Iris -----frist draft

Topic: To what extent can the problems of urbanization be met by a policy of sustainable development?
Sub topic: Evaluate approaches for protect urban forest systems for city development in china

Introduction:
As far as we know, urbanization has been taking place rapidly in developing countries over the last five decades. An important feature of urbanization in the developing countries is the fact that the rate of growth of large cities has been greater than that of small cities. (Mathur , 1982).
Therefore, we can describe urbanization as the rapid growth of the city, in term of physical expansion of the urban area with high increase of the population. The high population is the significant feature of urbanization, which was the outcome of high levels of rural-to-urban migration in combination with the high rates of natural increase of population. As well, more and more new cities were appeared in china like Shenzhen, Haikou. As we know, city play a vital role in National economic growth, especially in developing counties because of the main business activities were happened in cities. Due to the well established business network, cities create most of the national output by performing crucial service and production functions.

Thus, at the beginning, urbanization is making huge contributions to city development. However, rapid urbanization in developing countries also bring negative consequences: high intense population with inadequate accessing to housing , pollutions, always overcrowded transportation, low employment , slums and squatter settlements , basic urban services like education, medical insurance , primary healthy care , water supply and so on.. These drawbacks now are the obstacles for economic development. As well, more and more people who live in the city suffer from depression due to the high stress and pressure. In order to eliminate the negatives of urbanization and make the city continue development in a right direction which is not scarify environment as price for economic development.

From this point of view, Sustain development could be a feasibility method. According to Brundtland report, Sustain development which means “development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs” (Brundtland, 1987,p43). Thus, cities can be design and managed in a way that resource use and pollution are reduced, devote to the harmonious development between man and natural.

In this essay, I will take China’s city as case, first, compare with the European urbanization, show the main difference of china’s urbanization which is the high intense between man and land, then give a solution to eliminate the drawbacks of urbani,zation which we called urban forest system to reduce the contradictions of man and natural, and refer to the successful cases in Japan, Canada, and European cities evaluate the feasibility in China. Then estimate the potential challenges of using this solution as well. Finally, the essay is drawn together and related to a wide context in a brief conclusion.



Main body:

Short introduction of china’s urbanization and the main symbols:

When talk about China’s city, the first idea come into our mind is crowed, particularly in eastern part cities such as Beijing, Shanghai, Shenzhen. Due to the natural environment, China’s population distribution is extremely unbalance, which show as in the western part of china, population is sparse , however, 90% of Chinese people live in the eastern or middle part of china, and most of the city own high-density population. Furthermore, in the past 30 years, China’s reformation and opening policy was mainly operated in eastern cities. Therefore, with the fact that deepening of reform and opening up and globalization course being , the urbanization happened in China’s eastern cities with a high pace.

By contrast to European’s urbanization, demography factor could not be neglect when the urbanization happen in the third world, particularly China is the most people country in the world. Furthermore, due to the traditionally high birth rate, although the One-Child policy make some sense in China, the population growth still at a high level. Thus, combine the high population and rapid face of urbanization, the problems which urbanization producing are becoming more complicated in terms of social, economic, and physical problems. Such as: the increasing incident of urban poverty, inadequate access to shelter and urban basic services. For example, large scale numbers of people migrate from rural to urban, make the crowed city more intense. Therefore, city’s development beyond the city’s limit, especially in limit resource like water supply, transportation, land.

One of the significant contradict was population boom-up with land limit. From one hand, housing which in city is inadequate, therefore, the price of housing is really high, a lot of people can not afford it, this produce some social problem like the gap between wealthy people and poor people. For the other hand, more and more high building were established , the public space such as park , sports centre , and greenbelts were becoming less. Due to the small space, large work load, crowded transport, most urban inhabitant under high stress and pressure, they feel depression. In additional, high density city, lots cars, the output of Carbon-dioxide is extraordinary high. Definitely, the air quality is low. Thus, from sustain development point, to decrease the conflict between the human and urban environment , to improve the urban residents quality of life, urban forest system could be a good method in balance the human and environment contradict. [why?]


Urban forest system:

Introduce the urban forest system:

The concept of “urban forest” was first appeared and development in North American in the 1960s, then spread into European, but it was experience long time till it was acceptance. It could be defined as “the arts, science and technology of managing trees and forest resources in and around urban community ecosystems for the physiological, sociological, economic and aesthetic benefits trees provide society”(Miller, 1997). Urban forest which focus on the role of trees as an essential part of urban infrastructure with aim of improve urban environment that included the populations of trees in urban area, tree-plant and maintenance, and forest conservation. In order to improve the natural resources using and urban environment managing level. Nowadays, more and more cities decision makers use this method to against the urban environmental problems

Benefits:

As we know, urban forest as a solution to resolve the problems in city, therefore, the function of the system supply should frequency relate to human activities. Thus, what kind of problems does this system could contribute to the solution of, from this point of view, the essay will analysis the benefits of the urban forest system offered in terms of natural environment and social values.

Natural environment values:

Firstly: as we clear know, air pollution in city cause by the transportation and human activities Due to the vegetation’s respiration , the trees absorb huge Carbon dioxide , and release Oxygen, the processing of gas exchange reduce air pollution in some distant. As well, special kinds of tree could absorb some harmful gas, then we could select to plan. Thus, improve air quality in city, this is good for human healthy. Furthermore, the decision maker could analysis the geography position of the city, thus they could according to the specialist choose different kinds of tree for special purpose. For example, in the Southeast coastal part of china, due to the strong Typhoon hit the cities every year, it is better to choose special kind of tree to establish the windbreak and sand-fixing forest, improve the erosion control level, reduce the natural disaster.

Secondly: Urban forest system has played an essential role on micro-climate regulation in city. The term what we called “the urban heat island effect” is because of the huge heat was absorbing by the surface, and human activities also consume large energy. In studies of US cities, some of these differences have been quantified, and expressed as changes compared with surrounding country-side: air temperature is 0.7 degree higher measured as the annual mean , solar radiation is reduced by up to 20%, and wind speed is lowered by 10-30%.(Haughton and Hunter, 1994). The urban forest system would help the difference in urban area. For instance, trees could be use for shading house in summer and reduce wind in winter, for the other hand, also good choice for decorate the city. According to the study, a single tree can transpire 450 liter of water per day, which consume 1000MJ of heat energy to drive the evaporation process.(Hough,1989 ).
Therefore, vegetation play a role in reducing summer weather, from this point of view, it could also decrease the volume of heating by air-condition consuming. Furthermore, decrease the Chemical substance which called Freon that could harm ozonosphere [?]. Therefore, operate urban forest system could create chain reaction which in long term protect our environment.


Thirdly: noise pollution do harm peoples’ healthy, if people under the huge noise environment, it could result in some diseases of ears, furthermore, could arouse some nervous system disease.
Technology innovation provide some methods to reduce the noise, like noise insulation glass, however, this could just effect indoors. Through planning trees along the streets, could affectively decrease the noise, reduce the dust as well.


Social values:

A crowed city is full of stressful to his citizens, inhabitant’s depression come from the highly speed of life style which included high work pressure, less space for rest, less time for communication. More and more urban citizens are in sub-health status, this unhealthy style life affect their work devotion. According to the studies, “Vegetation is essential to achieving the quality of life that creates a great city and that makes it possible for people to live a reasonable life within an urban environment.”(Botkin and Beveridge,1997). Therefore, if the natural environment of the city is amazing, it would improve inhabitant’s belonging to the city, and improve the satisfied with the life. Park is a good place for rest, you can playing games, communicating with people, hearing the birds singing and water’s sound, your heart would be relax in the beautiful place. Visiting green plants could release the stress of life, and renew your mood, getting new energy for life.

Green spaces also contribution to human’s psychologically. For example, the study on recovery of patients in a hospital showed that patients with rooms facing a park had 10% faster recovery and needed 50% less strong pain-relieving medication compared to patients in rooms facing a building wall.( Ulrich,1984)

Furthermore, establish urban forest system, play an important role for children cognizing the natural ecosystem, cultivating the concept of protect environment from young, and also good for cultivate children’s character.


Refer to other countries and feasibility in China:

Urban forest system was successful operation in North America. For example, Toronto’s urban forest system was well-established. Many trees planted in resident yards and lining the public streets, beautify the public spaces. As we know, Singapore was famous of its “Garden city”, even through it is small-size country, but the city planer use all of the resource, from road to park, through well-design, improve the forest coverage rate. The beautiful city with high reputation of environment attract massive people for travelling the country, furthermore, absorb huge foreign investment , bring lots job opportunities to the country. Definitely, the residents got lots benefits because of the amazing environment.[support?]

Japan is also a small-size country with high density population, but, even through in Tokyo, you can find big park for rest. The country’s forest coverage was 70% in 2009. Therefore, we can learn from the successful case, learn the modern concept in the field like “roof greening”, and the advantage management experience as well. Devote making efforts on city development, particularly in new cities.




Potential challenge:
The challenges of performing urban forest system could be in terms of natural environment physical and social environment. First of all, operate the urban forest system which include tree plan and maintain, protection, and take charge of the city’s tree resources. Planting trees it relate to the physical environment of the city such as: the soil quality, air condition included the light and the moisture of the air, and water supply. As we know, there are some factories along the edge of the city, some chemical waste air would harm the trees as well. Furthermore, if choose the tree that could absorb the harmful waste air, probable the odor of the tree would be not good, then the people don’t like it. As well, when you walking on the street, probable the bird’s solid waste dumps on your shoulder, and park could be dangerous in dark night

Secondly, to establish park or lake would use land ,this would be puzzle for the decision maker. In additional, how to reduce the cost on establish and maintain the urban forest system , improve the manage level of city planning also challenge the city managers.
[too brief]




Conclusion:
As we know, urbanization is inevitable trend in the world, and it would continue at a pace in developing countries. Thus, we should not neglect the drawbacks that urbanization producing. In this essay, I have suggested that the notion of sustainable development was a good method to figure out some of the problems. From the point of improve quality of life of residents who live in urban area, reduce the extremely increase of population contradiction with limit landscape source, through urban planning, improve the utilization ratio of urban natural resource, enhance the feel of happy of the dwellers who live in city, then achieve the goal that harmonious development between man and natural.

It is obviously that urban forest system services contribute to the quality of urban life such as: air quality was improved in some extent, noise pollution was reduced, microclimate regulation, and recreational and culture values. As cities grow at a rapid way in the next sever decades, the valued of urban forest system was understood and spread use in city design. From long term run , the urban forest system play an important role in city development due to it coordinate the tense relationship between human and urban environment.

However, plant trees, establish park, cultivated land to make more greenbelt, wetlands, and lakes. All of these need land source, it is hard to achieve in some cities which land-resource is extremely limited. Furthermore, the effects were just to reduce the problems, could not eliminate in a short time. Hopefully, the awareness could be improved by decision maker in term of the important role of urban forest play in city development, then enhance the land use rate, make rational decision on land-use planning.






References:
1.Sandra , N. & Maria ,D.(2010) Estimating the economic benefits of the landscape function of ornamental trees in a sub-Mediterranean area. International Journal of Urban Forestry &Urban Greening Vol 9 (2) PP71-81 [online].
Available from: http://www.elsevier.de/ufug
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2. Wendy,M. &Paul,E, Mar,s. Robert,B(2010)The housing-forest interface:Testing structural approaches for protecting suburban natural systems following development. International Journal of Urban Forestry &Urban Greening Vol 9 (2) pp149-159 [online].
Available from: http://www.elsevier.de/ufug
[accessed 27June 2010 ]

3. Alex Y ,LO & C.Y Jim (2010) Willingness of residents to pay and motives for conservation of urban green spaces in the compact city of Hong Kong International Journal of Urban Forestry &Urban Greening Vol 9 (2)pp113-120
Available from: http://www.elsevier.de/ufug
[accessed 27June 2010 ]