Sustainable Urban Living in London (Edexcel GCSE Geography A): Revision Note

Sustainable Urban Living

Sustainability in London

• London's popularity has seen buildings built to be lived and worked in as the city changed

• Factories and warehouses closed as manufacturing shifted overseas to countries such as China

• Leaving the surrounding homes to fall into disrepair 

• Abandoned factories became environmental hazards due to toxic leaks, asbestos, rubble, rats, foxes and unwanted plant growth

• Socially, they are an eyesore and a place of danger for children

• London needs 63,000 new homes a year to keep up with its population growth

• The obvious answer is to redevelop derelict sites, but issues arise, and developers' costs increase

• Brownfield sites are land that has previously been built on, e.g. Battersea Power Station or the Olympic Park, where they have been converted into new homes 

• Environmental problems include more waste production as land needs to be cleared first and made safe before building can begin; this makes it more expensive overall and pushes the price of the finished buildings up 

• To increase sustainability London has a number of key strategies

Transport 

• Santander Cycle which can be hired for £1.65 for 30 minutes

• Congestion charge and Low Emission Zones (ULEZ and LEZ)

London's pollution control zones

• Electrical vehicles are exempt from the charges

• Investment in hybrid and electric buses

Recycling

• London aims to:

  • Recycle 65% of municipal waste by 2030

  • Ensure zero biodegradable or recyclable waste goes to landfill by 2026

  • Reduce household waste by 20% per household

• Food Save aims to prevent food waste and utilise surplus food

• Installation of drinking fountains to encourage reusable water bottle use

• Public toilets converted to using grey water for flushing

• Re-London strategy to increase recycling

Green spaces

• Parks and green spaces cover 18% of London

• Confirmed the world's first National Park City in 2019

• Aims to make 50% of the city green by 2050

• Greener City Fund:

  • Community tree planting and green space grants 

  • London's urban forest

  • Projects such as Plumstead High Street Improvement Scheme, which will provide play space and resident gardening

• Opening of the Thames Barrier Park in 2000 with wildlife, picnic and play areas

Housing

• BedZED UK's first large-scale sustainable community

  • Built from local materials, within 35-mile radius, with the exception of the windows

  • Car Club: a fleet of rentable cars

  • Each building has a green roof to encourage wildlife

  • Built on a brownfield site

• East Village in Stratford 

  • Connected to local train and bus services

  • 10 hectares of parkland

  • Green roofs

  • Lower rents to make them affordable

  • Local shops and services reduce the distance people have to travel

  • Water use is 50% lower than average and energy use is 30% lower than average