers at James Cook University and other collaborators put forth some interesting and thought-provoking possibilities for urban areas in this publication which takes only a couple of minutes to read. One has to wonder what lessons can and should be learned from how we have(n’t) adapted to the current state of affairs on all different scales. A further more comprehensive publication is linked to at the bottom of the article.

https://www.jcu.edu.sg/news/releases/re-evaluating-public-spaces-during-the-covid-19-pandemic
(Credit to: Lisa Law, Simona Azzali and Sheila Conejos)

Building Sustainable Urban Systems for the Future, Changing Urban Systems, Geography, IBDP Geographic Themes (Options), The Variety of Urban Environments, Urban Environmental and Social Stresses, Urban Environments

Europe’s Tallest Building In A Small Danish Town? – The Guardian

January 4, 2021January 4, 2021 by Paul Alberts

The article below is an interesting read for anyone interested in both rural and urban environments. Counter-urbanisation, urbanisation, tourism, cultural identity, and architectural design are all interesting themes at play in the plans of building Europe’s tallest sky scraper in Brande, a town of just over 7000 people. Credit to the Guardian for the article, no author named. The photograph below provided by Bestseller and found in the article is of the planned skyscraper.

https://www.theguardian.com/cities/2019/apr/01/like-the-eye-of-sauron-western-europes-tallest-building-planned-for-tiny-danish-town-brande-bestseller

Building Sustainable Urban Systems for the Future, Changing Urban Systems, IBDP Geographic Themes (Options), The Variety of Urban Environments, Urban Environmental and Social Stresses, Urban Environments

Urban Density Comparisons – Per Square Mile – Tim de Chant

May 10, 2020May 10, 2020 by Paul Alberts

This visualisation offers insight into how urban densities can be compared and contrasted with regards to how much area they would take if the total human population lived according to a particular city’s density. It gives good indications of the processes of urban sprawl, urbanisation, as well as the expansion of the rural-urban fringe. A thought provoking creation!

Call For Sydney to be Managed as an Urban Forest – Caitlin Fitzsimmons – The Sydney Morning Herald

October 29, 2019October 29, 2019 by Paul Alberts

In this article with some good visuals, Caitlin Fitzsimmons writes about the potential of Sydney, Australia, being viewed and managed differently than previously with regards to the idea of a ‘green city’. This is a great article with relationships to ecocities, urban processes, microclimates and more.

https://www.smh.com.au/environment/sustainability/call-for-sydney-to-be-managed-as-an-urban-forest-20190517-p51ojb.html

The Suburban Wasteland Miniseries- Youtube User Eco Gecko

May 17, 2019May 17, 2019 by Paul Alberts

This is an interesting and radical deconstruction of how American suburbs are a short-sighted, inefficient, and community destroying piece of urban America. It is a thought provoking and critical video which really illustrates the flawed idea of suburban growth.

Building Sustainable Urban Systems for the Future, Changing Urban Systems, Geography, IBDP Geographic Perspectives (Core), IBDP Geographic Themes (Options), The Variety of Urban Environments, Urban Environmental and Social Stresses, Urban Environments

Gentrification in Rotterdam – Mijn Stad Is Mijn Hart – VPRO

November 2, 2018 by Paul Alberts

My good friend and fellow geographer Arnoud Kamp recommended this (in Dutch) mini-documentary to me. At only 45 minutes long, it goes into the diversity, personality, and future of Rotterdam, the Netherlands. If you know anything about Rotterdam and the transformation it is undergoing, you will know about the rapid gentrification that is taking over. This documentary analyses the practical consequences of the drivers of this change. One of the more apt and realistic presentations of the damages of gentrification and so called ‘urban renewal’.

https://www.vpro.nl/programmas/tegenlicht/kijk/afleveringen/2018-2019/mijn-stad-is-mijn-hart.html

THIS IS A MUST WATCH FOR DUTCH SPEAKERS INTERESTED IN GEOGRAPHY AND CITIES

Building Sustainable Urban Systems for the Future, Challenges and Opportunities, Changing Population, Changing Population and Places, Changing Urban Systems, Global Resource Consumption and Security, Global Trends in Consumption, Grade 11 HL/SL, IBDP Geographic Perspectives (Core), IBDP Geographic Themes (Options), Resource Stewardship, The Variety of Urban Environments, Urban Environmental and Social Stresses, Urban Environments

Unequal Scenes – Johnny Miller – Student Recommendation

October 31, 2018October 31, 2018 by Paul Alberts

A special thanks and shout out to an old student (Sasha v.h.) who sent me this incredible link. With relevance to disparities, urban environments, migration, and so much more, these images captured by drones show the distinct spatial differences between ‘rich and poor’, ‘developed and developing’, or maybe even ‘us and them’. An example of such an image taken from the website can be found below.

To all of my students past (and present too, of course), please send me any cool stuff you encounter both online or in your university courses. Would love to hear from you and use what you find in my classes!

Click the link to check out the powerful images:

https://unequalscenes.com/

Photograph: Johnny Miller

Building Sustainable Urban Systems for the Future, Global Resource Consumption and Security, Global Trends in Consumption, IBDP Geographic Perspectives (Core), Impacts of Changing Trends in Resource Consumption, Resource Stewardship, Urban Environments

Las Vegas Case Study – Water Consumption

October 22, 2018 by Paul Alberts

One of my favourite detailed examples/case studies to teach, below is a list of useful links I have assembled to help illustrate the water consumption issues in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Plenary:

CBS: https://www.cbsnews.com/news/lake-mead-is-shrinking-and-with-it-las-vegas-water-supply/

Strategies:

Southern Nevada Water Authority: https://www.snwa.com/consv/restrictions.html

Youtube/Google Earth: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cPRGfyd93fo

Las Vegas Sun: https://lasvegassun.com/news/2015/apr/27/tips-california-what-nevada-has-done-conserve-wate/

Future:

Las Vegas Now: http://www.lasvegasnow.com/news/i-team-new-outlook-for-nevadas-water-future/148482842

News Deeply: https://www.newsdeeply.com/water/articles/2017/10/19/how-las-vegas-aims-to-be-the-next-silicon-valley-for-water-innovation

Building Sustainable Urban Systems for the Future, Changing Population and Places, Changing Urban Systems, IBDP Geographic Themes (Options), The Variety of Urban Environments, Urban Environmental and Social Stresses, Urban Environments

Urban Environments Sustainability Game – ElectroCity

October 22, 2018 by Paul Alberts

ElectroCity is a game developed by Genesis Energy where you can build and maintain the growth of a city in a multitude different ways. It teaches students about sustainable urban growth and energy consumption, in an intriguing and memorable way.

ElectroCity link: http://www.electrocity.co.nz/

Building Sustainable Urban Systems for the Future, Changing Urban Systems, Grade 11 HL/SL, IBDP Geographic Themes (Options), The Variety of Urban Environments, Urban Environmental and Social Stresses, Urban Environments

The Settlement Game – TES Resources

October 22, 2018 by Paul Alberts

The link below is to a good activity/game with regards to Urban Environments and Land Use. I have used it previously with IGCSE students, but it could definitely be adapted for IBDP students. I would recommend doing it at least over two periods; when I did it with my IGCSE students, it took around 2 hours before we could begin to wrap things up.

https://www.tes.com/teaching-resource/settlement-game-6446289