Sustaibale cities -Suggestive approach to make cities energy efficient

SUSTAINABLE CITIES - SUGGESTIVE APPROACH FOR EVOLVING
ENERGY EFFICIENT DESIGN OF URBAN SETTLEMENTS
*Ar Jit Kumar Gupta
Introduction
Human Settlements are fast emerging as major entities consuming large resources of non-
renewable and conventional energy. Rapid increase in urban population coupled with in-
migration from rural hinterland is making cities grow larger and larger. Accordingly,
metropolises, megalopolises and ecu-monopolies are fast emerging on the urban
settlement scenario. Cities like Bombay (158lacs). Calcutta (125 lacs) and Delhi (108
lacs) are assuming monstrous proportions and in this process are encompassing larger and
larger hinter-land within city limits. Bigger the city grows, larger becomes the distance
between place of work and place of living; place of recreation and place of living; place
of living and educational, medical and other facilities essential for day to day living of
human beings. These elongated distances increase travel needs of the city and
accordingly more and more people are required to be transported to their work centers,
place of living, place of recreation and place of amenities and services. Thus
transportation network comes under lot of pressure to keep the city moving. In the
process more and more buses are pressed into service and more and more private vehicles
come on the roads for ferrying people to their destinations. The means of transportation
require vital fossil fuel as source of energy to run the vehicles and accordingly city starts
consuming larger and larger quantum of petroleum products. The quantum of energy
required by city to keep it going depends upon its size and this consumption level is in
direct relation to the size of the city and grows in leaps and bounds beyond certain limits
in the increase of the city size
Human Settlements in general and urban areas in particular require lot of energy not only
for transporting people but also for construction of houses and other buildings, for
making living more comfortable by providing energy for cooling and heating of living
space in different seasons besides running industry and services which form the very
basis of urban structure. Very little attention has been paid to understand and analyse the
energy implications of urban development on large scale. Unfortunately the issue of
energy required to keep a city moving has never been addressed and focused by
professionals including Town Planners, Architects, Engineers and Administrators
involved in planning, designing, development and managing the urban centers.
With globalization, liberalization and opening up of Indian economy, urban centers in
general and metropolitan centers in particular are fast emerging centers of investment,
generating enormous employment opportunities in the process. Thus not only more and
* Director, College of Architecture IET Bhaddal, Distt. Ropar(Pb).

more people are being attracted but more and more vehicles are being inducted in urban
centers. With phenomenal increase in the income of urban areas, energy consumption
patterns of the cities have been greatly distorted. With limited resources of non-
renewable fossil fuel available, the increased consumption has led to considerable energy
crisis, hitting the national economy to a great extent. Greater demand of fossil fuel by fast
developing economies including India and China has also led to considerable increase in
the price of the oil fuelling inflationary forces in the process. Thus the issue needs to be
viewed both in the context of national economy and energy implications. Looking
objectively and critically, there appears to be ample opportunities for achieving economy
in energy by evolving appropriate patterns of urban development as significant as those
achievable through the design of buildings.
Energy Consumption Patterns
Before looking at the options available for evolving energy efficient human settlements, I
think it will be essential to understand the consumption pattern of energy in the cities by
the end uses. Study in this regard has been made in U.S.A. and it has been observed that
25% of energy is used in transport (which is almost entirely accounted for by petroleum
products), 19% by the residence, commercial use consumes 15% (for servicing the
buildings) and rest 41% by the Industry. Of the energy used in buildings which is of the
order of 35%, energy used for heating space accounts for 18% followed by water heating
and air-conditioning. In U.K. the consumption patterns are similar with the difference
that energy consumed by transport is bit lower because of compact, small size of the U.K.
and lower car-man ratio. However, higher proportion of energy budget goes for space
heating. In U.K., Transport and buildings together consume around 60% of the energy
and the area offers opportunities where savings can be affected in the consumption
patterns to make cities more energy oriented.
In one of the Seminar on Global Climate Changes, the consumption pattern of energy in
1986-87 and 2004-05 in India were stated to be as under: -
Sr.No. Sector Energy Consumption
(86-87) %age (2004-05) %age
________________________________________________
1. Industry 57.7 51.1
2. Transport 19.4 22.7
3. Household 12.7 19.8
4. Agriculture 8.7 4.8
5. Services 1.5 1.6
From the above table it can be seen that transport and household together account for 1/3
of energy consumed in 1986-87 which has gone up to 42.5% showing an increase of 30%
during 1986-2004 period. Though the transport energy figures include not only intra-city
but also inter-city traffic but still it shows that transport sector is the second major sector

consumer of the fossil fuel. Industry consumes more than half of the energy. Looking at
the overall scenario there appears to be considerable scope of affecting economy if our
transportation requirements are rationalized, specially in the context of the intra-city
transport needs besides making industry more responsive to the energy consumption
pattern.
Shaping Cities
As already stated that cities are essentially large consumers of energy, accordingly it
would be more important if energy as an issue is built in as an integral part of the
planning process in order to ensure that all plans put in place for guiding the future
growth and development of the cities are based on considerations which minimize the
energy consumption. However, it has been observed that while evolving
perspective/development/master plans, planners normally do not study the energy
implication of the shape and size they adopt for the planning of cities. In fact if one looks
objectively at various geometric shapes, one can clearly foresee that certain shapes
involve longer road network, longer travel and consequently higher needs of mechanized
modes of travel leading to higher consumption of energy. Whereas on the contrary, there
are other shapes which makes the city more compact and reduce distances between
various parts of the city, making them more energy efficient.
Grid iron pattern which is usually fancied by the planners have been found to be highly
energy inefficient due to invariably longer distance involved in reaching from one part of
the city to another part. Chandigarh is a classical example of city planning, which is
planned on a purely grid pattern involving sectors, where there is no possibility of
reducing distances between any given points. Further, grid iron pattern is not at all suited
for putting in place an efficient mass transportation system because of the existence of
numerous channels of communication running parallel to one another which encourages
the use of individual vehicles. That is why Chandigarh today has the highest car-man
ratio. Thus grid iron pattern needs to be avoided in evolving city plans considering its
energy implications. In case if such a pattern is to be adopted then grid iron pattern
should be superimposed with diagonal roads or any other mechanism in order to cut
travel distance from one end to another end. In the grid iron pattern, option should be to
invariably have a mixed land use planning rather than pure land use zoning in order to
ensure that each unit is self-sufficient and self-contained in terms of day to day
requirements of working , living and leisure of the residents, minimizing travel needs in
the process.
Circular shapes with radial roads offer much better option for evolving energy efficient
design of settlement because of the inherent property of a circle having maximum area
with minimum of circumference resulting in smaller distance and having the option of
rapid inter-connectivity between various parts of the city. Circular shapes are also known
for evolving highly energy efficient mass transportation system. Linear cities can be
another option for evolving energy efficient human settlements with all activities spread

on both sides of the central spine with distances limited to a scale which permits use of
non-motorized vehicles.
Size of the city has also considerable impact on the energy consumption. It has been
observed that cities with 3-5 lakh population are most compact and ideal in terms of
travel and sustainability. Very small towns do not offer the advantage of the urban
centers for economic operations whereas larger urban centers bring considerable
complication in city operations. Thus metropolitisation of urban centers needs to be
avoided in order to achieve the objectives of energy efficient human settlements. In this
regard the role of small and medium towns would be crucial which are more humane and
have lower energy requirements because of shorter travel distances. Accordingly,
development of small and medium towns would require focused attention and
development input in our strategy of urban development for reducing the energy
consumption levels in the cities. The objective of shaping cities should be to evolve a
system of city planning which aims at creating cities having high degree of sustainability
in terms of energy. The theme of development should be small is beautiful and large is
wasteful.
Land Use Planning
If master plan provides the basic frame work of the city, its operational mechanism is
largely governed by land use planning and zoning regulations. Land use planning has
thus considerable energy implication for the city and its residents in its operational
mechanism and accordingly needs to be critically worked out within the energy oriented
developmental frame work of the city. Accordingly, there is an urgent need to rationalise
our approach to the pattern of land use planning which has made the cities highly energy
inefficient. In the city planning process generally all the human needs of living, working,
care of body and spirits are put into water-tight compartments. Different areas in the city
are accordingly zoned for Industries, Housing, Working, Education, Commerce and
Institutions with the result large scale movement is necessitated for having access to
different areas. Even shopping at the local level within a sector is generally placed in
the center necessitating the use of vehicles for even making daily purchase. This system
of pure zoning for determining land uses needs to be reviewed and where ever feasible
concept of ‘mixed land uses’ needs to be preferred as an option of city development.
Cities need to be segmented into smaller units which must be made self-sufficient to
reduce travel needs and to cut down the energy consumption levels. Decentralisation and
Mixed land uses should be the watchwords in the planning of human settlements if level
of energy consumption is to be lowered and patterns of energy consumption are to be
rationalized.
Transportation & Pedestrianisation
The invention of the wheel and the automobile has changed the total complexion of
human settlements. Ever since onset of the Industrial revolution in the 18th Century, the

human settlements have witnessed enormous growth because of the PULL factor of the
cities in the shape of better employment opportunities, better economic opportunities,
access to better services, amenities infrastructures and recreation coupled with PUSH
factor of rural areas in the shape of less employment opportunities lack of services,
amenities etc. All these migrants made their make-shift residences near the
Industries/work centers causing congestion and decay of the central areas resulting in the
movement of rich people to the suburbs. This resulted in the growth and expansion of the
cities. More and more migrants also added to the fringe area development once land
within the city got scarce and expensive. This resulted in increasing distances within the
city. The transportation requirements accordingly increased. In fact stage has now
reached where the total economy, efficiency and functioning of a city is largely governed
by the efficiency of its transportation system. If Bombay is holding on, it is because its
mass transportation system in the city is very effective and efficient. However, Calcutta
and Delhi are not very fortunate. The major problem in transportation is the conflict
between public and private vehicles. The private transport i.e. Car/Scooter/Jeep etc. are
very inefficient though very convenient. They are highly inefficient so far as energy
consumption is concerned. They have a very poor load factor and highly inefficient
engine, which ultimately converts only 10 -15% of the total energy into the Kinetic
motion and rest 85-90%, goes waste. Thus private vehicles consume large amount of
energy and accordingly, focused efforts are required to rationalize the public transport
system and make it more effective & efficient if energy consumption pattern of the cities
are to be much changed. We have to ensure transfer of people from private to public
transport system so as to minimise use of private vehicles. Such a system would reduce
traffic on the roads, make movement easier, consumption of fossil fuel lower, making
cities cleaner in the process due to reduced pollution. Efforts needs to be made to use
solar battery/CNG operated buses on shorter and congested routes to further improve the
quality of life and to reduce the energy consumption.
Mechanisms of Decentralisation and Mixed land uses can be used effectively to reduce
the distances between different human functions in order to make cities easily
traversable. People should be encouraged to walk down to the place of work, recreation
etc. if proper walkways are created. Over a distance of 3-5 Kms people should be
encouraged to use cycles if proper cycles-ways are created. In the planning of
Chandigarh, a network of Cycle-tracks was created for catering to the majority of cyclists
of the city and one such Cycle-way was to run through the Leisure Valley, but due to
non-realisation of the same the city has started reeling under the pressure of mobikes and
two wheelers mechanically powered vehicles creating lot of traffic as well as
environmental problems. Example of China can be followed in large cities by creating
exclusive Express Cycle ways for the cyclists where only cyclists are allowed to operate
with considerable speed even at peak hours of the day. These express ways have helped
in diverting large number of people from motorized to non-motorized means of transport
making the congested areas very clean and city highly energy efficient in the process.
Thus in the city planning, order of priority in preference for movement should be

A Few Features of an Energy Efficient Building
Pedestrians, Cyclists and public transport. Individual mechanised vehicles should be
discouraged in the larger interest of community, city and nation.
No energy efficient city should be without a bicycle plan. The bicycle is the most
economical and most energy efficient form of human transportation ever invented.
Cycling as a mode of transportation has played an important role even in societies with
high income levels. Cycling accounts for 20% of passenger trips in Basel, 25% in
Tokyo; 50% in Groingen, Netherland and upto 77% in such Chinese cities as Tianjik
and Shenyang.
In order to minimize the distances within the cities, concept of ‘Low Rise High Density’
settlements also need to be given a thought. Bigger plots, haphazard and ribbon
developments in and around the cities are making Indian cities highly energy in-efficient
because of greater length of roads, services and trip lengths. For limiting size of city and
making it more energy efficient, it would be important to have a re-look at the existing
density patterns, population distribution, size of plots, quantum of open spaces including
their placing, norms for covered area, FAR and zoning regulations in order to ensure that
available land within the city is put to optimum use and cities are compact enough to
have considerable lower energy implications. In fact energy as an issue has to be built in
all the mechanisms controlling, regulating and impacting city, its growth development,
management and its operation on day to day basis.
Buildings
The growth of building
industry in India is placed
at 9.2% as against global
average of 5.2%. The
annual investment in the
building industry which
is currently at the level of
Rs. 50 billion, is to grow
to Rs. 160 billion by
2012. Despite huge
investment, very little
focus is being given to
the adverse impact on the
environment caused by rapid
and uncontrolled growth of building industry. The impact is likely to much more
pronounced in the case of India because of high growth rate and lack of control over the
use of materials and technology. Looking at the high degree of energy consumption,
which is presently placed at 300 Kwh for ever square meter on annual basis, there
appears to be enough options to bring it to realistic level of 100 Kwh with known

concepts of energy efficient technologies, adopting integrated approach to creating built
environment, retro- fitting of existing buildings and designing green buildings.
Considering the fact that Building globally use over 40% of world’s total energy,
consume 30% of raw materials, 25% of timber harvested, 16% of fresh water withdrawal
and are responsible for 35% of the world’s CO2 emission, 40% of municipal solid waste,
50% of ozone depleting CFC besides making 30% of residents having sick building
syndrome. criticality of buildings and their role in minimizing energy consumption and
promoting sustainability of human habitat assumes importance, Looking at the high
degree of energy consumption, built environment offers enormous opportunities and
options in scaling down the energy consumption. Buildings as they are designed,
constructed and used have enormous energy implications. With number of people and
institutions rushing towards urban centers, energy requirements of cities due to buildings
is going to rise sharply in future. Thus built environment is another sector which would
require close scrutiny and monitoring for effecting overall economy in the levels of
energy consumption. Experience has shown that buildings can be designed to meet the
occupant’s needs for thermal comfort at reduced level of energy consumption by
adopting an integrated approach to building design. The integrated approach could
include shape and size of the building, built form, surface to volume ratio, building
efficiency, ratio between length and depth of the building, using simple techniques of
building structure, efficient structural design, principles of solar passive techniques in
building design, using energy efficient equipment, control and operation strategies for
lighting, heating, ventilation etc. using solar energy for meeting the energy needs of
buildings, reduced use of transportation energy, replacing energy intensive materials with
low energy components etc.
Architects can ensure high degree of energy
efficiency both in construction and operation by
critically studying the macro and micro climate of
the site, applying bio-climatic architectural
principles to minimize the impact of adverse
conditions and making optimum use of desirable
conditions. Effective use of landscaping as an
integral part of building design can help in
lowering the level of energy consumption in the
building.
Orientation is the single most important factor which needs to be effectively used in all
buildings designs in order to evolve energy efficient building design by making use of
solar radiation and the wind. However, requirements of building design would vary from
region to region, state to state and within regions and states. Accordingly, buildings with
regard to sun and wind will have to be oriented differently in different regions. In order to
ensure that buildings make best use of solar and wind energy, it would be essential that
majority of buildings would have the site advantage where such buildings are to be

constructed. Accordingly, in this context town planners have important role cast for
themselves for ensuring that while preparing the layout plan of the area, due
consideration to orientation is given so that maximum number of plots have the
advantage of having best orientation. Once this is ensured at the planning level, it would
be much easier for the Architects to evolve a design which would be energy efficient.
Further, the planners should ensure that ratio of plot width and depth is fixed in such a
manner that the entire depth of built up area allowed on a plot should have access to
natural light during the day, minimizing the requirement of artificial lighting. This would
be particularly important in case of row housing where plots have the option to draw light
from front and the rear only.
Choice of building materials to be used for construction have important bearing on the
energy consumption level of the building and can be effectively used in making buildings
energy efficient. Using low energy materials, efficient structural design and reduction of
energy used for transportation of building materials can help in achieving high degree of
energy efficiency in buildings. Choice of locally available materials and innovative
construction techniques has clearly demonstrated their usefulness in reduction of energy
consumed by the buildings during construction and operations.
Effective use of thermal insulation, treating roof for regulating solar radiation, using
cavity walls, locating, sizing and detailing properly windows and shading devices help in
evolving design solution which are bio-climatic and ultimately help in reducing energy
requirement of the building. External finishes of buildings needs a careful choice in over
to regulate the heat absorption by the walls etc. However, advanced techniques of
passive heating and ventilation like trombe wall, water wall and roof based air heating
system, wind towers, courtyard, earth-air tunnels, evaporating, cooling etc. can be
effectively used for evolving low energy buildings.
In the context of evolving energy efficient buildings, role of building industry would be
critical in ensuring that only materials which have low energy implications in their
production are made available. Government on its part should encourage the industry
which produces energy efficient materials and discourages industries which are in the
area of energy intensive materials. Industry on its part must also be educated in the
context of constant evaluation and monitoring every material in terms of energy. Industry
should be encouraged to promote R & D in the area of building materials coupled with
support from BMPTC in order to ensure that energy requirement of each material is
thoroughly studied before the material is allowed to be marketed. Specification of all

building materials should also include the energy component in order to make Architects/
builders understand the energy implication of material being used.
Institute of Architects can join hand with Schools of Planning and Architecture, Builders
Associations etc. to create awareness about the energy implication of materials in
construction and operation. These institutions can evolve clear manuals for the
professionals which must be followed by them while evolving layout plans, design of
buildings and their construction. In fact it must be made mandatory that each Architect
should also clearly specify like structural safety, the building is energy efficient, I.T.
companies can effectively contribute by evolving appropriate software for assessing the
energy implications of each building at the time of evolving design which architects can
effectively use in modulating/ amending their design in order to bring it within the
specified norms of energy requirement of buildings. Specialized training programs needs
to be worked out by professional bodies in addition to running short term courses for
creating awareness and capacity building for ensuring that buildings have required input
of making them energy efficient.
High Rise Buildings
With rapid increase in increase in population, massive urbanization coupled with limited
availability of land, Architects, Engineers & Town Planners have to evolve strategies and
find optimum solutions for housing large population/activities in minimum area with
appropriate quality of life. The ever expanding cities have to be contained & travel within
cities needs to be reduced if cities have to be made more humane, productive & efficient.
Cities have evolved and existed throughout the history because they are the solution.
Despite distinct advantages, cities have perpetuated worst kinds of living conditions.
Traffic and transportation have emerged as the worst gifts provided by cities & towns.
Majority of population suffers from depravity and in basic and essential services. Shelter
& travel have emerged as the major threat to urban functioning. In the face of given
scenario, how we can make our cities/ towns more livable and efficient. Option perhaps
lies in using the potential of high rise buildings. Despite numerous limitations and
disadvantages defined above, high rise buildings offer numerous opportunities to address
major urban maladies by redefining cities and towns.
High rise buildings have enormous capacity to create large volume of built space which
can house large number of people and activities sparing large ground space for non -
urban uses. Cities can be made more compact reducing the need of long travels. Housing
large number of people in few buildings can create well knit & close communities.
Providing work space & amenities within/near the buildings would help in reducing
travel within the cities. Cities can be pedestrianised, made more humane & eco-friendly
due to reduced travel. These high rise buildings can be connected by efficient means of
mass transportation minimizing use of personalized vehicles. Cities can look more green,
open and eco-friendly. However, this will require a new planning approach and

paradigm shift on the part of Town Planners in evolving strategies for planning and
designing of cities, review existing planning tools and principles, work with Architects &
Engineers to create Cities which are more sustainable.
Use of Information Technology
Information Technology has revolutionised the entire concept of human working, living
and even thinking. It has imparted high degree of operational efficiency to human beings.
Larger access to information and knowledge has opened new vistas in human growth and
development. Accordingly, rapid strides made in the field of I.T. are going to have far
reaching implications for future growth and development of the cities. City patterns
would reshape with relationship between place of work and place of living undergoing
qualitative changes. Many institutions would become obsolete with space requirements
undergoing substantial change. With I.T. taking the lead, most of the functions related to
working, shopping, health, recreation etc. could be performed at or near home with need
for travel drastically cut down. Most of the offices will become paperless and individual
would work at home. Children need not go to school with best of education being
accessed through computers. Extensive use of video-conferencing can cut down the need
to travel to larger cities for attending conferences, seminars, and workshops etc. New
housing complexes will have larger areas where housing, recreation, eating joints, health
clubs etc. provided within the complex. Houses will function as offices and schools. I.T.
would help in reducing traffic on the roads making cities cleaner, livable and energy
efficient in the process.
Information technology holds enormous promise but its use in urban planning,
development and management has to be geared up. It is important that I.T.
companies/experts should now start focusing on its use in urban planning by developing
appropriate softwares which would help in evolving energy efficient plans. Let urban
development be treated as a specialized and priority area by I.T. sector with immense
opportunities offered by the technology which then can be used for helping planners in
improving planning practices and planning
techniques. Effectiveness and efficiency of planning
process and practice in promoting energy efficient
settlements would be largely contingent upon how
planning profession meets the challenges of future
urban development by evolving new approaches and
new strategies with the support of I.T. and I.T.
enabled services.
Greening City
Trees have enormous capacity in terms of modulating
day time temperature, controlling humidity and

Trees provide shade from
summer sun allow winter Sun
reducing heat emissions during night for balancing temperature. Trees have also critical
role in management of water resources because of absorption of enormous free water
during precipitation and through release of water through evaporation during dry period.
A single tree is said to transpire 450 liters of moistures on daily basis which is equivalent
to 5 room sized air conditioners working for 19 hours. A mature Beech tree has 80,000
leaves with each leave acting as a small organic filter. Canopy of a tree makes up a
surface area of 10-12 times greater than area of the ground they shade. Trees have
enormous capacity to improve the quality of
environment. A tree can filter 20 kg. of SO2 a
year without causing harm to itself and
produces Oxygen sufficient to cater to the needs
of 10 people. A tree lined street has the capacity
to filter up to 80% of pollutants, reduce noise
level up to 12 db and lowering of temperature
up to 3.5%
Greening the cities through extensive
landscaping and massive plantation can be used
effectively for lowering the overall temperature
and to bring the climate within the comfort zone
leading to considerable reduction in energy
expenditure. Shading of building through vegetation, using trees and shrubs as barriers to
direct solar radiation can help in reduction in energy demand. Accordingly, mechanism of
greening buildings/ cities should be extensively used to make cities highly energy
efficient.
Involving communities and NGOs
Involving communities and NGOs in promoting sustainable cities would be critical.
People have to be educated and made aware about their role and responsibility in
reducing consumption of energy in their day to day life. They have to be educated in
order to change their entire pattern of life from being consumers to producers. They have
to be moved away from the materialistic pattern of life so that wasteful activities are
minimized. Their pattern of life will have to be molded and reshaped in a manner which
minimize unnecessary travel. Use of energy intensive gadgets would also require
minimization. Unless people understand and appreciate their role and involvement in the
process, it will be difficult to achieve the desired objective of promoting sustainability.
Conclusion
The way cities use land, consume energy, east up resources and impact the quality of life
and environment, they are fast emerging as ecological disasters. Uncontrolled and
haphazard growth devours land, water and energy from the surrounding landscape. The
emerging contemporary patterns of settlements, have created cities which have high level

of consumptions of energy due to auto dependence; high energy demand for buildings;
water pollution from excessive toxic run off; air pollution and other environmental effects
which considerably increase health risks.
For the exorbitant, energy and ecological prices, these patterns do not even buy an
appropriate quality of life. Cities of 21st century are totally divorced from aesthetic and
ecological experience of nature. People are made to spend number of hours for
commuting on daily basis. In the emerging social fabric, neighbours are not friends,
communities are not tied to place and millions too poor to afford basic amenities of life
to lead a dignified life. Invasion of automobiles has made cities highly noisy, energy
inefficient, congested and largely frustrating.
In addition to global macro ecological problems caused by high level of energy
consumption by cities, current settlement patterns have created host of local ecological
problems. World life habitats have become extinct; native species are replaced by
consumptive exotics; streams are canalized, piped and buried; wetlands are filled and
aquifers depleted. Urban heat islands created drive up energy use for cooling besides
trapping pollutants in the city. Downstream areas are flooded and polluted largely by the
quick run off from large paved areas. All these problems, collectively and individually,
have the ability to adversely impact the local ecology. Accordingly, local ecological
systems are rapidly losing their ability to produce clean water, air and food and to
maintain rich variety of habitat. In short, they are fast losing their ability to sustain life.
Each of these environmental problems has their genesis in the design of cities, settlement
patterns and urban spatial fabric. Human habitat needs restructuring on priority so that we
live within the limits imposed by our life sustaining eco-systems and follow the basic
principles which promote the quality of life.
To minimize the energy consumption levels and the ecological disasters caused by todays
grey cities, we have to change our perceptions.. We have to learn to think ecologically to
create green cities which are both humane and sustainable besides least consumers of
energy.

Sustaibale cities -Suggestive approach to make cities energy efficient

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Sustaibale cities -Suggestive approach to make cities energy efficient