Authored with Edward A. Parson Just a few years ago, carbon removal wasn’t seen as something that could be realistically scaled, observed Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska). “It is now becoming clear that technologies to permanently remove carbon dioxide from the air and the ocean are not only real, but they are needed and they are…
Large-scale carbon removal: How do we phase out big industries? — Legal Planet
Business environments can exist either within the central business district or outside the city. An area becomes an edge city when there is a concentration of firms, entertainment and shopping centers in a previously known rural or residential area. An edge city is an American term that thrived towards the end of the 20th Century. Its use was as a result of the popularity of Joel Garreau’s book entitled “Edge City: Life on the New Frontier” written in 1991. By then, Garreau was a reporter who was working for the Washington Post. He was responsible for establishing the current meaning of “edge city.” According to Garreau, “edge cities” were a strategy to expand cities.
In the recent past, there has been evident urban growth globally. Expansion has occurred due to the development of edge cities in most urban cities’ suburbs resulting in an apparent difference between the growth of cities today and in the 19th Century. Back then, there was a central downtown in most urban centers without other prime business environments. Edge cities are sometimes called mega centers, suburban activity centers, and suburban business districts.
Some rules to follow for what can be considered an edge city were outlined by Garreau in 1991. The first rule was that the area should occupy a vast space of at least five million square feet or 465,000 square meters. Furthermore, the area of land should be in a leasable office space. Secondly, the leasable retail space should be at least 56,000 square meters or 600,000 square feet. Thirdly, the jobs should be more than the bedrooms, a strategy that ensures that they give work and business priority. Fourthly, its population must perceive that an edge city is a single place that is united. Lastly, there should be no indication that the place had been a town in the last 30 years.
There are three distinct groups of edge cities. The most common type of edge cities are the “boomers.” A boomer is an edge city that developed gradually around a highway or shopping mall. Northern Virginia and Tysons Corner are both boomers. The second type of edge cities are the “greenfields.” They are those edge cities that rise as a result of an upcoming suburban town. Their development always and majorly lies on their suburban fringe. Reston Town is a classic example of a Greenfield. Uptowns are the edge cities that grow from old cities based on their history. Another name used to refer to uptowns is satellite cities. Rosslyn–Ballston Corridor is an example of an uptown.
Most of the edge cities sprout in freeway intersections which need planning or are near existing cities. They develop better when this intersection exists near a major public airport. Heavy industry and manufacturing activities are a rarity in edge cities at the time of their development. Numerous edge cities have come up in the United States. They are more than the downtowns that match their sizes. There are 200 edge cities in the United compared to the 45 existing downtowns. The edge cities have even more vast space due to their automobile scaling.
Edge cities are a result of decentralization of people and resources which began in the 1960s. There has been an evident shift in socioeconomic activities leading to reduced competition for jobs and services. The scenario here has caused a lot of debate by economists on whether “people follow jobs or jobs follow people”. Edge cities have led to withdrawal of workers from the metropolitan areas to them leading to a boost of their economies. Therefore, edge cities have contributed much towards urban development and business expansion.
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Trees improve the livability and sustainability of our cities in many ways. For many years tree canopy in our urban areas has been decreasing. Large mature trees which reach the end of their lives are often replaced with smaller species. These replanted trees then struggle to establish and reach maturity due to the demands of paved surfaces around them.
Research over the years has confirmed the immense value and benefits that mature urban trees offer our cities.Trees save lives in urban systems. Organizations such as American Forests andTrees Forever actively campaign in support of trees in urban areas. And the more mature the tree, the greater the benefits – so it’s critical that trees are planted with mature establishment in mind.
Here are a few reasons to highlight the importance of urban trees and why professionals need to put the right systems in place to nurture them. Its not an exhaustive list- there are numerous reasons.
Visual Appeal
Few things can compare with the aesthetic impact and seasonal interest that trees offer the urban setting. They provide huge visual appeal to any area and can significantly enhance the design of a streetscape.
Air Quality
For every 10% increase in urban tree canopy, ozone is reduced by 3-7%.
Trees are also proven to remove carbon from the air, getting absorbed and stored as cellulose in their trunks, branches, and leaves (a process known as sequestration). Planting trees remains one of the most cost-effective ways of drawing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. A single mature tree can absorb Corbon di Oxide at a rate of 21.6 KG/year and release enough oxygen back into the atmosphere to support humans – those are numbers to be paid attention to. Air Quality is thus improved.
Research has also shown a 60% reduction in particulates from car exhaust fumes on streets lined with trees.
Trees have also been proven to have a positive impact on skin cancer, asthma, hypertension, and other stress related illness by filtering out polluted air, reducing smog formation, providing shade from solar radiation, and providing an attractive, calming setting for recreation.
Trees remove from the air pollutants Sulphur dioxide, nitrogen oxides and particulates, carbon monoxide, cadmium, nickel, and lead .
Trees also form an effective sound absorbing barrier to help reduce unwanted Urban Noise Pollution.
The biodiversity through trees in providing natural habitats for birds, squirrels, and other fauna are considered to some as incalculable.
For every $1 spent on trees, a return of $2.70 in benefits is received; according to the United States Forest Service. A similar study performed in the U.K. byNatural England calculated that every £1 spent on tree planting yielded £7 savings, or a potential £2.1 billion if taken nationally.
For every 5% of tree cover in a community, stormwater runoff is reduced by 2%. Trees prevent stormwater runoff from reaching water courses with harmful chemicals collected from roads and sidewalks.
Independent studies have shown a consistent 5-15% increase in property values on tree lined streets, proving that trees increase commercial and residential real estate values.
Researchers have discovered reductions in both violent and petty crime, including domestic violence through the therapeutic, calming influence of mature tree planting.
Trees reduce temperatures by shade and transpiring water. This helps reduce air conditioning bills and energy use. Studies have even proven that one mature tree can produce the same cooling effect as 10 room-sized air conditioners. This becomes an effective tool in reducing urban heat islands and hot spots in cities.
Trees can also save up to 10% of local energy consumption through their moderation of the local climate.
Buildings increase wind speed as wind is forced to travel further around them. Trees significantly reduce wind speed up to a distance of 10 times their height.
Trees in urban areas face a difficult environment. Paved hardscapes limit access to rainfall irrigation and the engineered requirements of pavement is completely opposite to what a tree needs to grow. GreenBlue systems help provide optimal conditions to give trees a fighting chance to reach mature in otherwise harsh urban conditions.
It’s important to understand that a large portion of urban trees that are planted do not reach maturity, therefore not providing the extent of the benefits that they could. With all these benefits in mind, we must ensure that new urban tree plantings receive what they need.
Biodiversity
Cities abound with wild nature. A large percentage of Earth’s biodiversity exists in urban or urbanizing areas, which are often adjacent to larger wild areas. It is more accurate to say that cities are in nature! Cities are embedded in the natural environment – the geology, watershed, climate and biodiversity – of whichever place on Earth where they develop.
More people means more continued destruction of our local natural environment. But if we change how we interact with nature, then we can turn people into a positive restoration force . Conservation of local urban biodiversity, is as essential and paramount to global ecosystem conservation, sustainability, and human survival on the planet as is conservation of the Amazon rainforest.
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Rashid's Blog: A Place for Inquisitive Souls 