Intro Quiz: Sustainable urban living

Video: Sustainable urban living

﻿Hi, and welcome to today's lesson, I'm Miss Goacher. Our focus for today is going to be looking at all the different strategies that can be used to make urban living more sustainable. You'll be looking at social, economic, and environmental strategies that help to make living in urban areas far more sustainable. You are going to need a pen and some paper as normal. So if you need to go and get those, please feel free to do so. Pause the video before we continue. So our key term today is sustainability. And this might be a word that you've come across in geography before. But if it's not, it's one that certainly is important to know. Sustainability is about the actions that meet the needs of the present without reducing the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. In simple terms, it's about making sure what we're doing today also means that we can do that in the future. There are three elements to sustainability, social, environmental, and economic. And to be truly sustainable, we have to make sure that we can tick the box for all three parts of those. They're all really important to be truly sustainable. Have a look at that definition, and have a look at those three elements of sustainability. And at this point of the video, you might want to pause and note down that key word and the definition. It's going to be the foundation of our whole lesson today. So it's really important that you understand what it means and how it works. Let's look at the first reason of why urban areas need to be made more sustainable. There are lots of different reasons for this. And it depends very much on where you are, in the U.K. or around the world, for which reasons are applicable. There are certain stakeholders, so groups of people such as town planners, councils, and governments, who are now investing in ways to make urban areas far more sustainable. And we know that often in urban areas, there are challenges that are faced as that urban area grows. We might see deprivation, or inequality, or urban sprawl as a city grows outwards. And what these key stakeholders are focusing on are the different ways that can support that urban area to become better for the current time and also the future. We're going to look at, today, three particular strategies. Water and energy conservation, waste recycling, and creating green space. So it might be worth, at this point, quickly pausing the video and making a note of those three strategies that we're going to look at today so that when we get onto them, you're able to pop your notes down under those headings. At this point, I want to check that we really understand what sustainability means. You've got four options on the screen, and these are all definitions. But you need to choose which of those definitions is the correct one to help us define sustainability. Pause the video, have a really quick and thorough read through the four options, choose which one you think is correct, and then resume the video to see whether you were right. So the correct option was option two. Sustainability are the actions that meet the needs of the present without reducing the ability of future generations to meet their needs. Remember what we said, in simple terms, it's about meeting the needs of the present, but also making sure that we are thinking about the future too. Option one, the regeneration of areas to improve their visual appearance and socio-economic status, option three, the investment in areas to help create more jobs and boost the local economy, and option four, the demolition of derelict buildings and regeneration of brownfield sites, might all be strategies that help us to be more sustainable. But option two is the correct definition. So let's move onto our first sustainability strategy, water conservation schemes. These are all focused on reducing the amount of water that is used in an urban area. There are four ways that we can do this on the screen. One, we can collect rainwater for use on gardens or for flushing toilets. Two, we can instal toilets that flush with less water. Three, we can instal water metres so that people only pay for the water they use. And four, we can encourage people to use less water, for example, turning the tap off when they're not using them. I'm sure we're all guilty of leaving the tap on when we're brushing our teeth, and that might seem like a really simple way of saving water, but it can be really effective if all of us start to do that. So there are four different ideas on the screen of how we can reduce the amount of water that we're using in order to be environmentally sustainable. So remember back to that beginning of the lesson where we looked at those three elements of sustainability, social, economic, and environmental. This particular strategy of conserving water fits in with our environmental sustainability. The second strategy is energy conservation. This is about us reducing the use of fossil fuels. And we can do that through these four different ways. One, we can promote the use of renewable energy sources. Two, we can encourage people to make their homes more energy efficient. Three, we can make sure that all new homes meet minimum energy efficiency requirements. And four, we can encourage people to use their cars less by using things like public transport. Statement two and statement three are all very much about increasing our insulation and making sure we lose less heat energy. At the moment, the government is investing very heavily in supporting people to be able to access these strategies. And this can, again, be a very simple way of being able to be more sustainable. Many of you will have seen ways that we're promoting renewable energy sources, wind farms or solar panels. And again, there's lots of investment by local councils, the government, and private companies to support that strategy. You may want to make sure that you've got some ideas written down for this particular strategy before we move on. So let's see what we've learnt so far. You have got an exam question, and it says, "Suggest one way that water conservation "can be achieved in urban areas." There are three marks available here. And on a geography question, what we're really looking at is the use of specifics and the fact that we are developing our ideas. You can see that I've put a model answer on this slide. And this is for energy conservation rather than water conservation, just to help us see how we can structure our answer. I've written, "Energy conservation can be achieved "through installing renewable energy sources "such as wind turbines. "This means that fewer fossil fuels are burnt, "and this would decrease greenhouse gas emissions "in the area." That shows us exactly how we are able to talk about specifics, and we've used a really clear connective phrase, "this means" and "this would," to help us develop our idea twice. Your job is now to have a go at writing your answer for water conservation. Use the model as some inspiration, pause the video to have a go at this before you move on and have a look at the marks. So this is how I've answered my water conservation question, "One way that water conservation "can be achieved in urban areas "is through the installation of water metres. "This means that people have to pay "for how much water they use, "meaning that people would be encouraged to use less water." You can see very clearly, I've talked about the method, and I've explained exactly how it can be achieved in urban areas. Double-check that you've done the same. You may underline or highlight where you've developed ideas, just that you know where your marks are coming from. We're now going to move on to our next method of how we can encourage sustainability in urban areas. And this time, it's about reducing the amount of waste that is sent to landfills. There are three different ways that we can achieve this. Number one, we can use curbside collections of recyclable materials which make it much easier for people to recycle and encourages them to do so. Number two, we can build recycling facilities to deal with larger items such as fridges, so that people are encouraged to recycle. And number three, we can use websites where people are offered items for free rather than them being thrown away. Previously in this unit, we've looked at how Liverpool have invested in a new waste and recycling centre in Old Swan in 2015, in a way, to manage the waste that was produced in the city. And you may even have specific recycling schemes in your local area that encourage you to recycle your materials too. You may have different colour bins and bigger recycling bins. It could be that you've got food waste bins. Every urban area will look at how they can be far more sustainable environmentally by putting into place different waste recycling schemes. Make sure you're able to talk about an example, and like we said, that could be linked to Liverpool. It could be linked to your own example in your local area. Our final way of being sustainable is looking at the creation of green spaces. And this time, this really focuses on both social and environmental sustainability. Creating green spaces ensures that urban areas remain as places where people want to work and live. They can reduce air pollution through creating pockets of clean air. They can reduce flooding by increasing interception and infiltration. Think about how that works within the water cycle. Trees and plants can intercept that water to stop it falling to the ground. And infiltration is increased when you've got permeable surfaces such as grass or soil. Green spaces can encourage exercise, and they can also provide open space to give a break from the noise and the hustle-bustle of a city. Again, you could link this to our named urban area in the U.K., Liverpool, and refer to Chavasse Park, which is a five-acre park created in the retail area of Liverpool ONE. This is a perfect example of how an urban area has created green space in a way to make sure that city is sustainable. Double-check again that you've got some ideas popped down from waste recycling and creating green spaces before we move on. So let's see what we've looked at and what we can remember so far. You've got four options on the screen, and your job is to pick out the option that is not a benefit of creating green spaces. Option one, reduction of flooding by increasing interception and infiltration. Option two, provision of open space to give a break from the noise and bustle of the city. Option three, it gives the council and town planners more land to build on and develop. And option four, reduction of air pollution through creating pockets of clean air. Which one of those four options is not a benefit of creating green spaces? Pause the video, pop your idea down, and then we'll have a look together. So option three was the odd one out. It certainly is not one of the benefits of creating green spaces. And actually, the purpose of creating green spaces is to make sure that we are reducing flooding, providing open space to give that break from the noise and bustle, and reducing air pollution, certainly not for the council and town planners to have more land to build on. So we're going to bring the lesson to its close. You have a main task here. And it asks you to explain how urban areas can be made more sustainable. This is a tricky one. This time, we are looking for two really clearly developed ideas. And we're looking for you to be able to pop in some specifics to your answer as well. What an examiner will be looking for in this answer is for you to be able to talk about, very clearly, two particular ways that urban areas can be made more sustainable. And that could be through any of the four methods that we have looked at today. That could come from waste recycling, it could come from water conservation, energy conservation, or the creation of green spaces. A really important part of this answer is your ability to develop your ideas using connectives such as "this means that," "which means that," and "this leads to." I want you to have a go at popping some ideas down for this question. You might choose water conservation and talk about how water conservation in urban areas means that it's more sustainable. Think about that term, sustainability. We want to make sure that we are talking about how it makes something good in the future. So if you're talking about water conservation, you might use the phrase, "Urban areas can be made more sustainable "through the use of water conservation schemes. "These support sustainability." Or, "These encourage sustainability." That way, we know that we are able to refer to that key word of sustainability that pops up in the question. So choose those two different methods, and think about, very carefully, how they encourage sustainability in a city. You'll need to pause the video to have a go, and when you come back in and resume the video, we're going to look at a model answer and see how you would mark this model answer. So where would the marks be awarded here? You've got a six-mark question, and I've written you a model answer. I want you to pause the video again at this point, and read through this answer and see where you would give the marks. Remember, in geography, we look at marks coming from reference to specifics and development of our ideas. In this particular answer, you might give marks for the specifics to water conservation and energy conservation, but look out for those phrases that help us to develop our ideas, and see if you can identify where the marks are coming from in this answer. So this is where I would have given the marks to this answer. First mark to that reference of water conservation schemes. Second mark to that idea about how they are supporting sustainability. And third mark to that development of the idea about why it would make sure people are being sustainable. The second paragraph, again, the first mark goes to that reference to energy conservation. The second mark goes to that reference to sustainability. And the third mark goes to that double-developed idea of why that means people are being sustainable. Check through your answer. Mark your answer using that knowledge. Underline or highlight where you would give yourselves the marks. And if you need to borrow anything from this particular slide, feel free. You might have referred to the creation of green spaces or waste recycling in your answers. But just double-check that you've used those phrases about sustainability and those development phrases to get those full marks. So that brings us to the end of the lesson. We have looked at, today, four main strategies linked to how urban living can be made more sustainable. Remind yourselves of those four main strategies, water conservation, energy conservation, the creation of green spaces, and waste recycling. Double-check that in each of those four strategies, you know different methods that might be used to ensure that we're being as sustainable as we can be in an urban area. And think very carefully about your local urban area and how many different strategies they are using that are similar to the ones we've looked at today. Those examples will really strengthen answers in exam papers. Top job today, really, really well done. Keep that key phrase of sustainability in your mind. Next lesson, we'll be going on to look at how traffic congestion can be managed in urban areas. But for today, make sure you've done the quiz that's linked to the lesson to show yourself and us what you've learnt, and give yourself a pat on the back for working so well.

Exit Quiz: Sustainable urban living

Completed: Sustainable urban living

This lesson explores the concept of sustainable urban living, with focus given to water, energy, waste and green space.

Geography

Sustainable urban living

Introductory Quiz

Video

Final Quiz

Lesson Complete