Smart design is the key to a sustainable society The world’s cities are hubs for innovation, human interaction and new ideas that drive economic development forward. But the way we design our cities today poses a threat to a sustainable future. Smart design, which promotes quality of life without jeopardizing our planet and its resources, will increasingly become a valuable tool, especially when cities and societies have to transition to meet the social and planetary challenges. Here, ÅF has a key role to play. In the year 2030, two-thirds of the world’s population is expected to live in cities. Urbanisation contributes to economic growth and gives people an opportunity to improve their standard of living, but it also implies significant strains on nature. Lack of access to clean water, air pollution, sanitation problems, and social vulnerability are some of the drawbacks of urbanisation. Urban environments account for an increasing proportion of the climate problem – but it is also in cities that sustainable solutions have the highest potential to have an impact. Through the Sustainable Development Goals, the United Nations has highlighted cities as a prioritised area with the ambition that all cities will be sustainable by 2030. It is about providing people with access to adequate housing and green spaces, expanding public transportation, reducing emissions, and improving air quality and waste management. Future sustainable cities are more than just digitalised In recent years, smart and sustainable cities have become synonymous with a high level of digitalisation. But new digital solutions alone will not solve the challenges. A sustainable society needs a coherent ecosystem of innovations and changed behaviour. To achieve this, we need to work in a variety of areas. For ÅF, a sustainable society is where people use nature’s resources without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. In future sustainable cities, nature has a clear and integrated role – it is a prerequisite for people to be able to maintain a high quality of life in the long run. Similarly, cities cannot serve as isolated islands, where the surrounding nature is only there to provide for people living in the cities. Even though a majority of the world’s population is expected to live in cities within the next few decades, many people will not. To achieve a sustainable society for all, we must safeguard nature beyond cities. So how do we build societies and cities that promote people’s quality of life without nature paying the price? One answer, is smart design. At ÅF, design is key in creating solutions that are sustainable, appealing and that adds value to people’s lives. Design that works with nature and not against it. Design that leads to positive environmental and social impact. And last but not least, design that spreads awareness and increases interest for sustainability issues. In this report, you can read about some of ÅF’s design solutions. Among them, an underwater restaurant that promotes the ocean’s biodiversity (p.20), a digital customer portal that encourages sustainable behaviour (p. 26) and a biofuel plant that aims to be an attractive excursion destination for the residents of Copenhagen (p. 36). Nyamko Sabuni EVP Sustainability, ÅF 3
Download PDF fil