Green City Concept and a Method to Measure Green City Performance over Time Applied to Fifty Cities Globally: Influence of GDP, Population Size and Energy Efficiency

Ogenis Brilhante,Jannes Klaas

doi:10.3390/su10062031

Abstract

There are many concepts and methods trying to accommodate the growth of cities without impairing sustainability. However, most are too complex, cannot measure green performance over time and fail to deliver actionable advice to decision-makers. The Green City Concept (GCC) is one of the latest of these concepts. This paper introduces a Green City Conceptual Framework (IHS-GCCF) and a harmonized method to measure Global Green City Performance over time (GGCPI). The IHS-GCCF highlights the importance of energy as a steward of resource efficiency and green performance. IHS-GCCF and GGCPI can be used to measure green performance, to explain possible factors influencing the calculated green performances over time, set targets and track achievements. They are adaptable to individual city needs. By applying the method to fifty cities worldwide through desk research, the paper shows that a green city is also sustainable and liveable. It also shows that GDP influences Green City Performances positively, population size influences it negatively and sanitation and air quality sectors influence green city performance the most. The paper addresses a range of gaps in the green city field. It consolidates prior research into one actionable conceptual framework and method.

Highlights

The 20th century was characterised by rapid and often uncontrolled urban growth leading to the emergence of huge dispersed or decompacted cities unlike the more compact cities of the 19th century
The objectives of this article were formulated taking into account some of the literature gaps previously mentioned in this article and are divided into three parts: introduction of the re-developed IHS Green City Conceptual Framework and the IHS Global Green City Performance Index method (IHS-Global Green City Performance over time (GGCPI); application of the new index method to measure the Green City Performance (GCP) of fifty cities globally and to study the influence of the population size, GDP, energy and key urban sectors in these green city performance (GCP); to verify the claim that a green city as defined in our green city conceptual framework is a sustainable and liveable city
One key finding in the literature leading to the development of the IHS-green city conceptual framework (GCCF) was the presence of some elements of the three pillars of the theory of sustainability in several green city definitions [1,6,7,26]

Summary

Introduction

The 20th century was characterised by rapid and often uncontrolled urban growth leading to the emergence of huge dispersed or decompacted cities unlike the more compact cities of the 19th century. An extensive build-up of transport and other infrastructures contributed to the deterioration of urban environmental performance in many cities globally through increased city footprints and impermeable surfaces; destruction of urban natural resources and green fields; reduced water quality and quantity; increased journey time, traffic congestion, and fuel consumption; and more [2,3]. The consequences of this car-dependent dispersed city prompted academics and urban managers to search for innovative ways to promote economic and urban growth with less environmental impact and use of natural resources. Concepts, theories and methods addressing this issue were and are being produced

Objectives

Methods

Results