The complexity of climate change mechanisms] Greenhouse gas emissions are of major importance today and the climate issue is expected to remain a question of utmost significance during coming decades and centuries. Climate models indicate how emissions interfere with climate processes and which temperature rise different emission scenarios may lead to. Through a literature survey, it has been our intention to single out some of the findings on climate change mechanisms , such as the interaction between emissions of greenhouse gases and global radiative forcing, on how the carbon and nitrogen cycles interfere with concentrations in the atmosphere and in what ways cost-effective abatement measures of greenhouse gases could be made. The focus in this respect has been on non-carbon dioxide greenhouse gases. The present basis for action is comprehensive and robust to its order of magnitude, even if there are large uncertainties involved in the overall understanding of the processes. In the strategies elaborated by different actors these large uncertainties in sources and sinks of greenhouse gases, the interconnections with the climate and available climate models, have to be considered in research projects and future action plans.

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Dr. David Müller, ETH Science City

The Renewable Energy 2010 conference dedicated one of its workshops to what actions universities are taking develop their campuses sustainably. The workshop was organised by the AGS-affiliated Integrated Research System for Sustainability Science (IR3S) network of Japanese universities. Four sustainable campus projects from leading universities worldwide were presented, including the ETH and The University of Tokyo.

Air conditioning units on the historic buildings of the University of Tokyo Hongo campus

Speakers and participants at the workshop agreed about the enormous potential that campus projects have to connect teaching and infrastructure management in universities. Sustainability is not just the task of individuals, but needs to be the responsibility of communities, including university communities. For example, the ETH Science City campus looks for pathways towards sustainability that find a balance between different demands, between new buildings and renovation of the existing infrastructure, between workspace and nature, between infrastructure for teaching and meeting places for the exchange of ideas.

We emphasised that the motivation for change comes from this community potential. Tools for integrating the community into the campus development process are essential – good examples are competitions in which all the inhabitants of a campus can participate, or student projects to develop new ideas. Parallel to these formal channels, all participants should be able to bring their ideas directly to a central coordinator, so that the idea can be picked up and developed quickly. This could for example be done by a project or development office.

The discussion groups at the workshop all agreed that wide and intensive networking stimulates progress, particularly because sustainable urban planning is still at an early stage in many cities, and the sustainable campus community can make a significant contribution to this development. Science City is a beacon of sustainability in Zurich and a bridge between science, economy and the population. Sustainability stands for more than just energy efficiency and Science City realizes that integrated approach (see www.sciencecity.ethz.ch).

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How can societies progress towards sustainability under rapid demographic change? This was a key issue at the AGS Annual Meeting 2010. The demographic structure of most developed countries is changing dramatically as a result of people living longer but having fewer children. At the same time, these societies must make drastic changes in the use of energy and natural resources to move towards environmental sustainability.

Prof. Hiroko Akiyama presented the work of the Institute of Gerontology at The University of Tokyo

How do we design low carbon, sustainable cities for an ageing society? Will ageing societies have the capital to invest and the innovation necessary to achieve this with a declining population and a shrinking workforce? How can modern technologies be used to improve the quality of life of elderly people and allow them to continue as productive members of the workforce? How can pensions and health care be sustainably financed in an ageing society?

The talks and workshop at the AGS Annual Meeting 2010 have launched a discussion on how to relate the technological strengths of the AGS universities, and advances in research for sustainable urban futures, with gerontological and social research, to generate new insights and solutions.

Junichiro Okata of the UT Institute of Gerontology emphasised social sustainability at the centre of urban planning: there seems to be a consensus around a compact sustainable city model, characterized by high density but human-scale mixed-use streets and buildings (with homes designed to be flexible and affordable for different types of household), pedestrian-friendly streets and public spaces that encourage social interaction, and easy access to social services and infrastructure.

Prof. Sawako Shirahase of The University of Tokyo gave the keynote "Looking for a Sustainable Society: family change in a rapidly ageing population"

Ageing in place refers to a community environment where people can live with dignity throughout life. In Sweden today 95% of people over the age of 65 live at home, and in Japan in 2050 more than 40% of single households will be people over the age of 65. Inga Malmqvist from Chalmers explained how these communities need new designs for housing, mobility, services to the home, social participation, assistive information and robot technology, and health care services. For example, flats can be designed so that they can easily be reused in different ways, or converted from one four-room flat for a couple into two room flats for single residents.

New technologies could be very beneficial for meeting the needs of an ageing society. For example, robots could expand personal mobility in the neighbourhood and within the home, and provide assistance with household tasks, explained by Isao Shimoyama of the UT Information and Robot Technology Initiative and Masashi Koga of Hitachi Ltd. It is important that research investigates what motivates senior citizens of different ages to use new technologies, or what barriers prevent them from benefitting. Juliana Sutanto of ETH illustrated how aging is a creative process of continuous adaptation to declining physiological conditions, in which tasks are accomplished successfully in adapted ways, taking cues from the surroundings.

More information AM2010 website

The performance of future or long-term energy investments at industrial sites can be evaluated using consistent scenarios. By using a number of different scenarios that outline possible cornerstones of the future energy market, robust investments can be identified and the climate benefit can be evaluated. Consistent scenarios can be achieved by using the Energy Price and Carbon Balance Scenarios tool (the ENPAC tool) which is presented in this report. The tool is also used to develop eight scenarios from 2010 to 2050 with energy prices and associated CO₂ emissions for marginal use of the energy carriers.

Download report in pdf:
Scenarios for assessing investments in industry

International workshop, 24-25 February 2010, Tainan, Taiwan

This international workshop brought together researchers and students from Asian countries and focused on three themes: 1) urban metabolism (food, water, energy, waste); 2) designing rural-urban systems in Asia (food production, landscape, rural and urban planning); and 3) culture, economy and governance.

The AGS at the University of Tokyo and the Integrated Research System for Sustainability Science (IR3S) is focusing on city-regions as models for sustainable urban development in Asia. The fringes of Asian cities are traditionally characterized by a mix of urban and rural land uses, and researchers argue that these multi-functional areas offer many opportunities for more sustainable urban development, compared to conventional urban planning that tries to separate urban and rural areas and functions.

Urban agriculture can offer benefits such as a supply of agricultural products within the urban area, a reduction of the heat island effect, the integration of urban and rural social networks, and the support of an important informal sector. Most importantly, peri-urban areas can sustain the development of a resilient and adaptive society. However, peri-urban farmland is threatened by urbanization, and new policies, including new land tax systems, and strong local governance with local participation are needed to maintain urban agriculture. A strong point coming out of the workshop discussions is the importance of participatory approaches in the development of future cities and city fringes. Researchers need to engage local residents, municipalities, and the private sector to support the development of resilient and adaptive cities.

The proceedings of the two sustainable city-regions workshops will be published together as a book.

“Opening remarks”, by Akimasa Sumi, TIGS, The University of Tokyo

Keynote speech:

“Disaster information management system in Taiwan”, Fengtian LIN, National Cheng Kung University

Session: Urban Metabolism – Energy and Resources

• “Towards a transparent land-use design tool for sustainable urban metabolisms focusing on energy, food and water”, Yasuhiro Fukushima, National Cheng Kung University
• “Empirical analysis of price transmission in palm oil crushing industry – the case of the province of North Sumatra, Indonesia”, Hirotaka Matsuda, IR3S, The University of Tokyo

Session: Food and Agriculture

• “Conflict of agriculture and development in peri-urban region”, Hirokazu Ozaki, IR3S, The University of Tokyo

Session: Water

• “Urban water metabolism”, Toshiya Aramaki, Faculty of Regional Development Studies, Toyo University
• “Water health issue in urban area”, Hiroyuki Katayama, Dept of Urban Engineering, The University of Tokyo
• “Urban traces in the environment”, Sebastien Rauch, Dept of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Chalmers University of Technology
• “Can participation mitigate water conflict?”, Mihoko Matsuyuki, Dept of Urban Engineering, The University of Tokyo

25 February 2010

Keynote speech:

“Topics in sustainability science and co-living philosophy, and conditions for the realisation of a sustainable society”, Tomonori Matsuo, Toyo University

Session: Designing Rural System in Asia

• “Sustainable urban structure and transport policy in metropolitan region”, Noboru Harata, Dept of Urban Engineering, The University of Tokyo
• “Impact of road network upon flood inundation”, Guangwei HUANG, Graduate School of Frontier Science, The University of Tokyo
• “Special feature of urbanisation and changes in thermal environment in Jakarta, Indonesia”, Akinobu Murakami, Graduate School of Systems and Information Engineering, University of Tsukuba
• “Housing supply, affordability and land use in the Mumbai Metropolitant region”, Rajiv R. Mishra, Principal Sir JJ College of Architecture, University of Mumbai
• “Regional planning and projects in the Ruhr region, Germany”, Dietwald Gruehn, School of Spatial Planning, Dortmund Technical University

Session: Designing Rural System in Asia

• “Scaling-up: an overview of urban agriculture in North America”, Matthew Potteiger, Dept of Landscape Architecture, State University of New York
• “Restoring agricultural landscapes in shrinking cities: Reinventing traditional concepts in Japanese planning”, Makoto Yokohari, Graduate School of Frontier Science, The University of Tokyo

Session: City, Region and Governance

• “Sustainable city-regions and the formation of regional governance”, Tetsuo Kidokoro, Dept of Urban Engineering, The University of Tokyo
• “Regulatory and governance issues in controlling urban development in the Bangkok Metropolitan Region”, Apiwat Ratanawaraha, Dept of Urban and Regional Planning, Chulalongkorn University
• “Lusaka, from Garden City to Metropolitan: toward sustainable African City Region”, Norihisa Shima, Dept of Civil Engineering, School of Engineering, The University of Tokyo
• “Informal collaborative network: Meinung Cultural Mobilisation in Soutern city region, Taiwan”, Peipeng LI, Dept of Bio-industry Communication and Development, National Taiwan University
• “Urban sustainability and vulnerability indicators: how do we evaluate our sustainability and vulnerability?”, Naesun Park, cSUR-GCOE, The University of Tokyo
• Presentation to second session by Hideki Koizumi, Dept of Urban Engineering, The University of Tokyo
• “The circulative dwelling in a town escaping from the legend of one family in one house on one site”, Otsuki Toshio, Dept of Architecture, School of Engineering, The University of Tokyo
• Presentation by Daisuke Abe, cSUR-GCOE, The University of Tokyo
• “The village inside: from Mumbai to Tokyo and back”, Matias Sendoa Echanove, URBZ
• “To build city-regions anew: space for citizens’ participation and initiatives”, Marco Kusumawijaya, Jakarta Arts Council, Taman Ismail Marzuki

Closing

“The management of urbanisation, development and environmental change in the 21st century”, Terry McGee, University of British Columbia

Student Session:

• “A re-evaluation of green space planning in peri-urban Tokyo transformation processes of land use in the Shimousa Plateau”, Mariko Miyamoto, Graduate School of Frontier Science, The University of Tokyo
• “Tragedy of the commons or tragedy of privatism? a triangulation of peri-urban community forestry in England, the United States and Japan”, Gerald Bolthouse, Graduate School of Frontier Science, The University of Tokyo
• “Wood energy and sustainable satoyama management: using urban waste wood to enhance economic viability”, Terada Toru, Graduate School of Frontier Science, The University of Tokyo
• “Transformation of peri-urban agricultural lands in Bangkok Metropolitan region: case studies of Nonthaburi and Rangsit”, Davivong Vudipong, Graduate of Frontier Science, The University of Tokyo
• “Conservation strategies of different municipalities for satoyama woodland in the urban fringe of the Tokyo metropolitan area”, Kazuaki Tsuchiya, Graduate School of Agricultural Life Sciences, The University of Tokyo
• “Agricultural process and agricultural land use change in Tianjin”, Dingyang ZHOU, Dept of Ecosystem Studies, The University of Tokyo
• “”The tree protection ordinance on private lot and the implementation in Seattle city, Washington, USA”, Hirofumi Hori, Dept of Urban Engineering, The University of Tokyo
• “The transition of common spaces in high density housings and of facilities for children”, Saori Imoto, Dept of Architecture, The University of Tokyo
• “The living environment in a depopulating mountanous village: a case of Niyodogawa-cho Kochi, Japan”, Haruka Tsukuda, Dept of Architecture, The University of Tokyo
• “Toxicity characterization of urban river sediments using two benthic crustaceans”, Haruna Watanabe, Dept of Urban Engineering, The University of Tokyo
• “Evaluation by environmental burden and value of products for plastic cascade recycling”, Asako Okuno, Dept of Urban Engineering, The University of Tokyo
• “Virtual water flows and national water footprint of Taiwan”, Yenchi CHEN, Dept of Environmental Engineering, National Cheng Kung University
• “Biomass utilisation towards sustainability: a case study – GHG emissions from cassava derived starch and ethanol”, Tingting KUO, Dept of Environmental Engineering, National Cheng Kung University
• “Metabolism of energy self sufficient village in Indonesia,  a case study: Desa Haurngombong West Java”, Badariah Yosiyana, Dept of Environmental Engineering, National Cheng Kung University

Terry Mc Gee from The Institute of Asian Research, University of British Columbia

Download reports:

Report of the AGS Annual Meeting 2009:
Urban Futures: the Challenge of Sustainability

Report of the 1^st International Workshop on Sustainable City Region, Bali, February 2009:
International Workshop on Sustainable City Regions 2009

Report of the AGS at ETH Urban Futures seminar, November 2008:
Understanding the Dimensions of Urban Futures Research – tackling complex reality

The AGS at Chalmers workshop on ageing society and sustainability was to provide a transdisciplinary arena for academics and society to discuss the demographic change, globally, towards an ageing society and the implications for sustainability. The outcome of the workshop was recommendations for research areas for the AGS partnership.

Improvede nutrition and health seem to be major determinants of the non-linear relationship between life expectance and the degree of globalisation in most countries. The AGS at Chalmers should link ongoing sustainability and extended life research to understand causal links and more complex systems relationships at a planetary level. The nature of the causal chain/circle; sustainability-extended life-globalisation, is new and not understood.

Companies and other societal actors attending the workshop included Automotive Sweden, Autoliv, Bil Sweden, Framtiden AB, Doro AB, EoN Nordic, Swedish Red Cross, SP and SCA Hygiene Product.

More information: greg.morrison@chalmers.se

“Opening remarks”, by Akimasa Sumi, The University of Tokyo.

Keynote Speech:

• “The resilience and vulnerability of the extended urban spaces in Asia in the 21st century – policy research challenges for the futures of urban Asia”, by Terry McGee,  Institute of Asian Research, University of British Columbia.
• “Establishing sustainable community through the urban and rural fusion” by Kazuhiko Takeuchi, IR3S, The University of Tokyo.

Session 1: Urban-Rural Systems

• “Openness of private green and vacant spaces within exclusive subdivisions in the urban fringe of Asian large cities: some cases of Bangkok and Metro Manila”, by Yuji Hara, TIGS, The University of Tokyo.
• “Farmland conversion and sustainable city: a case of Yogyakarta, Indonesia”, by Irham, Agribusiness Graduate Study Program, Gadjah Mada University.
• “Spatial planning and urban rural relations in European Union”, by Kensuke Katayama, Dept of Urban Engineering, The University of Tokyo.
• “Vulnerable agricultural fringe: the challenge for sustainability of Bangkok”, by Niramon Kulsrisombat, Dept of Urban and Regional Planning, Chulalongkorn University.
• “Food and energy production from agriculture in urban rural systems of Japan”, by Shigenori Morita, Graduate School of Agricultural and Life Sciences, The University of Tokyo.
• “Governing urbanisation for sustainability: an institutional analysis of government behaviour in China”, by Zhilin Liu, School of Public Policy and Management, Tsinghua University.

Session 2: City Regional Form

• “Introduction to City Regional Form”, by Makoto Yokohari, Graduate School of Frontier Science, The University of Tokyo.
• “Sustainability and adaptation on climate change in German city regions”, Dietwalt Gruehn, School of Spatial Planning, Dortmund University of Technology.
• “Emerging urban governance in Southeast Asian countries: how can we control these rapidly expanding cities?”, by Norihisa Shima, Dept of Civil Engineering, The University of Tokyo.
• “Strategy analysis of urban/peri-urban agriculture in Asia: issues, potential and challenges”, by Peeyush Soni, Agricultural Systems and Engineering, Asian Institute of Technology.
• “A strategic planning from regional aspect – experience of the research work on development plan of Guangxi Beibu Gulf Economic Zone”, by Zongpo Tan, School of Architecture, Tsinghua University.
• “Tokyo; transportation network and city form”, by Hitoshi Ieda, Dept of Civil Engineering, The University of Tokyo.
• “Controlling the composition of population for suburban housing developments in Japan by selecting building types – a case study of Yukarigaoka New-Town in Chiba, Japan”, by Toshio Otsuki, Dept of Architecture, The University of Tokyo.

24 January 2009
“Introduction of the AGS – Supporting Urban Innovation”, by Sebastien Rauch, Water Environment Technology, Chalmers University of Technology.

Session 3: Water Management

• “Infectious risk assessment with exposure to pathogens in the flood water – assessment of vulnerability of urban area to climate change (case study of Manila)”, by Kensuke Fukushi, TIGS, The University of Tokyo.
• “Deconstructing the rural and the urban: lessons from recent desakota research in South Asia, Latin America, sub-Saharan Africa and China”, by Dipak Gyawali, Institute for Social and Environmental Transition, Nepal.
• “Long-term indirect impacts of land development on flood risk and water quality – a case study for the watershed of Lake Tega”, by Guangwei Huang, Dept of Socio-Cultural Environmental Studies, The University of Tokyo.
• “Waterborne health risks due to rapid urbanisation in Asia”, by Kumiko Oguma, Dept of Urban Engineering, The University of Tokyo.
• “Impact of land use and land cover on evapotranspiration in urban area based on remote sensing data”, by Guangheng Ni, Dept of Hydraulic Engineering, Tsinghua University.
• “A concept on integrated groundwater management to sustain cities of Indonesia using system interrelationship model”, by Priana Sudjono, Dept of Environmental Engineering, Bandung Institute of Technology.
• “The impact of Guam’s population growth on island water resources”, by Shahram Khosrowpanah, Water and Environment Research Institute of the Western Pacific, University of Guam.
• “Urban-rural interrelation in water resource management problems and factors affecting the sustainability of drinking water supply in the city of Bandung, Indonesia”, by Parikesit, Dept of Biology, Padjadjaran University.
• “Integration of flood control and environmental preservation in urban river”, by Takeyoshi Chibana, Dept of Civil Engineering, The University of Tokyo.
• “Catchment-scale water management of wastewater treatment in an urban sewage system considering CO2 emission assessment”, by Goro Mouri, Institute of Industrial Science, The University of Tokyo.

Session 4: Culture and Settlements

• “Introduction to the session”, by Tetsuo Kidokoro, Dept of Urban Engineering, The University of Tokyo.
• “Daoism and environmental sustainability – a completely different way of thinking”, by Qiang Charles Lou, Water and Environmental Research Institute of the Western Pacific, University of Guam.
• “The landscape of Bangkok’s agricultural fringe and city region sustainability: an ecological and cultural co-evolution”, by Danai Taitakoo, Dept of Landscape Architecture, Chulalongkorn University.
• “Cultural-natural expressions and community movement on the saujana heritage conservation”, by Sita Adishakti, Gadjah Mada University.
• “Damage investigation of timber structures by the 2007 Noto Peninsula earthquake”, by Kaori Fujita, Dept of Architecture, The University of Tokyo.

Poster Sessions 23 February 2009 (pdf)

1. “Energetic analysis of various production systems in West Javan agricultural landscape: looking for sustainable system”, Dendi Mohamad, Institute of Ecology, Padjadjaran University.
2. “Conceptual framework for agricultural landscape conservation and flood system for sustainable city region in China”, Dingyang Zhou, Dept of ecosystem studies, The University of Tokyo
3. “Assessing policy implementation and social networks for agricultural landscape conservation in a Japanese urban region”, Kazuaki Tsuchiya, Graduate School of Agricultural and Life Sciences, The University of Tokyo.
4. “A place for “commons” in extended urban spaces? Community forestry networks and working woodlands in peri-urban Tokyo, by Gerald Bolthouse, Natural Environment, The University of Tokyo.
5. “Transformation of pastures landscapes on the Shimousa Plateau 1572-1862″, Mariko Miyamoto, Dept of Natural Environmental Studies, The University of Tokyo.
6. “Woody biomass utilisation in urban-rural mixed land-use areas: Strategies to sustainably managed satoyama woodlands”, Toru Terada, Graduate School of Frontier Sciences, The University of Tokyo.
7. “Evaluation of environmental burden in cascade recycling of plastic containers and packaging wastes in Japan”, Asako Okuno, Dept of Urban Engineering, The University of Tokyo.
8. “Toxicity characterization of road dust and urban river sediments using bioassay with ostracod”, Haruna Watanabe, Dept of Urban Engineering, The University of Tokyo.
9. “Examination of maintaining method of the gravel bed river channel”, Hiroaki Fujimori, Civil Engineering Course, The University of Tokyo.
10. “Industrial solid waste flows and recycling patterns of China: a case study in Suzhou”, Mo Hongpin, Division of Environmental System Analysis, Tsinghua University.
11. “Analysis of climate change impact for sustainable development on Citarum river basin, Indonesia”, Yutaka Araki, Civil Engineering Course, The University of Tokyo.
12. “The comprehensive concept planning of urban greening: cast study Bangkok Metropolis, Thailand”, Arthit Limpiyakorn, Graduate School of Urban Engineering, The University of Tokyo.
13. “The development review system and the application in the inner city area – the case studies on the design review in North America”, Hirofumi Hori, Dept of Urban Engineering, The University of Tokyo.
14. “Build back better, safer and greener: lesson from Aceh post-disaster recovery”, Togu Pardede, Dept of Urban Engineering, The University of Tokyo.