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http://www.twitter.com/greenphilly
March 31, 2009
Considering Industrial Ecology
Philadelphia was the first real major city of the United States and has played a key role throughout the country’s history. The political and social importance of Philadelphia was unparalleled during the colonial era and the city was an epicenter for innovation and social development during this period and for many years following. Although the city’s level of importance has declined through time as the country became more diverse and started relying on a variety of interconnected regions contributing in different ways to the development of the nation, the city and its surrounding region continued to be of great importance. At the start of the industrial revolution, Philadelphia was a logical place to install facilities because of its access to water and because of its abundance of available labor. Philadelphia saw a huge population boom and the city openly adopted the new industrial characteristic that had become a prominent economic model.
The industrial era lasted for quite some time and the industrial infrastructure was tightly woven in the urban fabric of the United States and its major cities. Although this economic and social model brought large growth to the industrial cities and their surrounding regions, the remnants of this system are quite prevalent years after the great shift away from the ‘industrial city’. It is safe to say that Philadelphia has entered the post-industrial stage, the “fourth and final stage of the demographic transition model, in which both birth and death rates have fallen to a low level and remain stable there, and populations may even decline slightly (as is the case in this city, even with the entire metro region growing steadily)” (Withgott; Brennan 2007). One of the great challenges facing the City of Philadelphia and other major post-industrial cities is the ‘redevelopment’ of the declining industrial sectors and incorporating the existing structures and facilities into the urban network in a smart and sustainable way. It is for this reason that Philadelphia must consider its industrial ecology.
Although industrial activity in the city has been reduced dramatically, there is still industrial manufacturing taking place (oil refineries are actually rather numerous in South Philly) and regardless of current activity, there is still a large amount of solid ‘waste’ left over from the heavily industrial era. As opposed to the economic ‘straight-line’ industrial production process pattern, environmental systems follow a ‘cyclical’ pattern that involves natural recycling and re-use. Industrial ecology, which explains that economic systems are not separate from ecological systems, but are actually directly intertwined, and which “integrates principals from engineering, chemistry ecology, economic and other disciplines… seeks to redesign industrial systems in order to reduce resource inputs and minimize inefficiency” (Withgott; Breenan 2007). This is of great importance to any post-industrial city wishing to ‘green’ itself. Industrial ecology encourages the city and its industrial entities to function in a cyclical as opposed to a linear way. Philadelphia could certainly use consistent urban planning that considers the city’s industrial ecology and the best ways to transition out of the post-industrial era in a sustainable way.
Robert and Leslie Ayres propose four major strategies for “increasing the ecological efficiency of resource use and reducing wastes and pollution” that are quite useful for urban centers attempting to become green cities (Harris 2006):
1. Dematerialization: achieving the same economic goal using less material by increasing materials use efficiency.
2. Materials substitution: replacing a scarce, hazardous, or high-polluting material with a more environmentally benign substitute.
3. Repair, reuse, remanufacturing, and recycling (Refer to blog link concerning recycling in Philadelphia).
4. Waste mining: retrieving usable materials from urban, industrial, or agricultural waste streams.
(Ayres and Ayres, 1996, p. 13-14)
Philadelphia should certainly look into incorporating or expanding these practices within the city and the metro region in order to reduce wastes and improve efficiency. Transitioning into a cleaner future city and redesigning the industrial network of the city is a tough challenge, but must be addressed. Practices like these will help this post-industrial city transition into becoming a green city where the industrial system is no longer dominant.
Ayres, Robert U., Leslie W. Ayres. Industrial Ecology: Towards Closing the Materials Cycle. Cheltenham, U.K.: Elgar, 1996.
Harris, Jonathan. Environmental and Natural Resource Economics: A Contemporary Approach. Houghton Mifflin Company; Boston: 2006.
Withgott, Jay; Brennan, Scott. Essential Environment: The Science Behind the Stories, 2nd Ed. Pearson Education, Inc.; San Francisco: 2007.
The industrial era lasted for quite some time and the industrial infrastructure was tightly woven in the urban fabric of the United States and its major cities. Although this economic and social model brought large growth to the industrial cities and their surrounding regions, the remnants of this system are quite prevalent years after the great shift away from the ‘industrial city’. It is safe to say that Philadelphia has entered the post-industrial stage, the “fourth and final stage of the demographic transition model, in which both birth and death rates have fallen to a low level and remain stable there, and populations may even decline slightly (as is the case in this city, even with the entire metro region growing steadily)” (Withgott; Brennan 2007). One of the great challenges facing the City of Philadelphia and other major post-industrial cities is the ‘redevelopment’ of the declining industrial sectors and incorporating the existing structures and facilities into the urban network in a smart and sustainable way. It is for this reason that Philadelphia must consider its industrial ecology.
Although industrial activity in the city has been reduced dramatically, there is still industrial manufacturing taking place (oil refineries are actually rather numerous in South Philly) and regardless of current activity, there is still a large amount of solid ‘waste’ left over from the heavily industrial era. As opposed to the economic ‘straight-line’ industrial production process pattern, environmental systems follow a ‘cyclical’ pattern that involves natural recycling and re-use. Industrial ecology, which explains that economic systems are not separate from ecological systems, but are actually directly intertwined, and which “integrates principals from engineering, chemistry ecology, economic and other disciplines… seeks to redesign industrial systems in order to reduce resource inputs and minimize inefficiency” (Withgott; Breenan 2007). This is of great importance to any post-industrial city wishing to ‘green’ itself. Industrial ecology encourages the city and its industrial entities to function in a cyclical as opposed to a linear way. Philadelphia could certainly use consistent urban planning that considers the city’s industrial ecology and the best ways to transition out of the post-industrial era in a sustainable way.
Robert and Leslie Ayres propose four major strategies for “increasing the ecological efficiency of resource use and reducing wastes and pollution” that are quite useful for urban centers attempting to become green cities (Harris 2006):
1. Dematerialization: achieving the same economic goal using less material by increasing materials use efficiency.
2. Materials substitution: replacing a scarce, hazardous, or high-polluting material with a more environmentally benign substitute.
3. Repair, reuse, remanufacturing, and recycling (Refer to blog link concerning recycling in Philadelphia).
4. Waste mining: retrieving usable materials from urban, industrial, or agricultural waste streams.
(Ayres and Ayres, 1996, p. 13-14)
Philadelphia should certainly look into incorporating or expanding these practices within the city and the metro region in order to reduce wastes and improve efficiency. Transitioning into a cleaner future city and redesigning the industrial network of the city is a tough challenge, but must be addressed. Practices like these will help this post-industrial city transition into becoming a green city where the industrial system is no longer dominant.
Ayres, Robert U., Leslie W. Ayres. Industrial Ecology: Towards Closing the Materials Cycle. Cheltenham, U.K.: Elgar, 1996.
Harris, Jonathan. Environmental and Natural Resource Economics: A Contemporary Approach. Houghton Mifflin Company; Boston: 2006.
Withgott, Jay; Brennan, Scott. Essential Environment: The Science Behind the Stories, 2nd Ed. Pearson Education, Inc.; San Francisco: 2007.
March 30, 2009
Addressing Trash
Philadelphia is facing an environmental issue currently in that it cannot manage to reasonably clean up its trash. This may seem like old news to many people; however it seems the problem is getting worse after there had been signs of improvement in past months.
Upon returning from studying abroad in Chile for several months, I was actually quite impressed with what seemed to have been a good effort by the City of Philadelphia and its citizens to clean up its streets and public spaces. There really was a noticeable change in the landscape in the sense that the expected amounts of trash had been legitimately reduced. The trash problem in Philadelphia is obviously more of an issue in certain areas of the city than in others. But it was the city-wide lack of trash that was so impressing when I returned to Philadelphia after 8 months away. I must say that it is frustrating to see that the effort by the city to clean itself up seems to have been quickly forgotten.
Although the city and the country as a whole are doing what they can to deal with harsh economic conditions, there simply does not seem to be an excuse for having the trash problem manifest itself into what it has in recent months.
Clearly the city lacks the funds to sponsor consistent superb cleanup efforts. But residents from all parts of Philadelphia should be as quick to pick up their own trash and maintain their own areas as they are to call out the city’s flaws. There doesn’t seem to be too much care going into the process of disposing of trash, and this is something that changes on an individual level, not in some office in city hall (although ultimately the city needs the help of city hall to be successful long-term).
On trash day, so many visible signs strongly grab the attention of anyone walking down the sidewalk. It is frustrating to see that the system is not holding up to respectable standards.
People must become much more interested in the trash problem because it starts on a block by block level. Clearly also heavily responsible is the city for not managing a better collection process. Both sides clearly play a role in making the reality less than what it could be if more effort was given in planning and in practice. Residents generally are not thorough in bagging trash (and many times at even putting it in a trash receptacle), and the city services simply are not efficient or careful in their cleanup effort.
This is something that can change. It has been proven before that people can make a change beginning on a local level (last spring). The trash issue in Philadelphia is one of the basic yet practical challenges the city faces to becoming more realistically a ‘green city’. Fortunately this is an issue that can be physically addressed by everyone. To reach the goal of becoming a green city, people need to believe that they can personally make a change, and that it will set other change in motion.
The primary reason that Philadelphia had physically improved its trash situation in the spring of 2008 was the city-wide effort of residents and officials to get out in the streets and clean up themselves. This historic event was the first Annual Philly Spring Cleanup. It was a huge success. Keep America Beautiful declared the 2008 Philly Spring Cleanup as the “largest single-day, citywide clean-up on record in the United States”. It was claimed that “over 2.5 million pounds of trash and 48,000 pounds of recyclable materials were removed”, and that an estimated 71 commercial corridors and 3,500 blocks” were cleaned. This not only eliminated an enormous amount of trash, but it brought the city together; people could see what they had done together.
These are the types of activities that will help Philadelphia; but it is the mentality of these events that needs to be a daily reality for the citizens of the city. Again this spring, residents will have a chance to make a significant change. Mayor Nutter and the City of Philadelphia are sponsoring the 2nd Annual Philly Spring Cleanup. Their plan is to “again recruit thousands of Philadelphians to volunteer at clean-up sites; to raise awareness about litter prevention; and to instill neighborhood pride and civic responsibility in residents in an effort to keep our city clean each and every day”.
I encourage anyone who can to take part in this event. The event takes place Saturday, April 4th, from 9am to 2pm.
Upon returning from studying abroad in Chile for several months, I was actually quite impressed with what seemed to have been a good effort by the City of Philadelphia and its citizens to clean up its streets and public spaces. There really was a noticeable change in the landscape in the sense that the expected amounts of trash had been legitimately reduced. The trash problem in Philadelphia is obviously more of an issue in certain areas of the city than in others. But it was the city-wide lack of trash that was so impressing when I returned to Philadelphia after 8 months away. I must say that it is frustrating to see that the effort by the city to clean itself up seems to have been quickly forgotten.
Although the city and the country as a whole are doing what they can to deal with harsh economic conditions, there simply does not seem to be an excuse for having the trash problem manifest itself into what it has in recent months.
Clearly the city lacks the funds to sponsor consistent superb cleanup efforts. But residents from all parts of Philadelphia should be as quick to pick up their own trash and maintain their own areas as they are to call out the city’s flaws. There doesn’t seem to be too much care going into the process of disposing of trash, and this is something that changes on an individual level, not in some office in city hall (although ultimately the city needs the help of city hall to be successful long-term).
On trash day, so many visible signs strongly grab the attention of anyone walking down the sidewalk. It is frustrating to see that the system is not holding up to respectable standards.
People must become much more interested in the trash problem because it starts on a block by block level. Clearly also heavily responsible is the city for not managing a better collection process. Both sides clearly play a role in making the reality less than what it could be if more effort was given in planning and in practice. Residents generally are not thorough in bagging trash (and many times at even putting it in a trash receptacle), and the city services simply are not efficient or careful in their cleanup effort.
This is something that can change. It has been proven before that people can make a change beginning on a local level (last spring). The trash issue in Philadelphia is one of the basic yet practical challenges the city faces to becoming more realistically a ‘green city’. Fortunately this is an issue that can be physically addressed by everyone. To reach the goal of becoming a green city, people need to believe that they can personally make a change, and that it will set other change in motion.
The primary reason that Philadelphia had physically improved its trash situation in the spring of 2008 was the city-wide effort of residents and officials to get out in the streets and clean up themselves. This historic event was the first Annual Philly Spring Cleanup. It was a huge success. Keep America Beautiful declared the 2008 Philly Spring Cleanup as the “largest single-day, citywide clean-up on record in the United States”. It was claimed that “over 2.5 million pounds of trash and 48,000 pounds of recyclable materials were removed”, and that an estimated 71 commercial corridors and 3,500 blocks” were cleaned. This not only eliminated an enormous amount of trash, but it brought the city together; people could see what they had done together.
These are the types of activities that will help Philadelphia; but it is the mentality of these events that needs to be a daily reality for the citizens of the city. Again this spring, residents will have a chance to make a significant change. Mayor Nutter and the City of Philadelphia are sponsoring the 2nd Annual Philly Spring Cleanup. Their plan is to “again recruit thousands of Philadelphians to volunteer at clean-up sites; to raise awareness about litter prevention; and to instill neighborhood pride and civic responsibility in residents in an effort to keep our city clean each and every day”.
I encourage anyone who can to take part in this event. The event takes place Saturday, April 4th, from 9am to 2pm.
March 17, 2009
The Green City
Philadelphia and many other major cities have made the shift to becoming 'green cities'. There have been some good examples of cities that have been successful in implementing green practices and that have advanced the functionality of their urban/environmental practices. Portland, Vancouver, and Austin for example have in a variety of ways implemented practices that help make them 'greener' cities.
In order to address the challenge of becoming a truly green city, Philadelphia must establish the context and framework in which it will be working to establish this reality.
Specifically, Philadelphia’s challenges are those that counter the concepts that ultimately combine to make a city green. In my analysis of the principal obstacles to Philadelphia’s greenness, I will be working with concept of ‘green city’ as one that exemplifies several basic yet crucial ecological and economic principals underlying a ‘green city’. Urban sustainability, new urbanism, industrial ecology, and smart growth are interconnected concepts that I will be using as indicators for the base level of a city’s greenness. These concepts will surface throughout my examination of the environmental challenges that the City of Philadelphia currently faces.
In order to address the challenge of becoming a truly green city, Philadelphia must establish the context and framework in which it will be working to establish this reality.
Specifically, Philadelphia’s challenges are those that counter the concepts that ultimately combine to make a city green. In my analysis of the principal obstacles to Philadelphia’s greenness, I will be working with concept of ‘green city’ as one that exemplifies several basic yet crucial ecological and economic principals underlying a ‘green city’. Urban sustainability, new urbanism, industrial ecology, and smart growth are interconnected concepts that I will be using as indicators for the base level of a city’s greenness. These concepts will surface throughout my examination of the environmental challenges that the City of Philadelphia currently faces.
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