SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT

Sustainable Development

Sustainable Development

Summary

There is not one sure-shot way or winning formula that a city can adopt in order to ensure sustainable development, mainly because of the myriad of factors that play a crucial role in development and sustainability. How various cities around the world achieve long-term sustainable development depends mainly on their size, geographical location and a range of other factors, such as the problems they are confronted with. The city of Glasgow has its eyes set on becoming one of the most sustainable cities in all of Europe. Over the past two decades, the city has focused on sustainable development by improving energy efficiency and infrastructure, lowering carbon emissions, and developing the public and private sector. However, there are still certain daunting challenges that it must address if it aims to accomplish its goals.

Introduction

World Commission on Environment and Development (WCED) acknowledges that sustainable development is the type of development that allows cities and nations to achieve all the present needs that they have identified while also ensuring that the future needs of the generations to come are also not compromised (Forde & Dawson Books, 2006). Therefore, a sustainable city is ideally the one that is able to thrive for generations, show considerable flexibility in the face of changing trends and conditions, and has the vision and foresight to sustain its social and physical support systems.

Literature Review

A key part of Glasgow's mission to achieve sustainable development is related to the development of the public and private sector. The local administration has sought to employ various means in order to further its agenda for long term socio-economic development. There are a number of literature sources that provide an insight into the infrastructural problems that the city of Glasgow faces and which it must tackle in order to meet its goals. Pacione (1995) discusses the socio-spatial development of Glasgow over the last century and focuses on the key issues that have hindered the city's progress towards long-term sustainable development.

The author employs a geographical and historical approach that helps to illuminate the interactions and associations that have traditionally existed between multifarious spatial and social forces. Pacione also highlights how these forces have conditioned the patterns and processes of change and urban growth in Glasgow over the course of time. The main subject of examination in this book is the key issues connected with the socio-spatial development of Glasgow. The author synthesizes related information obtained from a myriad of literary sources with the aim of illuminating the city's changing geography.

In “Urban Renaissance: Glasgow : Lessons for Innovation and Implementation”, the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development acknowledges that the landscape of Glasgow has seen dramatic changes over recent years, particularly when it comes to economic and social development (Shelby, 2007). According to a study, certain major initiatives have been examines along with a series of local-based plans that promise to facilitate positive changes in the city and aid in its plans to acquire sustainable development (Dimitriou & Thompson, ...