Sustainability
Introduction
The changing landscape and continued growth of the city of Los Angeles greatly increases and incentivizes the necessity for a focus on sustainable development through increasing both consumer awareness and government mandated laws and initiatives. With the growing population and city as a whole, the necessity for renewable energy sources, water conservation and reclamation, efficient transportation options, waste disposal, community projects, and finally, sustainable development becomes increasingly important and crucial to the sustainability of the city of Los Angeles. Furthermore, because of its arid climate and dependence upon costly and environmentally unfriendly means of obtaining valuable resources, such as energy and water, Los Angeles has the unique ability to position itself as a beacon of urban sustainability and a premier representation of sustainable development in perhaps the most unexpected of settings. [1]
The Los Angeles-Long Beach-Santa Ana metropolitan statistical area (MSA) is the third largest economic center in the world, following only the Greater Tokyo Area and the New York-Newark-Bridgeport CSA, and if counted as a country, the gross metropolitan product (GMP) of $735.7 billion would rank the surrounding CSA as the 15th largest economy in the world. [2] Furthermore, the city of Los Angeles is the most populous city in the state of California and the second most populous in the greater United States, following only New York in this arena. [3] As a byproduct of this booming population and massive industry, air pollution in the form of smog is cited as a cause of great environmental concern in Los Angeles. [4] In the American Lung Association’s 2013 survey, the city was ranked as the nation’s most polluted although aggressive steps have been taken in recent years to reduce the amount of smog and improve the health and quality of life in the city. [4] This issue is further perpetrated by the fact that Los Angeles is also ranked as the most drought-plagued city with the worst short-term particle pollution and year-round particle pollution, and the devastating brush fires in the Southern California region only further the continuing drought while the smoke from the fires only serves to worsen the air pollution already plaguing the area. [5]
As a result, sustainability and environmental concerns are crucial in allowing for the further green and sustainable development of the city of Los Angeles, and an efficient means of obtaining valuable resources, such as energy and water, must be determined in order to lessen the environmental impact procuring these resources has upon the city. In addition, sustainable buildings and green developments are integral to curbing the environmental footprint, reducing the need for energy and water, and improving the amount of pollution released as a byproduct of the usage of these buildings. Finally, efficient transportation and waste disposal options will further improve the sustainability of the city of Los Angeles by reducing the carbon emissions produced by environmentally unfriendly modes of transportation and utilizing waste product for green energy. Lawmakers in Los Angeles have realized the necessity to put into place initiatives and laws to mandate a more environmentally friendly city, and through the continuation of these programs and the initiation of others, Los Angeles is poised to become a new standard of urban sustainability for not only the United States, but the world.
The changing landscape and continued growth of the city of Los Angeles greatly increases and incentivizes the necessity for a focus on sustainable development through increasing both consumer awareness and government mandated laws and initiatives. With the growing population and city as a whole, the necessity for renewable energy sources, water conservation and reclamation, efficient transportation options, waste disposal, community projects, and finally, sustainable development becomes increasingly important and crucial to the sustainability of the city of Los Angeles. Furthermore, because of its arid climate and dependence upon costly and environmentally unfriendly means of obtaining valuable resources, such as energy and water, Los Angeles has the unique ability to position itself as a beacon of urban sustainability and a premier representation of sustainable development in perhaps the most unexpected of settings. [1]
The Los Angeles-Long Beach-Santa Ana metropolitan statistical area (MSA) is the third largest economic center in the world, following only the Greater Tokyo Area and the New York-Newark-Bridgeport CSA, and if counted as a country, the gross metropolitan product (GMP) of $735.7 billion would rank the surrounding CSA as the 15th largest economy in the world. [2] Furthermore, the city of Los Angeles is the most populous city in the state of California and the second most populous in the greater United States, following only New York in this arena. [3] As a byproduct of this booming population and massive industry, air pollution in the form of smog is cited as a cause of great environmental concern in Los Angeles. [4] In the American Lung Association’s 2013 survey, the city was ranked as the nation’s most polluted although aggressive steps have been taken in recent years to reduce the amount of smog and improve the health and quality of life in the city. [4] This issue is further perpetrated by the fact that Los Angeles is also ranked as the most drought-plagued city with the worst short-term particle pollution and year-round particle pollution, and the devastating brush fires in the Southern California region only further the continuing drought while the smoke from the fires only serves to worsen the air pollution already plaguing the area. [5]
As a result, sustainability and environmental concerns are crucial in allowing for the further green and sustainable development of the city of Los Angeles, and an efficient means of obtaining valuable resources, such as energy and water, must be determined in order to lessen the environmental impact procuring these resources has upon the city. In addition, sustainable buildings and green developments are integral to curbing the environmental footprint, reducing the need for energy and water, and improving the amount of pollution released as a byproduct of the usage of these buildings. Finally, efficient transportation and waste disposal options will further improve the sustainability of the city of Los Angeles by reducing the carbon emissions produced by environmentally unfriendly modes of transportation and utilizing waste product for green energy. Lawmakers in Los Angeles have realized the necessity to put into place initiatives and laws to mandate a more environmentally friendly city, and through the continuation of these programs and the initiation of others, Los Angeles is poised to become a new standard of urban sustainability for not only the United States, but the world.
References
1. Gold, Mark et al. (December 2012). "Vision 2021 LA: A Model Environmental Sustainability Agenda for Los Angeles' Next Mayor and City Council." UCLA Institute of the Environment and Sustainability. Retrieved 2013-07-15. <http://www.environment.ucla.edu/media_IOE/files/UCLA_Vision_2 021_LA-hc-kz5.pdf>. 2. Pincetl, Stephanie (March 8, 2013). "Los Angeles, the Improbably Sustainable City." AAG Association of American Geographers. Retrieved 2013-07-15. <http://www.aag.org/cs/news_detail?pressrelease.id=2046>. 3. 2000 US Census Data. "Los Angeles City, California Statistics and Demographics (US Census 2000)." U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved 2013-07-15. <http://losangeles.areaconnect.com/statistics.htm>. |
4. Woolsey, Matt. "In Depth: 10 Worst Cities for Commuters." Forbes. Retrieved 2013-07-17. <http://www.forbes.com/2008/04/24/cities-commute-fuel-forbeslife-cx_mw_0424realestate3_slide_3.html?thisSpeed=undefined>. 5. "People at Risk in 25 U.S. Cities Most Polluted by Short-Term Particle Pollution." American Lung Association. Retrieved 2013-07-17. <http://web.archive.org/web/20070325171724/http://lungaction.org /reports/sota06_table2a.html>. |