Merel Segers
Merel Segers is an independent professional in Sustainability Analysis & Communication. She is based in the Netherlands.
Every increment of construction must be made in such a way as to heal the city
Cristopher Alexander (1987)
Let's introduce ourselves
Who are you?
Who am I
Education:
Industrial Ecologist
Trade:
Independent professional
Dream big, start small, act now
What is sustainability?
Planetary boundaries
Steffen et al. 2015
Tipping points
Ball & Cup analogy
1
2
3
Flourishing
Hans Christian Andersen
Just living is not enough … One must have sunshine, freedom, and a little flower.
Now, and in the future
- Within planetary boundaries
- Increases flourishing
- Now, and in the future
Sustainable development is:
A systemic perspective
Sustainability is a state of a complex system
Complicated
Complex
Complex system
Non-linearity
A great number of interacting components
Self-organisation
Look for patterns & the big picture
Tragedy of the commons
Subtitle
Garret Hardin, 1968
Sustainability
and the City
Resilient
Socially just
Autonomous
A sustainable city is:
Resilience is the capacity of a system to deal with change and continue to develop
Stockholm Resilience Centre
CHRONIC STRESSES
- high unemployment
- endemic violence
- chronic food and water shortages.
ACUTE SHOCKS
- earthquakes
- floods
- disease outbreaks
- terrorist attacks
100resilientcities.org
Floating pavilions, Rotterdam
Rehabilitating Mangroves in the Philippines
How to increase resilience?
Maintain diversity
Stockholm Resilience Centre
How to increase resilience?
Maintain redundancy
Stockholm Resilience Centre
How to increase resilience?
Manage connectivity
Stockholm Resilience Centre
How to increase resilience?
Manage slow variables
Stockholm Resilience Centre
How to increase resilience?
Manage feedback
Stockholm Resilience Centre
Develop a strong basis
Often, the enemy of resilience is efficiency (!!)
How can you make 'het marineterrein' more resilient?
Social Justice is the way in which human rights are manifested in the everyday lives of people at every level of society
Just Comment – Volume 3 Number 1, 2000
Chapultepec Park, Mexico
Metrocable Caracas, Venezuela
How to increase social justice?
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Broaden participation
-
Deal with power issues and potential conflicts
-
Listen, and extend your judgment
How can you make 'het marineterrein' more socially just?
Autonomy is the level of independence of the system
Gujarat, India
Grow food, not lawns movement
How to increase autonomy?
-
Increase independence of:
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Food (urban agriculture)
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Energy (renewable energy)
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Water (rainwater, reuse grey water)
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How can you make 'het marineterrein' more autonomous?
Main take aways
Sustainability is a state of a complex system
In this state, the system can continue to flourish
Without exceeding its (planetary) boundaries
Now, and in the future
A sustainable city is:
Resilient
Socially just
Autonomous
Dream big, start small, act now
Want to contact me?
info@merelsegers.nl
Lecture Sustainability and the City
By Merel Segers
Lecture Sustainability and the City
Lecture for University of Amsterdam; summer school ‘Social Policies & the Urban Fabric"
