Eco-friendly living and working has become the driving force behind new building designs around the world – and now it’s time for entire cities to go green and beyond green buildings.
Billions of people around the world already live and work in urban environments. A trend that is set to continue throughout the 21st century.
Jam-packed future cities will put a strain on earth’s natural resources
To meet the needs of city residents and businesses, the amount of natural resources we use today will need to more than double to a staggering 90 billion tons by 2050. Experts have warned that this level of resource use simply isn’t sustainable. The time to start taking action is now.
To avoid sky-high prices and shortages of food, water and electricity in the future, cities will need to become a lot more energy-efficient in the next few decades.
Cars, the sharing economy, and a great opportunity for developing cities
To ensure a sustainable future, our cities will need to consume substantially fewer resources than they do today. There are many ideas and strategies that have been suggested by experts, entrepreneurs, and city planners around the world that could help us achieve this goal, including:
- The end of private vehicles – the success of Uber and similar services has many experts convinced that “on-demand” vehicles are the way of the future.
- “Share and repair” is replacing the old “throw away” consumer cycle. Future cities will need to find innovative ways to recycle and use waste products to create useful items. Resources will need to be shared (especially water and power) efficiently.
- Living closer to work, flexible working hours, and sustainable transport systems (powered by renewable energy) may become the norm within a few short years.
Major cities in developed countries have been embracing sustainable city management systems for more than a decade. And middle-income countries are catching on fast. In Africa, new cities are developing at a rapid rate – and these urban centres have a unique opportunity to become sustainable from day one.
By choosing power, water, waste management and maintenance systems that are resource-efficient (and by encouraging green buildings in their municipalities), Africa’s future cities could become centres of excellence for green living and working.
Cape Town’s green future looks promising
Surrounded by some of Africa’s most beautiful and unique natural beauty, Cape Town has always placed an emphasis on sustainability. Commercial property developers have completed a number of new green building projects in Cape Town over the past few years.
The positive response to water conservation during the recent drought has proved that the Mother City has her sights firmly set on a green future.
The Green Point Park offers a glimpse of how a sustainable future city could look – and work. The park connects the Green Point, Sea Point, and Mouille Point areas with a safe, beautiful green space in the middle of the city,
By July 2017, Century City had a total of 17 green rated buildings. It was also the first mixed use development to be awarded a green star rating in South Africa.
If the current trend continues, Cape Town looks set to become a sustainable, inclusive, and innovative city where businesses will continue to thrive.
To view our portfolio of office premises in sustainably designed buildings, contact us today.