Abstract
BackgroundCurrently, most of the world’s population lives in cities, and the rapid urbanization of the population is driving increases in the demand for products, goods and services. To effectively design policies for urban sustainability, it is important to understand the trends of flows in energy and materials as they enter and leave a city. This knowledge is essential for determining the key elements characterizing future urban growth and addressing future supply challenges.MethodsThis paper presents an analysis of the energy and material flows in the city of Bogotá over the time span from 2001 to 2017. Urban flows are also characterized in terms of their temporal evolution with respect to population growth to compare and identify the changes in the main input flows, wealth production, emissions and waste in the city.ResultsThe results of the analysis are then compared with those for other selected large urban agglomerations in Latin America and worldwide to highlight similarities and make inferences. The results show that in Bogotá, there was a decrease in some of the material flows, such as the consumption of water and the generation of discharge, in recent years, while there was an increase in the consumption of energy and cement and in the production of CO2 emissions and construction materials. Solid waste production remained relatively stable. With respect to the other large cities considered, we observe that the 10-year growth rates of the flows with respect to population growth are lower in Bogotá, particularly when compared with the other urban agglomerations in Latin America.ConclusionsThe findings of this study are important for advancing characterizations of the trends of material and energy flows in cities, and they contribute to the establishment of a benchmark that allows for the definition and evaluation of the different impacts of public policy while promoting the sustainability of Bogotá in the coming decades.
Highlights
Most of the world’s population lives in cities, and the rapid urbanization of the population is driving increases in the demand for products, goods and services
Results the trends and analysis of the flow of materials over different periods of time in the city of Bogotá are presented considering the main inputs and outputs at a general level and as components; the dynamics of growth and reduction are observed according to different pressures or actions on the environment or the greater awareness of city inhabitants
Conclusions and future directions This paper reports an analysis of the urban flows in Bogotá for the period of 2001–2017, and the fundamental elements needed to understand, where the main environmental problems are generated and what actions could be taken are identified
Summary
Most of the world’s population lives in cities, and the rapid urbanization of the population is driving increases in the demand for products, goods and services. To effectively design policies for urban sustainability, it is important to understand the trends of flows in energy and materials as they enter and leave a city. This knowledge is essential for determining the key elements characterizing future urban growth and addressing future supply challenges. Policies for the sustainability and management of urban areas require an understanding of the demands of natural resource flows and the generated environmental impacts. Material flow analysis allows us to demonstrate how to generate a relationship between inputs and outputs that can promote eco-efficiency, which is essential for policy makers and decision makers aiming to formulate an urban policy that guarantees sustainability, productivity improvements and competitiveness [5]
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