The impending strong growth in China means that there is a need for more sustainable approaches to development.
The SUSTAIN team will liaise closely with the other networks and design teams to transfer results between all parties involved and disseminate knowledge about sustainability in practice. A major benefit of this network is the development of strong academic relations between China and the UK.
Areas of Focus
1. Explore in depth the relevant technologies contained within ecologically and socially sustainable city systems. This includes transport, energy, water supply, treatment and recycling, and the movements of people and material resources.
2. Study attitudes toward change when people are confronted with the challenge of a new way of sustainable living, and the system changes needed to establish a high and sustainable quality of life.
3. Support the conceptualisation and construction of a decision support tool for the development of sustainable infrastructure.
4. Explore impacts on the ecological and social environment of fast changing developments, including ethical issues such as the 'ownership' of water, air, amenities etc., and prioritisation within compromise solutions.
5. Contribute to the implementation of sustainable development, using ideas appropriate to the region, then adapting them for application in other fast-changing environments.
6. Incorporate entrepreneurial issues such as the implementation of sustainable production of hydrogen, membrane technology, the consideration of salinity and the use of renewable energy resources (such as wind and solar). Consider how to ensure that the technologies are made appropriate for a sustainable future, adapt government policy to meet the requirements of sustainable implementation, and stimulate research into appropriate emerging technologies.
7. Encourage a systems engineering approach to bring the various technologies, policies and behavioural issues together to form a coherent and comprehensive holistic approach to the sustainable development challenge.