sustainable development 20 years on from the ... - José Eli da Veiga
sustainable development 20 years on from the ... - José Eli da Veiga
sustainable development 20 years on from the ... - José Eli da Veiga
Create successful ePaper yourself
Turn your PDF publications into a flip-book with our unique Google optimized e-Paper software.
82<br />
Box I.8<br />
THE ECO-EFFICIENCY OF URBAN INFRASTRUCTURE<br />
As defined by <strong>the</strong> World Business Council for Sustainable Development, “eco-efficiency is achieved by <strong>the</strong> delivery<br />
of competitively-priced goods and services that satisfy human needs and bring quality of life, while progressively<br />
reducing ecological impacts and resource intensity throughout <strong>the</strong> life cycle to a level at least in line with <strong>the</strong> Earth’s<br />
estimated carrying capacity.” The Council identifies seven key eco-efficient corporate practices:<br />
(i) Reducing resource intensity in <strong>the</strong> producti<strong>on</strong> of goods and services;<br />
(ii) Reducing energy intensity in <strong>the</strong> producti<strong>on</strong> of goods and services;<br />
(iii) Reducing <strong>the</strong> generati<strong>on</strong> and dispersi<strong>on</strong> of toxic substances;<br />
(iv) Supporting recycling;<br />
(v) Capitalizing <strong>on</strong> <strong>the</strong> maximum possible use of renewables;<br />
(vi) Extending product durability; and<br />
(vii) Increasing <strong>the</strong> quality of goods and services.<br />
This c<strong>on</strong>cept can be applied to urban <str<strong>on</strong>g>development</str<strong>on</strong>g>, as shown in <strong>the</strong> following graphic.<br />
THE REDESIGN OF CITIES USING ECO-EFFICIENT INFRASTRUCTURE<br />
Urban services and<br />
processes:<br />
Costing of major envir<strong>on</strong>mental<br />
impacts and opportunities for<br />
introducing improvements:<br />
Urban mobility, <str<strong>on</strong>g>sustainable</str<strong>on</strong>g><br />
housing, intelligent buildings,<br />
integrated neighbourhoods,<br />
technology parks, green<br />
spaces, public spaces,<br />
pedestrian walkways,<br />
c<strong>on</strong>sumpti<strong>on</strong> patterns,<br />
informati<strong>on</strong> and expert<br />
advisory services, etc.<br />
Moving towards<br />
<strong>the</strong> resdesign of<br />
<str<strong>on</strong>g>sustainable</str<strong>on</strong>g> cities<br />
based <strong>on</strong> a full<br />
costing of<br />
eco-efficient<br />
urban<br />
infrastructure<br />
Air quality, reducti<strong>on</strong> in greenhouse<br />
gases, sufficient supplies of clean<br />
water, integrated solid urban waste<br />
management, eliminati<strong>on</strong> of<br />
hazardous wastes, smoothly<br />
flowing urban transit, very low noise<br />
levels, minimal disturbance of<br />
natural surroundings and of natural<br />
features, satisfactory envir<strong>on</strong>mental<br />
services, etc.<br />
Critical inputs:<br />
Energy, water soil and land (territory, space), eco-efficient urban infrastructure<br />
Source: Ec<strong>on</strong>omic Commissi<strong>on</strong> for Latin America and <strong>the</strong> Caribbean (ECLAC), <strong>on</strong> <strong>the</strong> basis of “Ecoeficiencia y desarrollo de<br />
infraestructura urbana sostenible en Asia y América Latina”, <str<strong>on</strong>g>20</str<strong>on</strong>g>07 [<strong>on</strong>line] http://www.eclac.cl/ecoeficiencia.