Sustainable City Lab
How a city can be made more sustainable: saving water and energy, recycling waste, creating green space, and building sustainable transport, so the city meets the needs of today without spoiling life for the future.
Use it, the way the marks are given
Free interactive practice at using the material, which is what the marks are for.
Start revising freeWhat you'll cover
Building a greener city
A sustainable city meets the needs of the people living in it today without spoiling life for those who come after. Cities do this in several ways. They save water by cutting leaks and metering use. They save energy through insulation and renewable power. They recycle waste so less goes to landfill. They protect green spaces such as parks for wellbeing and wildlife. And they build sustainable transport, encouraging buses, cycling and walking to cut car use and pollution. This module covers these strategies and how they make city life more sustainable.
Sustainability words
Learn these before you sort any strategy, and be ready to say what each one saves or protects.
Wasteful against sustainable
The same city can be run in a wasteful way or a sustainable way. The contrast shows what the strategies achieve.
How to judge a strategy
For each idea, ask what resource it saves or what harm it avoids. Metering and fixing leaks cut wasted water. Insulation and renewable power cut wasted energy. Collecting and reprocessing used materials keeps them out of landfill. Protecting parks supports health and wildlife. Encouraging buses, bikes and walking takes cars off the road, cutting traffic and dirty air. Judge a strategy by the resource it protects and the harm it prevents, not just by whether it sounds green.
Match the strategy to what it does
- water meters and leak repairs
- insulation and renewable power
- kerbside recycling collections
- buses, cycle lanes and walking routes
- conserve water and cut waste of it
- conserve energy and lower emissions
- keep used materials out of landfill
- cut car traffic and air pollution
What does sustainability mean?
Which statement best describes a sustainable city?
- It meets the needs of today without spoiling life for future generations.
- It grows as large as possible whatever the cost.
- It has no people living in it at all.
- It relies entirely on private cars for transport.
Sustainable transport
Select the TWO options that count as sustainable transport in a city.
- Building cycle lanes for commuters
- Running frequent public buses
- Adding more lanes for private cars
- Building huge new car parks in the centre
Count the waste recycled
A street puts out 10 bins of waste in a week and 6 of them are recycled. Subtract to find how many bins are not recycled and go to landfill. What is the answer?
Order the recycling journey
Put the steps of recycling household waste in order, earliest first.
- Waste is sorted into a recycling bin at home
- The bin is collected separately from rubbish
- The materials are taken to a recycling plant
- They are made into new products
Complete the facts
A city that meets present needs without spoiling the future practises _____. Using less water and energy so they are not wasted is _____. Turning used materials into new products instead of landfill is _____. Encouraging buses, cycling and walking is a form of sustainable _____.
Match the problem to the sustainable fix
- a city loses water through leaking pipes
- too much rubbish is going to landfill
- car fumes are causing air pollution
- residents have nowhere green to relax
- fix the pipes and fit water meters
- set up wider recycling collections
- improve buses and add cycle lanes
- create and protect parks and green space
Spot the true sustainability facts
Tap the TWO statements that describe a sustainable city.
- A sustainable city recycles much of its waste
- A sustainable city encourages buses, cycling and walking
- A sustainable city wastes as much water and energy as possible
- A sustainable city depends only on private cars
Choose the sustainable option
Read each problem and choose the most sustainable response.
- A city wants to cut the amount of rubbish sent to landfill. What is the best move?
- The city centre is choked with car fumes at rush hour. Which response is most sustainable?
- A council wants to cut the energy its buildings waste. What is the best sustainable measure?
Explain urban sustainability
Explain what makes a city sustainable and describe the strategies a city can use to become more sustainable.
- Explain what sustainability means for a city
- Explain how a city can conserve water and energy
- Explain how recycling and green space help
- Explain how sustainable transport reduces pollution
- Finish with a judgement on which strategy makes the biggest difference and why