A study on the sustainable infrastructure of the Songdo City Project : from the viewpoint of the metabolic flow perspective

[摘要] ENGLISH ABSTRACT: In the 21st century, cities play a vital role in social, economic and environmentalchanges. They are the largest places of human settlement and it is expected thatmore than 80 percent of the world's population will live in cities by 2050 (UNEP,2012). At the same time, as the role of cities significantly increases, it alsocontributes to negative outcomes on the planet. In particular, the current cities'demand for materials and energy consumption accounts for almost 80 percent of theworld's consumption and it leads to serious environmental problems. The mainproblems are climate change, biodiversity loss, desertification, and ecosystemdegradation.In response to these urban issues, sustainable cities have emerged as an alternativeway of urban life. Since cities consume a massive amount of energy, an efficientresource management system has to be established for the sustainable urban future.In addition, finding ways to reconcile economic growth, social well-being and thesustainable use of resources is imperative in urban sustainability. Since people'slifestyle and their material footprint are dependent on the urban design, constructionand operation of urban infrastructures, ways to make an urban infrastructural systemmore sustainable will contribute to the transition towards sustainable cities.In this study, the thesis applies Material Flow Analysis (MFA) to one of thesustainable cities, Songdo, South Korea. Before delving into the analysis, it exploresthe overview of the New Songdo City (NSC) project and describes its sustainableurban infrastructures. Then it examines the material flow of inputs and outputs of thecity in order to reveal their sustainability and suggests a guideline for the realisationof sustainable cities. Quantitative and qualitative methodologies are used to assessand compare the material and energy flow trends for this city.The results indicate that the general material consumption in Songdo is higher thanthe average in South Korea. It reflects the high-income households' consumptionpatterns in Songdo. In addition, one could see that the sustainable networks havemerely contributed to the overall consumption. The findings from this study can beused to formulate sustainable development policies and strategies in terms ofincreasing the efficiency of resource and energy use in urban areas. Furthermore,this research is expected to provide a platform for realisation of sustainable cities by highlighting the important role of urban infrastructures and their material resourceflow.

[发布机构] Stellenbosch University