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Seminar 3: Green Cities

Seminar 3: Green Cities. Green Cities: Urban Growth and the Environment. By Matthew E. Kahn Professor of economics at the Fletcher School, Tufts University. Published by the Brookings Institute. Will Dinneen Urban Politics and Policy May 18 th , 2010. Green Cities: Subject Matter.

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Seminar 3: Green Cities

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  1. Seminar 3: Green Cities Green Cities: Urban Growth and the Environment By Matthew E. Kahn Professor of economics at the Fletcher School, Tufts University. Published by the Brookings Institute. Will Dinneen Urban Politics and Policy May 18th, 2010

  2. Green Cities: Subject Matter • Urban Environmental Quality • The Environmental Kuznets Curve • Income Growth in Urban Environments • Role of the Market (EKC) • Greener Governance • Population Growth • Environmental Cost of Sprawl in the U.S. • Lessons Learned: Achieving Urban Sustainability

  3. What defines a “Green” City? • What defines a city as Green or Brown? • Three Concerns: • Ecological • Economic • Public Health • “Green Cities Index” • Environmental Morbidity • Environmental Mortality • Pollution Avoidance Expenditures • Local Disamenities • Ecological Footprint

  4. Urban Environmental Quality • Green Cities • Consider: • In 1950 30% of the world’s population lived in cities. By 2000 47% a predicted 60% by 2030. • Environmental impacts on and from cities extends outside of the U.S. • How does pollution relate to free market growth? • The Environmental Kuznets Curve • An economic hypothesis relating to economic development and urban environmental quality.

  5. Urban Environmental Quality

  6. Environmental Kuznets Curve • Development is both a Friend and Foe. • EKC: method to document relationship between income and environmental quality. • Components of the EKC • Pollution levels increase as income increases • Triggers offsets • Increases in income result in less environmental damage

  7. Confronting the EKC • Is the Environmental Kuznets Curve’s hypothesis correct in assuming that a city’s level of environmental impact is directly related to increases in individual wealth?

  8. Income Growth and Greener Governance • As income rises: • The demand for and supply of environmental regulation (green governance) rises. • Quality of life investments are made. • Homeowners have a greater stake • Location of work and living come into focus

  9. Income Growth and Greener Governance • Politics • Formulation of regulating policy is catalyzed by public participation and consumer trends. • The role of imperfect information • Advances in income are supplemented by available information. • More educated consumers are likely to make decisions advancing sustainability.

  10. Areas of Green Governance • Governments meet increased regulatory demand in varying ways: • Green governance methods include utilizing; taxation, zoning, and regulation. • Four specific areas focused on under green governance: • Air Quality • Water Quality • Solid Waste • Urban Land Management

  11. How much Government? • When considering future environmental sustainability, is it reasonable to rely primarily on a laissez-faire approach when advocating for “green” cities?

  12. Lessons Learned • Achieving Urban Sustainability • Addressing Sustainability must incorporate three trends • Income growth • 8,000? • Population growth • Tragedy of the commons? • Spatial growth (sprawl) • Green belts?

  13. Lessons Learned • Wealth gained by individuals in cities will lead to urban sustainability, following the hypothesis of the EKC. • Solutions: Provide for green governance • Greener governance is both a response to increased demand for regulation and a means to promote urban stability and the idea of the “Green City” • Cap and trade systems • Free trade policies • Final Question: Are current urban and public policies in United States cities, capable of confronting environmental challenges in the face of increasing urban growth?

  14. Image sources http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/images/0815748159/ref=dp_image_0/182-8316470-4500836?ie=UTF8&n=283155&s=books http://filipspagnoli.wordpress.com/2008/09/02/human-rights-facts-58-the-environmental-kuznets-curve/ http://tierneylab.blogs.nytimes.com/tag/environment/ http://www.matternetwork.com/images/Matter/gwanggyo2.jpg http://api.ning.com/files/w35bQSpGaVbiI5r4hPgcSOPeEAQLAu2cX-3bI1I73Opalf6ifvbsNDi3grf1-w3fIayo4e7*MAsYtUzfJo6XxVJJb*5LGYiy/agrosouthwest_hydroponics_apartment.jpg

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