City of the Future

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L. HOW DO YOU ENVISION THE

City of the Future?

FROM SUPER-SCALING MEGA CITIES…TO REDISCOVERING SELF-SUSTAINING TOWNSHIPS

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City of the Future by Isabelle HaslederPictures sourced from all-free-download.com

Are our cities growing like cancer?The growth of modern cities is strikingly similar to the growth of cancer which is an uncontrolled, exponential growth destroying the healthy surroundings and eventually causes its host (environment) to waste away. From “Humans as Cancer” by A. Kent MacDougall

Today 54 % of the world’s population live in urban areas, a proportion that is expected to increase to 66 % by 2050 according to the United Nations Report 2014 “World Urbanization Prospects”.

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City of the Future by Isabelle HaslederPictures sourced from all-free-download.com

Current Scenario:

Cities are growing to Megacities

Growing Population

Energy Demand

Food Consumption

Waste Generation & Pollution

Traffic

Destruction of Environment

Loss of Identity

The largest urban growth will take place in India, China and Nigeria. Source: United Nations Report 2014 “World Urbanization Prospects”

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City of the Future by Isabelle HaslederPictures sourced from all-free-download.com

Cities……cannot produce adequate clean energy to meet their ENERGY REQUIREMENT

…cannot produce enough crops to meet their FOOD REQUIREMENT

…cannot produce and harvest enough fresh water to meet their WATER REQUIREMENT

…cannot treat/recycle the generated waste to prevent LANDFILL SITES AND SOIL CONTAMINATION

Which results in destructive exploitation of the surrounding areas for hundreds of kilometers.

Big corporations split their organization in separate and independent business units to effectively organize processes.

Now, it is time to re-organize urbanization…

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City of the Future by Isabelle HaslederPictures sourced from all-free-download.com

Back to the RootsTo be self-sustaining, a settlement needs to provide:

Energy generation from renewable sources on site

Fully supporting agriculture and food processing on site

Recycling of waste & waste to energy on site

Adequate and sustainable housing

Local businesses & employment

Education & healthcare facilities

Effective transportation

Every town could provide these facilities to their inhabitants 100 years ago!

Let us re-discover sustainability…

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City of the Future by Isabelle HaslederPictures sourced from all-free-download.com

Solution:

Self-Sustaining Townships

+5.000 to 50.000 inhabitants

+Clean energy generation on site

+On site food production

+Effective waste recycling

+Protection of environment

+Short ways for transportation

+Quality of living

+Sustainable buildings

+Efficiency in using natural resources

Only if we are directly involved in the system a change will happen.

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City of the Future by Isabelle HaslederPictures sourced from all-free-download.com

Turning ordinary towns to self-sustaining townships

Concept for renewable energy generation on site (will strengthen the local economy of the town and provide employment)

Concept for sustainable agriculture & food processing (will strengthen local economy, reduce transportation and overheads and provide employment)

Concept for organic waste biogas plant (will reduce requirement of renewable energy)

Concept for sustainable housing and renovation (will reduce energy demands)

Concept for social interaction of all generations

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City of the Future by Isabelle HaslederPictures sourced from all-free-download.com

My MotivationI grew up in a small village in Austria with a few hundred inhabitants where the local farmers were the central point for food supply. Looking back to those times it feels like being born in mother natures lap.

From a very young age I was attracted to the concept of self-sustaining houses, villages and cities. During my years at university I studied eco-villages world wide, and decided to do my internship in the worlds biggest eco-village “Auroville” in South India. Fueled from this experience I outlined a strategy in my thesis, of how to reduce the energy demand of a nation through sustainable planning.

After working professionally with project design and construction to achieve LEED certification (Green Buildings), I have started an India-wide campaign with the “Zero Energy Space” a mobile Zero Energy House which provides all necessary energy through a solar system on the rooftop. For this project I received 2 awards and a wide coverage in Indian and Austrian media.

Drawing from the experience of living in the worlds biggest cities of New Delhi (Number 2 worldwide) and Mumbai as well as some of the most sustainable places like Auroville and small villages in Austria my aim is to support a holistic approach towards a more energy efficient and sustainable way of living…