According to a report written by Fast Company writer, Adele Peters (2016), highlighted that three Netherlands architecture graduates intention to build a sustainable household prototype in Detroit. The prototype, catered for people in low-income areas, serves as a platform to educate people on the various methods which they can adapt to their own homes to make it more sustainable. One of their main focuses was to ensure a low base cost of the retrofits so that most people would be able to afford them. One other consideration was to ensure the feasibility of each retrofit, ensuring that anyone and everyone could do it. A specific initiative was to teach people on the installation of insulation, reducing the overall energy consumed. In order for this to get publicity, partnerships with local communities were forged. One overall plan is to make this initiative to the next level by getting universities to incorporate such plans into their curriculum. This would enable students in different countries to adopt this mindset and help the people in need in their own communities. I believe the inculcation of sustainability into building Detroit it definitely inspires other communities to make a change in the environment.
The first reason being Detroit was a prosperous city which was once labelled as the world’s automotive capital in 1950 that fell into bankruptcy not too long ago. This has resulted in declining population and soaring poverty rates. With the help of numerous organisation has allowed Detroit to pick themselves up and make a comeback. Sustainability innovation has been introduced. Researchers are turning Detroit into an urban laboratory in hope to reduce environmental and economic damages. With the support of local partnerships, job opportunities are created which would aid Detroit to work out of poverty. Detroit has definitely offered a valuable lesson that hard times are not here to stay. Despite encountering numerous defeats, Detroit is making an economic turnaround through sustainability.
Secondly, the importance of sustainability in today's world. With the drastic climate changes over the past decades indicate that urgent actions have to be taken to combat global warming. One of the most efficient solutions is through education. Education reproduces certain aspects based on current society as well as ensuring students are ready to transform society for the future. Thus, higher education on sustainability is needed to generate and disseminate this knowledge to real-time context. Companies are working towards incorporating sustainability into organisation’s culture. Sustaining a culture which empowers citizens to think on their feet and devise solutions when encountered with problems. Quick and relevant decisions could be contributed when faced with challenges of the present or future. Therefore, working closely with educational institutions would definitely result in a positive impact on the awareness of sustainability.
In conclusion, building a green Detroit would bust the general misconception of sustainability being incompatible with economic growth. People tend to reach out for the easiest and convenient solutions to their problem which results in depletion of finite resources. This could be due to the inability to recognise the interconnectedness of social, environment and economic issues. Economic growth can have positive impacts on the environment through the change in techniques. In 2011, Aaron M. Renn noted Detroit as "some of the most important urban innovations in 21st Century America", the success brought upon Detroit due to sustainability can be anticipated. This would definitely convince communities that economic growth can still be achieved without the decline of environmental quality. Hence, motivating organisations into creating sustainable innovations which would benefit regardless theirs or neighbouring communities.
References:
Tom Reynolds. (2016, April 18). Wayne State researchers initiate sustainability study in Detroit’s New Center district. Retrieved from http://wayne.edu/newsroom/release/2016/04/18/wayne-state-researchers-initiate-sustainability-study-in-detroits-new-center-district-5856
Aaron M. Ren. (2009, April 11). Detroit: Urban Laboratory and the new American Frontier. Retrieved from http://www.newgeography.com/content/001171-detroit-urban-laboratory-and-new-american-frontier
Jon Emmett. (2014, August 29). Sustainability Careers: A New “Traditional” Path? Retrieved from http://blogs.lse.ac.uk/sustainability/2014/08/29/sustainability_careers/
Aaron M. Ren. (2009, April 11). Detroit: Urban Laboratory and the new American Frontier. Retrieved from http://www.newgeography.com/content/001171-detroit-urban-laboratory-and-new-american-frontier
Jon Emmett. (2014, August 29). Sustainability Careers: A New “Traditional” Path? Retrieved from http://blogs.lse.ac.uk/sustainability/2014/08/29/sustainability_careers/
Jo Cofino. (2011, September 7). Is economic growth incompatible with sustainable development? Retrieved from https://www.theguardian.com/sustainable-business/talk-point-systemic-solutions-change
Jamie D. (2015) What Motor City’s Turnaround Can Teach Us about Creating Opportunity. Retrieved from JPMorgan Chase & Co https://www.jpmorganchase.com/corporate/Corporate-Responsibility/detroit-our-progress.htm
Sing C. Chew (2014, February 27) Sustainability in Education. Retrieved from http://www.hss.ntu.edu.sg/Research/Clusters/EnvironmentandSustainability/efsasia/Documents/Sustainability%20in%20Education%20Asia%202014%20Summary%20Report.pdf
Orawan Siriratpiriya. (2014, February 27) How Sustainability is Conceptualized, Studied and Taught in Environmental Science. Retrieved from http://www.hss.ntu.edu.sg/Research/Clusters/EnvironmentandSustainability/efsasia/Documents/Sustainability%20in%20Education%20Asia%202014%20Summary%20Report.pdf
Shunsuke Managi. (2014, February 27) Environment, Technology, and Economic Growth. Retrieved from http://www.hss.ntu.edu.sg/Research/Clusters/EnvironmentandSustainability/efsasia/Documents/Sustainability%20in%20Education%20Asia%202014%20Summary%20Report.pdf
