Monitoring built environments
Much of urban monitoring in recent years been based on remote sensing. The program Urban Remote Sensing has a clear focus on the development of remote sensing technology for monitoring, synthesis and modeling in the urban environment. It covers four major areas: the use of high-resolution satellite imagery or alternative sources of image date for urban feature extraction; the development of improved image processing algorithms and techniques for deriving accurate and consistent information on urban attributes from remote sensor data; the development of analytical techniques and methods for deriving indicators of socioeconomic and environmental conditions that prevail within urban landscape; and the development of remote sensing and spatial analytical techniques for urban growth simulation and predictive modeling.
Schools have only some access to such tools through programs such as Google earth. Where urban schools can accomplish a great deal is through the on-the-ground localized environmental, social and economic assessments of neighborhoods and communities. Agencies and NGO's like the Canadian Environmental Grantmakers' Network have identified the broad brush issues. They identify only national and provincial NGO's but overlook the roles community groups, neighborhoods and local schools may play in collecting data, initiating actions and sustaining interest.
Canadian Environmental Grantmakers' Network identifies three major features related to urban studies. They include:
SOCIAL
Much of urban monitoring in recent years been based on remote sensing. The program Urban Remote Sensing has a clear focus on the development of remote sensing technology for monitoring, synthesis and modeling in the urban environment. It covers four major areas: the use of high-resolution satellite imagery or alternative sources of image date for urban feature extraction; the development of improved image processing algorithms and techniques for deriving accurate and consistent information on urban attributes from remote sensor data; the development of analytical techniques and methods for deriving indicators of socioeconomic and environmental conditions that prevail within urban landscape; and the development of remote sensing and spatial analytical techniques for urban growth simulation and predictive modeling.
Schools have only some access to such tools through programs such as Google earth. Where urban schools can accomplish a great deal is through the on-the-ground localized environmental, social and economic assessments of neighborhoods and communities. Agencies and NGO's like the Canadian Environmental Grantmakers' Network have identified the broad brush issues. They identify only national and provincial NGO's but overlook the roles community groups, neighborhoods and local schools may play in collecting data, initiating actions and sustaining interest.
Canadian Environmental Grantmakers' Network identifies three major features related to urban studies. They include:
SOCIAL
- Canada is one of the most highly urbanized countries in the world. In 2001, about 80% of Canadians lived in urban areas of populations greater than 10,000. And 64% of Canadians live in large urban areas with over 100,000 inhabitants (called Census Metropolitan Areas or CMAs).
- Between 1996 and 2001 the population of urban areas (greater than 10,000) grew by 5.2%,while the population living outside of these areas declined slightly (-0.4%).
- With high concentrations of social institutions (such as hospitals and universities) and of cultural and artistic activity, cities are key determinants of quality of life for residents and are centres for creative and social innovation - and as such can contribute solutions to environmental problems.
- Canada's CMAs are home to 94% of the immigrants who came to this country in the 1990s. In2001, nearly three-quarters (73%) of Canada's immigrants lived in Toronto, Vancouver or Montreal. Immigrants have a particularly significant presence in larger centres such as Toronto and Vancouver, where immigrants comprised 44% and 38% respectively of the populations in2001. Fully 44% of immigrants to Canada in this year could not speak either English or French.
- There is a slow, but steady growth among Aboriginal people residing in Canada's cities. In2001, about half (49%) of Canada's Aboriginal people lived in urban areas.
- Cities have the advantage of a citizen sense of place and commitment that larger jurisdiction slack - a factor that has likely encouraged municipal action on global environmental frameworks(such as the implementation of Agenda 21 Rio Conference commitments and United Nations Environment Program - UNEP - Green Cities Declaration). This document is intended to serve as a starting point for discussion of strategic approaches and collaboration on urban environmental issues among Canadian grant makers. It provides a brief overview of this complex topic, including context on the importance of cities, the key players in urban environmental issues, the range of environmental issues linked to cities, and key strategies and approaches that are currently being pursued for effecting change in this area.
- Although urban areas cover only 0.2% of the country's land base, cities are centres of consumption, accounting for most of the energy used in Canada, the greenhouse gases generated, pollutants released to water and air, and of waste materials generated.
- In cities, natural features (such as forests, green space, rivers/streams) have both aesthetic and ecological significance. For example, Canada's urban landscape is estimated to be 19%forest covered. These urban forests improve air quality, reduce noise, increase water storage, limit energy use and maintain ecosystems.
- The ecological impact of cities (through emissions, consumption and other human activities)extends far beyond their local boundaries to include significant impacts on the surrounding rural, regional and global ecosystems.
- The concentration of industry, business and service sectors and labour in cities has made them the key drivers of the national economy. Two-thirds of Canada's employment and real economic output are located in CMAs.
- Cities are also the focus of international competition in the global economy. Urban environmental quality is one of the factors increasingly associated with the ability of countries to attract footloose global investment and knowledge workers.
- Natural features in cities (such as urban forests, green space, rivers/streams) are being recognized as having high monetary amenity value. For example, Vancouver's street trees have an assessed value of over $500 million. http://www.cegn.org/english/home/documents/urbanbrief_eng.pdf