Assignment 3: Urban Environments and Governance
Choose two out of the following three questions. Each answer is worth 12 points.
- Climate Change Challenges (refers to Unit 7)
Explore your megacity’s carbon footprint and air quality issues.
- Present the following information in two concise tables (not counted towards the 300-word limit):
Carbon footprint:
- What is the estimated carbon footprint (total and per capita) for the city?
- Compare these numbers to other cities in the same country.
- Compare these numbers with two other similarly sized cities, one in the Global North and one in the Global South.
Use this website as a resource: http://citycarbonfootprints.info/
Air pollution:
- What are the outdoor air pollution levels in your city (cite specific figures)?
- Compare these pollution levels with two other similarly sized cities, one in the Global North and one in the Global South.
- What are the estimated annual fatalities and estimated health impacts as a result of air pollution in these cities?
Use these websites to find data on air pollution:
Real-time data: https://waqi.info/, https://www.iqair.com/, https://breezometer.com/
Historical data: https://www.who.int/airpollution/data/cities/en/, https://whoairquality.shinyapps.io/AmbientAirQualityDatabase/
- Based on an analysis of the data in part A, and additional sources (including academic), answer the following questions:
- How does your city compare in terms of carbon footprint and air pollution to the other cities in your table, and/or to overall world averages?
- What are the biggest sources of carbon emissions and air pollution in your city?
- Have the carbon footprint and air pollution levels in your city improved or worsened over the past 10 years. What might explain this?
- Sustainable Solutions (refers to Unit 8)
Briefly describe the main plans and actions your megacity has initiated to reduce its carbon footprint and adapt to climate change:
- Does your city have a plan in place for reducing greenhouse gas emissions (mitigation), and/or adapting to climate change and improving resilience?
- What policy areas do these plans address, and what are the main goals in these areas?
- In your evaluation, are the city’s plans likely to make a real impact? Explain why or why not. (Present a well-reasoned argument based on cited facts and references.)
- Smart and Just Cities (refers to Unit 9)
Briefly describe the main political and governance issues facing your megacity. Address at least three of the following aspects, as may be relevant to your city:
- Does the city have a “smart city” strategy in place? What are its main goals?
- Is the city attracting people from the “creative class”? Does it face gentrification pressures as a result?
- Are there any popular struggles taking place in your city under the banner of “the right to the city” (or otherwise making claims to the city and its resources)?
- Is the city government promoting public participation in municipal decision-making, planning or budgeting?
- In your evaluation, is the city government taking effective measures to make the city more just and equitable?