A city that can keep going: Sustainable urban planning asks of every plan: is it good for the environment, can the city afford it, and is it fair?
The points to remember
- Sustainable urban planning meets people's needs now without harming future generations.
- It balances the 3 Es: environment (less pollution and waste), economy (jobs, a city that pays its way), equity (fair to all).
- A green city that pushes poorer people out is not sustainable.
- Factors: affordable homes, public transport, green space, safety, jobs and schools, renewables, recycling, energy efficiency, green buildings, community.
Remember it as: Green, paying its way, fair to all: the 3 Es.
Environment
- Less pollution and waste
- Fewer resources used
- Ecosystems protected
Economy
- Jobs and businesses
- A city that can pay its way
Equity
- Benefits shared fairly
- Homes and services for all
Real example: Curitiba, Brazil, is a famous case. From the 1970s, with little money, it built cheap bus lines instead of a metro, created parks and ran recycling schemes, so a fast-growing city stayed liveable.
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A sustainable city starts with people: decent homes, safe streets and a way to reach work and school without a car.
Homes, transport and jobs
- Quality, affordable housing close to jobs and services.
- Integrated public transport: buses, trains and bikes linked, often on one ticket, so fewer car trips.
- Security: well-lit, busy streets; safe routes to walk and cycle.
- Education and employment within reach of every neighbourhood.
- Community involvement: residents help shape the plan, so it fits their needs and they support it.
Real example: in 1974 Curitiba opened bus rapid transit. Passengers pay in raised tube stations before boarding, so buses stop for seconds. The system carries well over a million trips a day, and new flats and offices were allowed to be built tall only along the bus routes.
One factor, one effect: Say what the measure does: 'buses on their own lanes are quicker than cars, so people leave their cars at home and emissions fall'.
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Parks and trees do more than look pleasant, but they are rarely shared out fairly.
Green space: benefits and fairness
- Green spaces cool the city, clean the air, soak up rain and give wildlife habitat.
- Social benefits: wellbeing, places to relax, play and meet, less isolation, pride in the area.
- Economic benefits: higher property values, visitors who spend money, lower cooling and medical bills, upkeep jobs, fewer flood costs.
- Poorer areas often have fewer trees: denser housing, less planting, and leafy areas cost more to live in.
- So poorer residents face higher cooling bills, more heat and noise, and worse health.
Say how, and say what kind: Describe a relationship with both variables: 'as the share on a low income rises, tree cover falls'. 'Improves health' alone is not enough: say how (more exercise, less stress). 'More tourism' alone is not an economic benefit: say that visitors spend money.
Real example: Curitiba raised its green space from under 1 m² to about 50 m² per person, partly by turning flood-prone river land into parks such as Barigui Park, whose lakes also hold floodwater.
A sustainable city uses less energy, water and materials, and makes less waste.
Energy, water and waste
- Renewable energy: solar panels, wind, district heating from waste or wood.
- Energy efficiency and green buildings: insulation, passive houses, green roofs.
- Reuse and recycle waste: separate collection, composting, recycled building materials.
- Save water: grey water for parks, rainwater harvesting, sustainable drainage.
- Cleaner transport: electric vehicle charging, cycle lanes, electric buses.
Cuts what the city uses
- Insulated, efficient buildings
- Grey water for parks
- Bikes, buses, electric vehicles
Cuts what the city throws away
- Recycling and composting
- Reused building materials
- Waste burned for heat
Real example: Dubai, in the desert, waters its parks and roadside planting with treated waste water (grey water), saving drinking water made at great cost in desalination plants.
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Planners must prepare for two big pressures at once: more people, and a changing climate.
Planning for growth and a changing climate
- Population growth needs more homes, transport, water, schools and jobs; unplanned, it brings sprawl and slums.
- Climate change needs adaptation (flood defences, shade, cooling, drought-proof water) and mitigation (lower emissions).
- Some measures help with both: green space, public transport, efficient buildings.
- Limits on spreading: green belts and urban growth boundaries protect the land around a city.
- Read a growth map: which direction, along which roads, onto what land, and how fast.
Describing a growth map: Say how much it grew, in which direction, along which routes and onto what land: 'the city grew most after 1980, outwards along the motorway and railway, onto farmland'.
Real example: in 1859-1860 Ildefons Cerdà planned Barcelona's growth beyond its old walls: a grid of blocks with cut-off corners for light and air, and gardens planned inside each block. Over 150 years later, Barcelona is still one of Europe's most compact and walkable cities.
How this comes up: Paper 2, Section B (c) (May 2026): to what extent is urban planning more affected by global warming than by population growth? [9], marked on markbands: terms, breadth, examples, balance, a conclusion.
Cities are growing fast while the climate warms.
To what extent is urban planning more affected by global warming than by population growth?
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