In the article
"Developing Sustainable Infrastructure in New Cities", Cho (2014)
claims that the enhancement in performance and volatility of infrastructure
needs to accommodate the 21st century's fast urban growth. She mentions that
there are economic, social and environmental challenges for consideration in
addition to the conservation of energy resources. The effects of these
challenges have to be examined as they can bring about positive or negative
results for the community. She argues that overcoming the challenges is crucial
in creating a sustainable and efficient infrastructure. The writer then cites
the application of Envision Sustainability Rating System in her Impact King Abdullah
Economic City (KAEC) Fellowship Project in Saudi Arabia.
I do agree with the author
that more attention should be paid to overcome the various challenges to create
a sustainable infrastructure in addition to using the application of Envision
Rating System in her KAEC fellowship project in Saudi Arabia. However, the
writer did not analyse the impacts that sustainable infrastructure can have on
the community in KAEC.
However, Cho's article did
not analyse the technology advancement that came along with the sustainable
infrastructure development in KAEC. Some
examples are development of mobile applications and usage of social networking
sites within the community. Khanna (2015) writes about the various
technological innovations that came about due to the increasing population in
the Asian cities like Singapore and Indonesia. One example is a mobile
application for a tailored private bus service route that incorporates the
demand of the different citizens' needs in Singapore. He also cites another
example of using the social networking site, Twitter for residents to report real-time
alerts on potential natural disasters in Jakarta, Indonesia.
Morever, Cho did not mention
that sustainable infrastructure has to be managed along with the basic needs of
people. In the article “SDG Goal 9—A Sustainable Future of Infrastructure”,
Faremo (2015) says that basic needs of people have to be addressed with
sustainable infrastructure. Faremo gives an illustration about a building
cannot function by itself without the various essential systems. Thus, key services
in our everyday life have to be something that can be sustained in the long
term, which creates a well-balanced society. In Cho’s article, she did not
provide considerations to the needs of the people in KAEC.
Besides that, Cho did not
analyse the negative impacts on the infrastructure itself in KAEC. The writer
of the article "Restore and Improve Urban Infrastructure" highlights
the fourteen challenging factors for engineering in terms of infrastructure. As
sustainable infrastructure improves the citizens' quality of life, the problem
is to provide an affordable place for them to stay with the increasing demand
for sustainable infrastructure. Furthermore, implementation of sustainable
infrastructure will also require a large amount of financial grant and support
from the local government for improvements on existing infrastructures.
In conclusion, while Cho's
article presents the challenges and the general advantages of sustainable
infrastructure in KAEC, her argument is incomplete due to the inadequate
analysis on the impacts within KAEC. It is important to look at both positive
and negative impacts that sustainable infrastructure would have on the cities
and the citizens. However, overcoming the challenges that were mentioned in
Cho's article are is crucial to strive towards the overall goal of creating a
sustainable and efficient infrastructure in the community of KAEC.
(550 words)
Cho,
H. (2014, December 17). Developing Sustainable Infrastructure in New Cities. New Cities Foundation. Retrieved from:
http://www.newcitiesfoundation.org/evaluating-sustainable-infrastructure-development-new-cities/
Faremo.
G. (2015, August 4). SDG Goal 9—A Sustainable Future of Infrastructure. United Nations Development Programme.
Retrieved from
http://www.my.undp.org/content/malaysia/en/home/presscenter/articles/2015/08/04/sdg-goal-9-a-sustainable-future-of-infrastructure.html
Khanna,
P. (2015, June 11). Explosive growth in Asian cities: Bright ideas to 'seize
the urban moment'. The Straits Times.
Retrieved from:
http://www.straitstimes.com/opinion/explosive-growth-in-asian-cities-bright-ideas-to-seize-the-urban-moment
The
National Academy of Engineering. (2015). Restore and Improve Urban
Infrastructure. Retrieved from
http://www.engineeringchallenges.org/9136.aspx
Edited on 19 October 2015, Monday at 4.06pm
