Urban Sustainability: It’s closer than you think
“Objects in the mirror are closer than they appear.”
It’s hard to miss this warning plastered on your car’s rearview mirror and you may be wondering what this has to do with sustainability issues in the first place. But, after my experience in Hong Kong, I realize our cities face growing urban sustainability issues—challenges that are real and closer than I ever thought.
It’s not enough to simply talk about greener and more sustainable cities. It takes serious policy change to turn these ideas into reality. This is particularly challenging in Hong Kong where the government has a hands off approach to intervention and an even trickier relationship because of the “one country, two systems” policy. It is especially difficult to get local citizens involved in the policy making process and initiate changes that they want.
However, after talking with many Hong Kongers, it is clear public sentiment is changing and issues need to be addressed. Improving biodiversity, addressing waste problems, and ensuring more affordable and accessible housing aren’t just good ideas, they are areas where leaders need to take action.
One of the richest experiences was the opportunity to study Hong Kong’s housing issues. While the dense, urban jungle of Hong Kong is a sight to see, it’s astounding to understand the degradation on the quality of life. Imagine 7 million people crammed into 426 square miles or roughly an area smaller than the City of Phoenix. With further land restrictions, over 90 percent of the population lives on just 10 percent of the land. It’s no wonder that multiple families are forced into apartment towers 60-70 stories high.
Limited land and a growing population not only impact the quality of life for many families, these factors also make affordable housing very hard to obtain. Those who own homes and apartments in the city typically pay top dollar for their space. I first thought that easing land restrictions or reusing shipping containers to create more living space would be good ways to address this issue. Turns out, I was wrong! My Hong Kong classmates strongly disagreed and said it was very important to maintain nature preserves and open space and not add to the already crowded city scape.
My biggest takeaway from this experience is the importance of understanding the local perspective. It’s one thing to understand sustainability issues and make changes to public policy. It’s quite another to appreciate the local perspective from citizens, leaders, and communities while developing these policies. Considering the local perspective is vital to the issue of governance in particular, as the line blurs between public and private interests.
Urban sustainability issues are certainly closer than I thought. They are real, impactful and important and it’s vital to have a local understanding of the issues. As I advance into policy advisement and decision making, I will always strive to get an up close look at the issues in front of me.