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1.2. What is a Sustainable City?

A sustainable city (sometimes also called eco-city, green city) is characterised by careful thought
and engineering to minimise the environmental impact and to ensure a high quality of life for its
2
inhabitants. Among the characteristics of sustainable cities, we can mention :
• Make it easy to get around without a car

A well-organised city should allow its inhabitants to move freely without the need for
a car. This can be realised in many interconnected ways. Good public transport with
many connections and time efficiency can be more time and cost efficient than using
one's own car. In addition, it has less impact on the climate. Other examples include
alternative forms of transport using sustainable energy such as electric scooters. In addition,
carsharing can be used to minimise the number of cars on the roads, while still leaving the option
of car travel to residents. It is also important to ensure that paths are prepared for residents and
that a high quality cycling infrastructure is created.

Changes take time and are expensive. Often, students' current circumstances do not
allow for any changes in terms of their transport to school, for example, because there
are no buses running from their location, the route by bicycle is too far to travel or too
dependent on the weather, and electric cars may be out of their budget. Remember to educate
and support pupils to take action, but not to create guilt or pressure.

Discuss with your students what they are missing in order to commute to school in a
comfortable and sustainable way. Is it poor public transport links? Lack of bicycle
lanes? The school doesn't have enough anti-theft measures, or maybe the city doesn't
offer enough electric scooters?

• Add EV charging stations

In order to facilitate the transition to the use of private cars, cities must be equipped
with EV (Electric Vehicles) Charging Stations. This measure is key to minimising carbon
emissions and increasing air quality.

2 Jayna Locke. (June 17, 2021). 6 Traits of a Sustainable City (With Examples). Retrieved from:
https://www.digi.com/blog/post/sustainable-city

This project has been funded with support from the European Commission. This communication reflects the
views only of the author, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the

information contained therein.