Green Engineering in Urban Development

Green engineering is the commercialization, design, and usage of procedures and goods that lessen pollution and support long-term protection of human health without compromising their potential to be profitable and effective. Land use planning, landscape architecture, architecture, and other design disciplines are all included in “green engineering,” along with social sciences. Think about a place’s consciousness, architects. Engineers view the sitemap as a set of fluxes across the boundary, in contrast to planners who take into account the interactions of these systems over broader regions. The life cycle analysis important tool in green engineering, which provides the view of entire product, activity, encompassing raw materials, manufacturing, transportation, distribution, use, maintenance, recycling, and final disposal according to U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (2014). The aim of this paper is to exclusively discuss on green engineering in urban development.

The system employed in green engineering is similar to value engineering. According to Daniel A. Vallero (2008), green engineering is a form of VE because all elements and linkages are required in both systems so that the overall project to be considered to enhance the value of the project. For the system to be successful every step must be challenged. Ascertaining entire value is determined not only be a project cost-effectiveness but other values, including environmental and public health factors. Thus, in a bigger picture of VE is well suited with and can be similar to green engineering, since VE is main aim is effectiveness and not just efficiency. Efficiency is a term used in engineering and thermodynamics for the ratio of an input to an output of energy and mass within a system. As the ratio approaches 100%, the system becomes more efficient. For effectiveness to be met each component requires efficiency, but also that the integration of components lead to an effective, multiple value-based designs. Green engineering is also a type simultaneous engineering.

Continuation of human population growth and expansion of coastal cities has contributed to a modern-day multi-seascape which includes natural and habitat features engineered which are essential ecological services for fisheries production, modern days coastal cities are also expected to provide services and products for humans, such as residential living, recreation, commercial, navigation, wastewater disposal and tourism activities. Australians coastal wetland suffers massive damage to coastal cities development especially from the mining boom over the past decade where small towns have grown faster, for example, Port Hedland. The problem facing coastal managers is how to balance the ecological biodiversity and habitats protection at the same time creating more expansion room for the fast-growing coastal towns and their development. The basis for these managerial decisions is to support scientifically rigorous, long-term data. However, more effective approach is applied to monitor the flow of constructions and land use in those coastal towns according to M A Browne and M G Chapman. (2011.8204-8207).

In Australia, research centers are found mostly within the universities and government agencies. There has been the important collaboration between these institutions in the past in promoting the green engineering in urban development. The major challenge is experienced in the funding of these researchers in urban coastal seascapes which is highly limited to the competitive federal funding schemes like FRDC and ARC. The local government seems to have growing interest in support to these researchers through funding projects. Otherwise, researchers are expected to get non-traditional sources of funding, for example in the mining sector. However, this has implications on the data collection being the subject to confidentiality according to M Troell. (2009.1-9).

In the case of Australia, the construction and operations of the coastal town structures have local and regional effects on marine ecosystems including physical, biological and chemical disturbances. Physical disturbances come from the addition or removal of construction material mostly as the coastal town are growing and expanding. This disturbance occurs globally as 70% of coastal lines towns and cities are being modified. Coastal infrastructures are mostly the hotspots for contamination from antifouling paints which is linked to the facilitation of non-indigenous species. Australia leads the way in improving and developing green engineered solutions for the existing marine urban structures. Seawalls have been engineered to enhance biodiversity through the addition of more complex and microhabitats with measured success. Apart from engineering extensive shoreline of seawalls for green development, Sydney Harbors is currently under redevelopment too, according to M Troell. (2009.1-9).

Plans to expand development of industries, agriculture and farming across northern Austria in order to meet increasing demands for foods and energy, shows that the risk of collateral damage from the human activities is about to be witnessed. Part of this development region includes the Great Barrier Reef (GBR). This GBR extends about 2300km along the Queensland coastline, it is one of the natural; wonders globally, significant biodiversity, with the extended environment, cultural, social and economic values. It is known as the world heritage area and national Marine Park. However, many of functional features of this habitat are under threat owing to continuing agricultural runoff contributing to bad water quality, loss of natural freshwater wetlands as nursery habitat, expansion of cities due to increasing population, port expansions due to increasing mining activities. Additional impacts arise from illegal fishing that is placing these biodiversity and conservation values under serious threat.

Deteriorating health and resilience of Great Barrier Reef ecosystems in response to continuing landscape and climate change has recently attracted the media and general public attention. These concerns led to a request from UNESCO in 2011, for the Australian government to carry out an assessment of the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area (GBRWHA). This assessment was addressing how future coastal development could continue while still satisfying conservation and protection responsibility under the WHA agreement. The results of this assessment highlighted weaknesses in knowledge and uncertainty in the design and implementation of coastal infrastructure development projects that have led to a series of problems with implementation and operation of coastal development and reductions to the extent of productive wetland habitats. These challenges reflect adversely on developers and operators of coastal assets, even when complying with their legislative obligations. There is usually no failure of governance or compliance, rather problems stem from incomplete information and understanding of critical issues that prejudice effective decision making.

There are policies relating to offshore oil and gas exploitation and some of these may be applicable to wind energy developments although there is the need for better integration between different agencies. For example, an offshore platform located from the coastline requires planning permits from three levels of government including, the federal government for sitting the turbines, state government for any cables or substations from the coastline, and local councils for any offshore structures. There is no regulatory body to oversee and monitor everything on the potential green development on environmental impacts.

To effectively control new and existing marine artificial structures Austria must invest heavily in research that studies ecological principles with the engineering designs of these structures. Green engineering in urbanized marine environments is an emerging field with global significance. Most of the important and applied research projects in Austria coastal areas are essential for the future control of artificial structures in the marine environments. The design of green buildings and spaces in terrestrial systems has rapidly improved following the understanding that urban areas can be planned not only to fulfill the accommodation of the people and infrastructures but also incorporate the provision of important ecosystem services, including pollution reduction, temperature control, carbon storage, flood and storm water regulation, habitat provision for targeted species, recreation and education.

Marine developers have only to begin designing the multifunctional landscapes which provide a wide range of environmental, social and economic functions, but also ecological targets green development and principles are still too rarely incorporated and often lack clear definitions. Defining ecological outcomes for urban structures must include considerations of how to minimize impacts to native ecosystems and preserve key ecological functions. The consultation of the relevant scientist by engineers and coastal controllers during the planning stages of all artificial buildings is crucial to maximizing ecological impacts and produces more research in this area. Existing buildings may pose an ecological challenge through their removal. For example, the physical disturbance resulting from the removal of an offshore platform may be more ecological expensive than allowing them to maintain their status and using them for a new purpose. Similarly, heritage buildings such as seawalls can be improved to effective green engineering, according to P.T. Anastas and J.B. Zimmerman (2003).

Green growth for sustainable and equitable and development is about reconciling and supporting various aspects of economic, social policies and environmental. This is attained by taking into consideration the full value of natural capital and recognizing its essential role in economic growth. A green growth model promotes a cheap and resource efficient way of guiding sustainable production and consumption choices and could bring the following outcomes if designed and implemented effectively. Therefore recalling the generic set of green growth outcomes that developing countries are increasingly intending to pursue. There are opportunities which are unpredictable between environmental and economic sustainability, especially for developing countries which can factor environmental issues into their investment decision on infrastructure and can further create livelihoods, jobs and reduce poverty. Green growth provides a platform for emerging-market economies and developing countries to overtake unstainable and wasteful production and consumption patterns, according to American Chemical Society (2014)

Work cited

American Chemical Society (2014). 12 Principles of Green Engineering. (2014)

D. Vallero and C. Brassier (2008), Sustainable Design: The Science of Sustainability and Green Engineering. John Wiley and Sons, Inc., Hoboken, NJ, ISBN 0470130628

Green Engineering: Defining the Principles Conference, Sandestin, Florida, May 2003.

M. Troell . Green engineering. (2009. 1-9).

MA Browne, M G Chapman. Green engineering. (2011.8204-8207).

P.T. Anastas and J.B. Zimmerman (2003). Design through the Twelve Principles of Green Engineering. Env. Sci. and Tech, (2003. 37, 5, 94A-101A).

Reshma William, Ashlynn S. Stillwell. Use of Fragility Curves to Evaluate the Performance of Green Roofs. Journal of Sustainable Water in the Built Environment, 2017; 3 (4): 04017010 DOI: 10.1061/JSWBAY.0000831

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Green Engineering. (2014)