5: AN ASSESSMENT OF SUSTAINABLE CITIES

As the world's urban population surpasses the rural population for the first time, it becomes apparent that the world's cities should adapt to and embrace nature's ways. Natural assets must be preserved or if altered, replenished. Sustainable living in cities has become a focus in recent years. Sustainable development itself is confusing to many due to its various interpretations. This paper identifies the common characteristics of sustainable cities by comparing three aspiring sustainable cities in different regions of the world. They are Curitiba in Brazil, Bangkok in Thailand and Malmö in Sweden. From these, an attempt to determine if Asian cities could adopt the same common characteristics and modify certain aspects to achieve sustainability is made. It was found that the common elements of a sustainable city are sustainable transportation, energy efficiency in terms of renewable energy, richness in city biodiversity within green spaces, efficient material flow, sustainable housing and land-use planning. In developing Asian cities, the more important elements are air quality, water and sanitation, which should be improved first while keeping the common elements mentioned above in mind.