Top 6 Ideas to make today’s cities greener

Let us collectively look at the fact via the UN report that says that by 2050, greater than two-thirds of the total world population will be living in urban cities. 

As the human race is drifting toward increased urbanization, it also invites a handful of critical challenges against sustainable living for all species. A need evolves right here right now due to this realistic assumption that by that time our cities, suburbs, and neighborhoods shall remain safe, sustainable, and resilient. 

Biodiversity Damage Due to Anti-Strategic Urbanization

Increased human civilization has an adverse effect on biodiversity. According to Dennis Murphy, Research Programs Director at Stanford University, California says: Urban impacts on biodiversity reach their most devastating effects in developing countries. For example, less than 2% of the Atlantic forests of coastal Brazil within the urban reach of Sao Paulo remain, and it has been estimated that thousands of species from this region of high endemism have been driven to extinction, most never having been described by taxonomists.

As we know that urban cities are already responsible for 70% of global waste and consume almost 80% of global energy. This directly endangers the dream of sustainable biodiversity down the line.

Why does biodiversity plummet in urban areas?

The loss of habitat is not the only adverse effect of urbanization. The impacts of human activity when altering land cover also introduce the phenomenon of habitat fragmentation. Original ecosystems are split into small fragments when buildings and related infrastructure are built progressively over them.

The rise in civilization due to the migration of people from rural areas will also increase the levels of CO2 & other carbonized emissions down the line. At the moment, there is no dead end to stop or halt this. On the flip side, no significant efforts can be seen towards reversing the adversary effects by city governments on a global scale collectively. 

Can we protect it? - this is the question that matters.

Fortunately for us, there are ways to reverse the negative effects on the environment, land, and water. The only thing that is unfortunate for us is time and awareness about what will happen and what is coming if the right steps are not taken.

City development planners should prioritize biodiversity protection within the city as one of the most important aspects of planning the city's landscapes. This includes techniques that cherish the natural elements of an area and allow sustainable co-existence of people with native species. 

Okay, we know for real that new construction projects decrease green spaces as the city borders extend. The concept of making a city ‘greener’ and maintaining biodiversity go hand-in-hand.

What Can Municipalities Do to Make Cities Greener?

1. More Community Parks

Green spaces play a huge role in fading away from the adverse effects, whether it's CO2 emissions, extreme temperatures, loss of biodiversity, unhealthy air quality, etc. This is why planning community parks is not a bad idea at all. Ask any civilian in your city to vote, and the majority of the people would be optimistic and agree with this great idea. Trees, plants, and green areas in parks are critical for improving air quality and overall health. In parks, children can play, and adults can relax, take deep breaths, and reconnect with nature. Green public spaces can also enhance mental health and well-being.

2. Green Construction

This is the least everyone could do as a responsible civilian living in a city. We also understand that lives are getting busier and demanding to spare time to think about nature. But for once, everyone must give a collective thought to the process of what we can do the least for a better environment around us.

Vertical gardens are not at all a bad idea and the projects related to them are a huge success and appealing to the eyes. Also, you could do indoor gardening to keep yourself busy at home, experience good vibes, and keep the air fresh and toxin-free inside your home. 

“Going Green” also means minimizing water usage and improving the current volume of drinking water and wastewater. We need to avoid materials and chemicals that create harmful or toxic emissions. We have to make sure that all building users follow reduce, reuse, and recycle. 

3. Create Spaces of Nature for Urban Wildlife

No matter how big or small your home is, a small space or corner dedicated to nature will only bring goodies. If you really can, build a small garden with structures, plants, trees, etc. that could make other species feel welcomed.

Native plants are better suited to create a natural habitat for local wildlife. Birds and insects are already adapted to eat and use native species of flora, so it is logical to incorporate these species into the urban landscape.

4. Encourage Wildlife Corridors for Connecting Habitats

Connectivity refers to providing wildlife with corridors and connections between habitats. It allows for the free and safe movement of species from one area to another.

Providing options for wildlife to travel and find new food sources, water sources, and mates is extremely important to urban biodiversity. It allows animals to maintain their populations, migrate, etc. The idea is to allow native animals to live as unimpeded as possible within the urban environment.

Remember to use all potential options, be creative and innovative in figuring out ways to develop new opportunities to create a green space, think of ways to make something multi-functional, and don’t be scared to try to make something green that hasn’t originally been considered!

5. Promoting Urban Agriculture

According to Fao, almost a billion people grow plants and raise livestock within and around cities. It also states that 800+ million people across the world practice urban agriculture. Well, anyone would take it as a huge and significant step in the right direction.

Apparently, restoring and preserving farming lands in urban areas will help to shorten supply chains and decrease CO2 emissions in transportation. Producing and selling more fresh food within the city itself will help to bring down the environmental impact. Also, it will improve access to nutritious foods for the people living in the city and take the first step towards living a healthy life. 

6. Preserving & Boosting Urban Forestry

Urban forestry helps in improving the environment and helps the city stay green. It improves the air quality in the surrounding. The act of urban forestry also helps improve the mental health of people in fast-paced life in the cities and even provides potential habitat for urban wildlife. 

On the other side, trees moderate the local climate, especially in the case of extreme temperatures. Urban forests will also help in reducing the overall city temperatures significantly.

What HUGSI Does?

We quantify the urban green space of global cities and provide rankings based on their Key Performance Indicators (KPIs). The in-depth data helps us to analyze the cities which are getting greener or greyer. Our expert team is also ready to help with expert recommendations to anyone from the municipality or city development agency as and when needed.

This is what we at HUGSI are working on - bringing awareness to the government and municipalities of global cities by encouraging them to access seamless data from our platform.

Wait, there’s a lot of engaging information and cool features the HUGSI platform provides. 

Not a HUGSI member yet? Sign up and unlock the exclusive benefits for you.