Many cities now recognise the need to undertake a sustainability restoration phase to consider future energy, water and transport requirements, together with other environmental impacts and important issues such as the provision of employment and food. Although similar issues are being considered in developing countries, there the focus is on planning new cities, and the enlargement of smaller towns and cities into new cities or mega-cities.
WSP offers a wide range of design and engineering solutions that, when integrated, can help transform the built environment. This integration is key, as the lesson learnt from the past is that when sustainability issues were considered, it was often in isolation and at too later stage in the process. The following case studies provide some examples of how a more multidisciplinary approach is paying off.
Stockholm Royal Seaport in Sweden will be a spearhead for sustainable urban development where innovative Swedish clean technologies and creative solutions are developed, tested and presented. Read more...
Jaypee City Masterplan, India: Jaypee City is a new development near New Delhi for over 2 million people, with long-term sustainability at the heart of its design. Read more.
Zarqa, Jordan: WSP, together with Consolidated Consultants of Jordan, was appointed by the World Bank to develop an energy efficient transport strategy for Zarqa Municipality in Jordan to improve traffic mobility and reduce energy emissions as part of its Energy Efficient Cities Initiative.
The average family size in Zarqa is 5.5 people, and the unemployment level (13%) is the highest in the country. As a consequence of hosting some 50% of Jordan’s industry, Zarqa is, along with neighbouring Russeifa, also considered to be the most polluted area in the country.
This undermines the population’s quality of life and has also had a negatively impact on the competitiveness of the business community. Some of the most pressing problems associated with transport activity are congestion, traffic accidents, air pollution, greenhouse gas emissions and petroleum dependence. Thus, developing a strategic approach to transportation, particularly in the downtown area, is becoming increasingly critical.
WSP prepared an energy efficient mobility plan for downtown Zarqa to control and reduce energy consumption and reduce transport-related pollutant and greenhouse gases. We also developed a plan for efficient and easy access to the proposed Amman-Zarqa light rail terminal using bus public transport, and developed an investment programme to fund the work.
The strategy recommends in total, eight core projects and 12 strategy projects. These projects are to be planned and implemented over a 10-year programme finishing in 2020, and will focus on improving public transport with the support of traffic and demand management.
Click here read about more Green urban development projects, as well as our work in Energy Efficiency, Future Energy, Property, Industry and Land Remediation.