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2013 | OriginalPaper | Chapter

Green Cities: Benefits of Urban Sustainability

Author : Essam Hassan Mohamed Ahmed

Published in: The Economy of Green Cities

Publisher: Springer Netherlands

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Abstract

In the wake of the global financial crisis of 2008, the concept of a green economy was provided with fresh impetus following wide-spread discussions on a “Green” New Deal to enable a “Green Recovery”. Large investments were seen as necessary to support the recovery of the world economy offering an opportunity to invest in green economy sectors. Nowadays many developed countries have adopted the Green Cities concept as strategic tool to face environmental challenges in general and climate change impacts in particular. With climate change concerns gaining mainstream attention, pressure is mounting for greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction to be taken into account during the course of urban development. From an environmental perspective, we must protect natural resources and include sustainability in development strategies.

Key strategies for achieving green cities will be to reduce consumption of resources such as water and electricity, waste management, and green buildings which use natural materials in their structure. City governments need to coordinate policies and decisions with other levels of government but more importantly need to be equipped with strategic and integrated planning capacities. Finally, governments can set a leadership example by using public procurement in the construction and management of facilities to drive the greening of the building sector.

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Title: Green Cities: Benefits of Urban Sustainability
Author: Essam Hassan Mohamed Ahmed
Publisher: Springer Netherlands
Book: The Economy of Green Cities
Print ISBN: 978-94-007-1968-2

Electronic ISBN: 978-94-007-1969-9

Copyright Year: 2013
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-1969-9_6

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