Cloverleaf City already uses far less
energy than a city built around cars. But let's go further.
Let's make it a true eco-city.
Energy
Efficient Buildings
Row houses are a good start here since, sharing sidewalls with their neighbours,
they require less
energy for heating and cooling than detached houses.
The orientation of houses is also important. For example,
large, south facing windows maximise the heat gained from the sun.
More use should be made of natural ventilation.
And houses should be designed to make best use of natural light.
Alternative Power Sources
Renewables can be incorporated right into the rooftops of
the city, with water heated by solar panels and electricity produced by
whisper-quiet wind turbines in the form of elegant vertical helices.
Water
With adequate filtration, rain water and greywater (water from baths,
showers, hand basins etc.) can be used in washing machines, garden irrigation
and for flushing toilets, conserving fresh water.
And blackwater has its uses too. Biogas, which can be used to make
electricity or as a vehicle fuel, can be made from sewage through
anaerobic digestion.
Local Farming
Since transporting our foodstuffs thousands of miles is both a waste
of energy and a source of pollution, as much as possible should be grown
locally in the countryside surrounding the city.
Smaller, more diverse farms are actually more efficient than large
scale agribusiness. By planting crop mixtures, rotating and
combining crops and livestock, they produce more output per acre than
enormous fields dedicated to a single crop.
Rooftop gardens can also be used for food
production, from simple container gardening, through green roofs, to
hydroponics where plant roots are suspended in a liquid growing medium
instead of soil.
Biodiversity
By building at higher densities, more land can be left as natural habitat like rivers, streams,
wetlands and forests.
And wildlife should be encouraged into the city itself. Plants and
trees should be everywhere, in courtyards, streets and terraces.
Eco-cities should be
green cities.
