Assessment of Sustainable Urban Region Plans in Chicago

Running Head: SUSTAINABLE URBAN REGION 0
Chicago
Sustainable Urban Region
(student name)
6-9-2018

SUSTAINABLE URBAN REGION 1
Executive summary
For the discussion of sustainability plans city wide, the city of Chicago was selected for which
sustainability plans were to be assessed on the bases of criteria provided by UN habitat 2009.
Sustainable Chicago action agenda report was studied for this concern and there were eight
major plans provided in this report which were fulfilling most of the criteria planned for the
assessment.
Eight characteristics on which the critical analysis of Chicago sustainable plan would be done
are: developing renewable energy, Developing locally distributed power, striving for carbon-
neutral cities, water systems , Increasing photosynthetic spaces as a part of the green
infrastructure, increase the sense of place, Improving the eco-efficiency, Developing sustainable
transport, developing cities without slums.
For these eight criteria’s, while critical analysis, seven plans for sustainable city were: economic
development and job creation; transportation options; water and wastewater; energy efficiency
and clean energy; waste & recycling; climate change; parks, open space, and healthy food.

SUSTAINABLE URBAN REGION 2
The city of Chicago is selected for critical assessment of citywide sustainability plans. This plan
criterion is to be created to assess the plan, for this purpose UN Habitat’s (2009) concepts, which
provide eight common urban sustainability trends to evaluate the climate action plan of Chicago.
A sustainable city or urban sustainability is where the social, environmental, and economic
impact is considered while designing a city but not negotiating the upcoming generation to
experience the same (Sorving, 2018). 2015 Sustainable Chicago action agenda will be discussed
in detail in this report.
In the United States, Chicago is one of the largest city. The population is estimated to be
2,716,450 according to 2017 census, makes it third most crowded city after New York and Los
Angeles in the United States (cityofchicago, 2018). A sustainable Chicago is a city, which
creates high-paying jobs in up-coming trades and spends little on the use of energy with passing
years; upgrading infrastructure ensures Chicago residents with an opportunity to enjoy a healthy
life and active lifestyle (Leyden, 2016). Over some years, investments in infrastructure,
transportation, and energy efficiency have been increased to enhance job opportunities and make
sustainability as Chicagoans part of life. Chicago is well known as the “Windy City,” but its
formal motive, “City in a Garden,” defines the image it is struggling for (Hower, 2018).
Criteria for a Sustainability city, The UN-Habitat Report on Planning Sustainable Cities that
gives eight characteristics that provide criteria to assess the plan of sustainability. First,
developing renewable energy- cities must strive to become producers and suppliers of the energy
instead of just consuming energy in the form of sources like wind and solar energy for
production of latest renewable technologies and driving force after transportation. An important
and significant element of the urban economy includes integration of production of renewable
energy within the city. Second, striving for carbon-neutral cities- being carbon neutral, whether
business, home or neighborhood is the main objective described by the UN-Habitat. To
accomplish this objective, cities must replace fossil fuels and implement energy proficient
measures. Through ecological regeneration, bioregion can also be enhanced. Carbon neutral city
can be achieved by following three steps that include reduction of use of energy, the addition of
more renewable energy, and planting trees to emit CO2. Third, Developing locally distributed
power and water systems- the main objective is to shift to small-scale systems from large
centralized systems within cities for such development. Through water-sensitive urban area, the