Over the period 1990-2006 Swedish carbon dioxide emissions have been reduced by 9% while at the same time GNP increased by 44%. Sweden was an early starter in regard to sustainable thinking. As early as the 1960's, Sweden recognize that the rapid loss of natural resources had to be confronted. It took a leading role in organizing the first UN conference on the environment - held in Stockholm in 1972. During the oil crisis of the 70's and 80's, a tremendous effort was made to find new sources of energy, create new ways to insulate buildings and develop automatic energy saving systems.
There is great money to gain once we see the invisible links and better exploit the synergies between the systems in the city.
Energy, Waste Management, Water Supply and Sanitation, Traffic and Transport, Landscape Planning, Sustainable Architecture and Urban Functions (e.g. housing, industry and service functions; recreational and cultural functions etc.). These sectors typically live their own lives independent of one another, leading to sub-optimisation. The SymbioCity approach finds links between the sectors and their system investments in order to optimize the results.
So much energy is being thrown away. Waste in landfills, for instance. An increasing number of cities realize they've ignored a massive energy resource. Much more efficient economic growth would be possible if cities merely took the waste destined for landfills and used it instead for energy production. Use waste for energy - and you get rid of polluting landfills as a bonus. Combined in a common strategy, our infrastructure investments will create much more benefit and save substantial costs. It's about finding new recycle-loops. Take water, a scarcer resource than ever. Modern cleaning technology can extract healthy drinking water out of household wastewater. Such wastewater together with household biowaste could be treated as a resource, for example as input in the production of biogas for the transport sector and fertilizers for agriculture.
Find out more atSo much energy is being thrown away. Waste in landfills, for instance. An increasing number of cities realize they've ignored a massive energy resource. Much more efficient economic growth would be possible if cities merely took the waste destined for landfills and used it instead for energy production. Use waste for energy - and you get rid of polluting landfills as a bonus. Combined in a common strategy, our infrastructure investments will create much more benefit and save substantial costs. It's about finding new recycle-loops. Take water, a scarcer resource than ever. Modern cleaning technology can extract healthy drinking water out of household wastewater. Such wastewater together with household biowaste could be treated as a resource, for example as input in the production of biogas for the transport sector and fertilizers for agriculture.
