A green city promotes economic development by providing an environmental friendly framework that encourages new trends that will provide monetary and social investment into the city, which creates a healthy and sustainable community. Environmental conservation and economic development are not conflicting but can be mutually reinforcing, as environmentalists have prompted calls for "environmentally sustainable" economic development. Economic development can be made progressive by reducing some of the detrimental effects of global warming, which for the most part, are man-made. By improvising on behaviors and understanding the need for a more environmentally friendly atmosphere, economic development can go green. Environmental sustainability can best spur regional development and economic growth by creating green jobs through retrofitting buildings in using renewable energy, cleaning-up and reinvesting in brownfield sites to create green space for mix-used communities, and to strengthen the public transportation infrastructure to bring commerce activity.

1. CONTENTS PAGE
INTRODUCTION- ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT 3
CAUSES/ ACTIVITIES
1. Brownfields 3
2. Transportation 4
3. Building Energy 5
EFFECTS/ IMPACT
1. The Hazardous Brownfields 5
2. Transportation – Roads, Cars and Carbon Dioxide 6
3. Is Building Energy a Productive Process? 8
NEWARK’S ECONOMIC CHALLENGES
1. Neglected Brownfield Sites 9
2. Organized Transportation and Connectivity 10
3. The Strife of Building Energy 12
INTERVENTIONS
1. Brownfield Sites 13
2. Transportation
1

2. • Reducing Congestion 14
• Newark as a Commuter City 15
3. Building Energy
• Establishing and enforcing increasingly strict building energy codes 17
• Retrofitting existing buildings to reach energy efficiency 17
• Utilizing massive incentives to spur use of renewable energy appliance 18
• Weatherization of low income homes 19
• Public outreach program 19
CONCLUSION 20
2

3. INTRODUCTION
Economic Development
A green city promotes economic development by providing an environmental friendly
framework that encourages new trends that will provide monetary and social investment into the
city, which creates a healthy and sustainable community. Environmental conservation and
economic development are not conflicting but can be mutually reinforcing, as environmentalists
have prompted calls for "environmentally sustainable" economic development. Economic
development can be made progressive by reducing some of the detrimental effects of global
warming, which for the most part, are man-made. By improvising on behaviors and
understanding the need for a more environmentally friendly atmosphere, economic development
can go green. Environmental sustainability can best spur regional development and economic
growth by creating green jobs through retrofitting buildings in using renewable energy, cleaning-
up and reinvesting in brownfield sites to create green space for mix-used communities, and to
strengthen the public transportation infrastructure to bring commerce activity.
Global Challenges
Global warming is the increase in the average temperature of the Earth’s near-surface air
and oceans. The cause of global warming is greenhouse gases, which are gases that allow
sunlight to enter the atmosphere. The functions of greenhouse is described
“When sunlight strikes the Earth’s surface, some of it is re-radiated back towards space
as infrared radiation (heat). Greenhouse gases absorb this infrared radiation and trap the
heat in the atmosphere. Many gases exhibit these “greenhouse” properties. Some of
them occur in nature (water vapor, carbon dioxide [CO2], methane [CH4], and nitrous
oxide [N2O]), while others are exclusively human made such as industrial gases which
represents 82% of total U.S. greenhouse gas emissions in 2006. Over time, if
atmospheric concentrations of greenhouse gases remain relatively stable, the amount of
energy from the sun to the Earth’s surface should be about the same as the amount of
energy radiated back into space, leaving the temperature of the Earth’s surface roughly
constant.” (Energy Information Administration [EIA], 2008)
3

4. Since the industrial revolution, there has been an imbalance between greenhouse gas emissions
and absorption within the atmosphere. Human activity has increased the amount of greenhouse
gases which has increased the concentrations of CO2, methane, and nitrous oxide. As a result of
this activity, the concentrations of CO2 and methane have increased by 36% and 148% since the
mid-1700s (EPA, 2007).
Global warming impedes the process of economic development. Nicholas Stern, former
chief economist of the World Bank who wrote the Stern Review, argued that climate change
could gravely effect economic growth. He warned that “failure to take action could risk a
recession worth up to twenty percent of the global gross domestic product (GDP)” (BBC News,
2006). In addition, he goes on to state that global economic output can be reduced by 3% if
temperatures rise by two to three degrees Celsius, and up to 10% if temperatures rise by five
degree Celsius (BBC News, 2006). This kind of economic downturn can harm agriculture with
the risk of droughts and floods, the insurance industry with a rise in claims caused by major
weather catastrophes, and slow other areas of economic development throughout the world. For
transportation, climate change will negatively affect the infrastructure of roads, railways, and
pipelines (i.e. oil pipelines, sewers, etc.). Consequently, governments of all levels will spend an
unprecedented amount of money due to an increase for maintenance and renewal caused by a
greater variation in temperature.
Causes/Activities
Brownfields
Brownfield sites were once productive industrial sites that exist in the industrial sections
of cities and are locations for abandoned factories or commercial buildings, or other previously
polluting operations (Hollander 2006: 2). The causes of brownfield sites are contributed by the
4

5. deindustrialization and globalization impact on cities (Hollander, 2006: 14). Through the
progression of globalization, industries and businesses “have spread their activities and
production processes throughout the world,” in order “to take advantage of labor and regulatory
cost savings. Another factor on the development of brownfield sites is the “metro shifts
(Hollander, 2006: 14),” which is the occurrence of “mass migration out of rural areas during the
nineteenth century [and] was followed in the mid-twentieth century by mass migration out of
cities into suburbs (Hollander, 2006: 14). The cause of the metro-shift in the 20th century was
contributed by the federal policy interventions of the postwar mortgage programs, urban
highway building, and urban renewal, thus the decline of economical development in urban
cities, and the “economics of maintaining a property up to code and meeting environmental
obligations exceed potential revenue generation,” in which the owners eventually abandoned the
properties to avoid liability (Hollander, 2006: 15). Through urban decline, these industrial sites
eventually would become contaminated brownfield sites through the deregulations of
manufacturing contamination discharged to water air, and land caused by unregulated activities
of industry manufacturers such as the wasteful and spent of laboratory chemical waste, process
waste water, empty product containers, dirty filters, hydrocarbon spillages, solvents, pesticides,
heavy metals such as lead, tributyltins, and asbestos (DDPA: 1996).
Contaminated brownfield sites create challenges for municipalities around the world that
want to clean up and create sustainable urban redevelopment. Some of the challenging factors
are legal and financial, and if the brownfield site is owned by a municipality or a private
company, the cost of clean-up can cost millions of dollars (EPA, Anatomy of Brownfields
Redevelopment: 1). Time for the rehabilitation of the sites often takes years and sometimes is
stalled by deficiency of funds or focus from the property’s owner and marketing for the
5

6. attraction a tenant, especially in today’s recession, and often, possible developers are concerned
they could be responsible if additional contamination is found (EPA, Anatomy of Brownfields
Redevelopment: 1). Besides the negative environmental factors, Brownfields create social and
economic problems such as open space rubble, crime increase and poverty, the reduction of
social capital and community unity, decrease of local government taxes, and private property
values that may reduce social services (EPA, Anatomy of Brownfields Redevelopment: 3).
Transportation
Another cause of global warming is people’s overreliance of automobiles. In the United
States, the introduction of the automobile has revolutionized American culture both socially and
physically. Prior to the automobile’s invention, horses were one of the few transportation
methods used to transport people and commerce within the city and its surrounding towns. Even
though the use of horses did not contribute to pollution problems, they made city streets
unsanitary due to the manure they would leave behind. When the automobile was first launched
to the public, it was advertised as a low maintenance vehicle that did not contribute to sanitation
problems. As the years went on, the automobile began to transform an image of independence,
freedom, and increased status which fit into America’s democratic and capitalist principles.
The automobile revolution, lobbied by the oil and automobile industry, paved the way for
the U.S. government to support building a national highway system and implementation of the
use of zoning laws that favored the use of cars. This resulted in “urban sprawl” where jobs and
residents moved out of the centralized cities to suburban outskirts. Prior to the suburban
migration, the majority of jobs were centered within cities where workers lived near their
employer or in high density communities within city limits that was usually connected to a
streetcar or rail. However, with the support of federal subsidies to fund paved-road construction
6

7. and suburban development, it allowed people to live in low density communities far from the
city center and integrated city neighborhoods. Furthermore, compared to cities, suburbs created
few local jobs due to single use zoning1 (Wikipedia – Single Use Zoning). As a result, residents
from these suburbs regularly commuted longer distances to work as suburbs spread out.
Building Energy
Buildings provide a constructive environment for people’s everyday living and working.
People’s daily activities in buildings have great impact in terms of either energy conservation or
energy over-consumption. It is said that those vastly larger numbers of our fellow humans who
are not evil, but whose behavior may in fact be far more destructive in the long run. (Ayres E,
2001)The long-run destructive behavior includes the trivial things that we barely pay attention to,
for instance, leaving rooms, homes or offices with lights, heating and cooling appliances on;
forgetting to tighten water faucets; leaving computers on when it’s even not in use; leaving
battery chargers on when it’s already fully charged; stuffing the refrigerator with overdue time
food close to expiry dates; forgetting to build up insulation when heating and cooling the house;
etc.
Effects/Impact
The Hazardous Brownfields
The environmental hazards of brownfield sites are biological, physical and chemical, and
are “the result of site contamination, groundwater impacts, surface runoff, migration of
contaminants, or wastes dumped on site (EPA, Protecting Public Health).” The usual
contamination found in brownfield sites include hydrocarbon spillages, petroleum, solvents,
pesticides, heavy metals such as lead, tributyltins (found in pesticides or preservation materials),
and asbestos (ATSDR, Toxic Substance Portal). Hydrocarbon is a Methane and greenhouse gas,
7

8. which is 21 times more potent than carbon dioxide, and can cause fires, explosions, & depletion
to the atmosphere (ATSDR, Toxic Substance Portal). Brownfield sites are also areas for large-
scale commercial and illegal dumping of contaminated materials. Many properties have not been
monitored for years and no one knows what contaminants, if any, may be underground, in the
water supply, or if contaminants have migrated off the site. Dangerous chemicals such as paints
and batteries containing lead; thermometers and light bulbs containing mercury; electronic goods
full of hazardous substances; pesticides from the garden; solvents for cleaning; and used motor
oil are also found in brownfield sites and pose a hazardous list of health problems (The
Economist, 2009: 6).
The existences of contaminated brownfield sites in urban areas pose a health risk to the
urban population and an evident link to health problems. Chemicals with the hydrocarbon
(PAH) make-up are carcinogenic and has been proven in laboratory studies to cause tumors and
the development of cancers in animals and humans when inhaled through the air, consumed
(food cooked on grills and barbeque), and long periods of skin contact (ATSDR, Factsheet). The
inhalation of asbestos can also cause serious illnesses, including malignant mesothelioma, lung
cancer, and asbestosis, the inflammation of the lungs (American Cancer Society (ACS,
Asbestos). In a 2009 American Cancer Society study, there was a 15% increase (estimated
1,479,350 cases) of new lung-related cancers cases between men and women in the United States
(ACS, 2009 Cancer Statistics).
Transportation- Roads, Cars and Carbon Dioxide
As the car culture progressed, automobile drivers ignored the negative environmental
impact they caused to their surroundings. Use of the automobile makes up 20 to 25 percent of
carbon dioxide emissions believed to cause global climate change (Wikipedia – Effects of the
8

9. Automobile on Societies). In the U.S., cars emit approximately 3.4 grams per mile of carbon
monoxide (Wikipedia – Effects of the Automobile on Societies). About 33% of U.S. carbon
dioxide emissions come from the burning of gasoline in internal-combusting engines of cars and
light trucks, i.e. minivans, SUVs, pick-up trucks, and jeeps (EPA, 2009). Many of today’s
vehicles are built with poor gas mileage which adds to global warming. Below is an example of
low vehicle mileage:
“A Dodge Durango SUV (with 5.9 liter engine) gets 12 miles per gallon in city which
emits an estimated 800 lbs of carbon dioxide over a distance of 500 city miles. Each
gallon vehicle consumes emits 19.6 lbs of carbon dioxide in air. Honda Insight gets 61
miles to the gallon and emits 161 lbs of carbon dioxide over the same distance of 500 city
miles” (Ecobridge.org – Causes of Global Warming).
Roads played a major role in allowing cars to emit a large amount of greenhouse gases. As more
people drive, new roads are built through sensitive habitat which causes loss or degradation of
ecosystems. The materials required to pave roads come from large-scale rock quarrying and
gravel extraction, which sometimes occur in sensitive ecological areas (Wikipedia – Effects of
the Automobile on Societies). When the automobile became efficient to travel longer distances,
roads were built to support this new Urban sprawl. In having people live in far and spread out
locations, city planners are forced to build larger highways. Consequently, the majority of air
pollution comes from crowed highways, congestion, where people from the suburbs tend to
spend majority of their time.
With the availability of cars and paved surfaced roads, more people are commuting from
a far distance which causes traffic congestion. In a 1996 study by traffic engineers from Texas
A&M, it was found that drivers in Los Angeles and New York City alone wasted 600 million
gallons of gas annually while sitting in traffic (Ecobridge.org – Causes of Global Warming).
The 600 million gallons of gas translate to about 7.5 million tons of carbon dioxide in just those
9

10. two cities (Ecobridge.org). As the population grows and move outside the city, traffic delay will
rise by 50% over the next 25 years (Reason.org – Many Cities Face Los Angeles-like Traffic
Jams). For congestion to be alleviated, state and local governments must greatly invest into
freeways and arterials by adding 104,000 lane-miles at a total cost of $533 billion over the next
25 years (Reason.org – Many Cities Face Los Angeles-like Traffic Jams).
With car emissions, traffic congestion, and additional asphalt paved roads, these variables
contribute to greenhouse gases which cause Urban Heat Islands (UHI). Urban heat islands are
produced by dark surfaces and reduced vegetation which warms the air over urban areas. Even
though asphalt pavement has its advantages such as smooth and all weather surfaces, there are
related problems. One of the consequences in covering streets with dark asphalt is that it
increases hot temperatures within the city by absorbing light which in turn heats the air and helps
create an “urban heat island” (Akbari, Pomerantz, and Taha, 2001). On a clear afternoon, the air
temperature in a typical city increases by 2.5 degrees Celsius higher than in the surrounding
areas (Akbari, Pomerantz, and Taha, 2001). In summer months, urban heat islands increase
smog production due to higher urban air temperatures.
Is Building Energy a Productive Process?
Unconscious and irresponsible daily behaviors can be generalized as activities for energy
overconsumption. Energy overconsumption in buildings is mainly referring to electricity and
heating gas consumption. Nearly half of the electricity in the U.S. comes from coal burning
(Annual Energy Review 2006) with the by-product of carbon dioxide. Therefore, energy
overconsumption activities result in a tremendous increase of carbon dioxide in the air. Statistics
shows that buildings are responsible for 72% of United States electricity consumption and 54%
of natural gas consumption (The First State of the Carbon Cycle Report). In addition, 71% of
10

11. carbon dioxide emissions from commercial buildings and 72% of carbon dioxide emission from
residential buildings are produced by space cooling, lighting and heating. According to figure 1,
residential and commercial buildings in the United States are responsible for 37% of CO2
emissions, which is the second biggest proportion after transportation (The First State of the
Carbon Cycle Report).
.
Source: DOE EERE Buildings Energy Data Book 2005
Figure 1: United States’ carbon emissions by sector and (for commercial and residential buildings) by end
use.
Newark’s Economic Challenges
Neglected Brownfield Sites
With a population of 275,000 and New Jersey’s largest city, Newark has experienced the
down fall of a once prosperous and predominantly existing manufacturing industry contributed
by the disinvestment into the city, and the suburbanization of northern New Jersey after World
War II, which has left more than 700 acres of largely underutilized public and private property or
brownfield sites abandoned (NJDEP, List of BDAs). These brownfield sites are known or
suspected to be contaminated from industrial operations and manufacturing. During the 1980’s
11

12. the city lost 60, 0000 residents, and 26 percent of the remaining residents are at or below the
poverty level (NJDEP, Site Remediation Program). Compared to the global cities of London,
New York and Tokyo, small and medium-sized cities such as Newark are dependent to the once-
prized industrial lands that now lay useless in the insignificant hierarchy of the global economy.
With an economic boom of $48,133,302 (Ralph, 1975: 60) revenue during the late 1800’s from
the manufacturing of jewelry, trunks, tanning, clothing, hats, boots and shoes, and carriages and
wagons, Newark’s survival today is dependent on the insurance industry and transportation hubs
such as the Port of Elizabeth, NJ Transit and the Path, and home to various universities, but the
brownfield sites are still predominantly left untouched and can bring the city renewal economic
benefits.
In a New Jersey Department of Environmental Health survey, Newark is home to 67
brownfield sites, which covers an estimated 430 acres of Newark’s 700 acres landscape (NJDEP,
BDA Sites at a Glance), but in the last six years only 650 acres of Newark’s brownfield sites and
surrounding neighbors (Elizabeth, Harrison, Orange/West Orange) has been clean-up. The
graph provided below demonstrates the disparities of brownfield site clean-up and
redevelopment from 2005 until 2008. The state of NJ provides brownfield site remediation
programs for the clean-up, and since it’s initiation, the city of Newark has remediated an
estimated of 30 acres for warehousing, riverfront, walkway, and retail purposes. The graphs are
an example of the city of Newark and private owners’ inattentiveness or slow of pro-activity to
the environmental and economical issues of Brownfield sites (NJDEP, BDA Sites at a Glance).
12

13. Brownfield Sites Clean-Up and Reuse Development in Acres from 2005 -2008
Recently, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA, 2009, Press Release) has provided
$111.9 million in grants to support the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) of
2009 for brownfield site redevelopment, but because these programs are not mandated, the state
needs to request stakeholders, owners of contaminated properties, and responsible parties to
participate in the program and at times. Due to issues to issues of liability, the financial cost of
property value and the extent of environmental contamination to fund the clean-up, if grants
don’t provide coverage of expenses, are several reasons why the revitalization of brownfield sites
remains stagnant in the city of Newark. With the current economic hardships and limited
participation from responsible parties in NJ’s Brownfields Development Area (BDA), initiative
programs, such as the NJ Site Remediation Program, view the stagnation of brownfield
revitalization will continue, thus impeding Newark’s future economic growth.
Organized Transportation and Connectivity
In terms of transportation logistics, the city of Newark is strategically important to the
flow of global commerce in regards to air, sea, rail, and highway access. When it comes to air
access, Newark Liberty International Airport is the region’s second largest airport and one of the
most important international hubs in the world. For rail access, Newark has one of the most
profoundly used hubs in the Northeast Corridor, giving the city a central location in the world’s
13

14. economic activity stretching from Boston to Washington (Regional Plan Association, 2006). For
highway access, interstate highways provide both truck and auto access to locations throughout
New Jersey and the New York metropolitan region. Finally, when discussing public
transportation, NJ Transit and the Path provide the city with access to jobs in New York City and
northern New Jersey.
As a leading transportation hub, Newark is plagued with environmental challenges. One
of the challenges are the effects of UHI within the city that is estimated “to be on average
increase of 3.0 degrees Celsius…Newark’s heightened UHI conditions is probably the result of
its greater population density and areal extent, and its geographic location in a shallow bowl that
traps westward breezes from New York City (Solecki, et al., p. 42). The cause of UHI in
Newark is the congestion experienced within the many highways passing by the city such as
McCarter Highway (Route 21), Route 1 and 9, Garden State Parkway, Interstate-280,
Interstate-78, and the New Jersey Turnpike. There is no existing city data when discussing
traffic congestion, but state data is available, which is provided by NJIT’s “Mobility and Costs of
Congestion” report (NJIT, 2000). This article will use the data provided by the Mobility and
Costs of Congestion report, which gives a clear scope of the issue within the county level.
The report uses four quantitative indexes categorized into four sections (freeways,
principal arterial streets, other arterials, and all roadways) that explain the negative impact that
congestion has on the county. The first index is the Roadway Congestion Index (RCI) and it
illustrates cars per road space. The RCI measures the vehicle travel density on major roadways
in an urban area (NJIT, 2000). An RCI exceeding 1.0 indicates an undesirable congestion level,
on average on the freeways and principal arterial street system during the peak period (NJIT,
2000). Essex County RCI score for Freeways is at 1.28, principal arterials at 1.39, other arterials
14

15. at 1.02, and all roadways at 1.30 (NJIT, 2000). Accordingly, Essex County has the highest RCI
for state when the study was conducted in 2000 (NJIT, 2000). A second index is the Travel Rate
Index (TRI) that illustrates the amount of extra travel time it takes to travel during the peak
period (NJIT, 2000). The travel time (in minutes per mile) within the peak is compared to off-
peak and uncongested speeds. A TRI of 1.20 indicates that it will take 20% longer to travel to a
destination during the peak period than during the off-peak period (NJIT, 2000). As a result,
Essex County has the highest TRI with freeways at 1.16, principal arterials at 1.72, other arterials
at 1.26, and all roadways at 1.13 (NJIT, 2000). The third index is the travel delay per license
driver that illustrates the hours lost due to recurring delay during the peak travel periods which is
estimated from travel speed estimates on the freeways and principal arterial streets (NJIT, 2000).
Essex County annual hours for freeways is at 7.82, principal arterials at 17.53, other arterials at
0.13, and all roadways at 25.48 (NJIT, 2000). Finally, the last index is the cost of congestion
which is a function of two variables: delay and fuel cost. The annual total cost (dollars) per
Essex County driver at freeways at 208.93, principal arterials at 416.75, other arterials at 2.62,
and all roadways at 628.29 (NJIT, 2000). Evidently, improvements to Newark’s robust
transportation network are imperative by connecting Newark’s surrounding neighborhoods to its
existing linkages to the region.
The Strife of Building Energy
Compared to other global cities, Newark has its own different set of issues. First is its
substantial demand in the central area .As the largest city in New Jersey, Newark is the host of
more than 6 headquarters of companies, and it hosts seven universities with more than 50,000
students. These companies and universities are located within the business center and University
Heights. Substantial energy supply is demanded for lighting, heating and cooling within this
15

16. central area. Second, just like any other city in the western counties, the primary challenge is the
large stock of older buildings, and the difficulty and expense in raising their energy efficiency.
(Energy efficiency in the buildings) According to 2007 U.S. Census, Newark has total of 107,629
housing units, and 29.90% was built in 1939 or earlier, 60.1% was built between 1940 and 1999,
and only 9.9% was built after 2000 (U.S. Census Bureau). Appliances such as a furnace or boiler
are used to heat buildings with poor insulation. Hence, old buildings with energy inefficient
appliances are one of the reasons for increasing energy consumption, which leads to the fourth
problem —high energy bills. People who live in the old buildings fall in 20% high poverty rate
compare to 12% national rate and 15% state rate with low median income $34,452 comparing to
NJ state median income $67,035(U.S. Census Bureau). Thus, these residents can’t afford to pay
the high energy bills nor update their energy appliance to energy efficient. Last, but not the least,
is the lack of use of renewable energy. New Jersey has more solar installations than any other
state in the nation, except for California. However, 2000 census shows only 0.1% of homes in
Newark were using solar system to heat home, and in 2007 there were 0% of home using such
energy (U.S. Census Bureau).
Interventions
Brownfield Sites
Firstly to restore the economical growth, the contamination of brownfield sites in Newark
needs to be cleaned up. As neighboring cities and suburbs grow, the demand of land increases
through the spur of urban growth population, thus creating unnecessary urban sprawl when land
availability is possible through the revitalization of brownfield sites. The revitalization of
brownfield sites also creates jobs and skill-training programs for the Newark community, which
will benefit human capital and provide unity within the community. Another positive factor in
16

17. the clean-up of brownfield sites are mixed communities with a green standard of living with
energy and transportation efficiency can develop such as Atlanta Station in Atlanta, Georgia.
Atlanta Station is built on a formerly contaminated site that was home to a 100-year-old steel
mill, which ceased to operate in 1998. The location has now become a city within a city on a
138 acre with retail, residential, commercial and public space within the commercial district of
Midtown Atlanta (Atlanta Station). Enduring the same environmental issues of contamination in
the city of Newark, the steel mill where Atlanta Station now is situated, was divided by two
merging interstate highways and now connected to downtown Atlanta by a highway over-passing
a pedestrian bridge, thus eliminating fragmentation with the rest of the city of Atlanta (Atlanta
Station).
Though the clean-up of contamination and construction of Atlanta Station took years and
millions of dollars, the investment into Atlanta’s economy is enormous as retail chains and local
businesses are settling in, while Atlanta urbanites can live a green life style in luxury residential
housing, while protecting the environment from urban sprawl, congestion, and energy
inefficiency. Another use in the sustainable urban redevelopment of brownfield sites is the
usage of green technology. With the technological innovations of green chemistry and
nanotechnology, Newark can create technology facilities for the environmental-friendly waste
management and recycling on non-recycling items such as computers and IPods (The Economist,
2009: 10). With the imagery of green technology, Newark can become one of the first cities in
the United States to position green manufacturing businesses and once again create economic
growth in an effort to protect the environment and serve its community.
17

18. Transportation
Reducing Congestion
One of the many answers to global warming is the reduction of automobile usage
throughout highly populated regions. A way to change people’s behaviors is to implement pay-
as-you drive insurance where drivers pay more for driving privileges which can encourage
people to reduce driving. However, an effective method is congestion pricing, which is a system
of charging drivers during peak time to reduce traffic congestion. Singapore was the first city to
employed congestion pricing in 1975 which charged drivers $3.00 to bring their vehicles into the
city central district (APTA, 2002). Funds generated by the program allowed the city to expand
and improve their public transportation system and keep traffic at an optimal flow. As a result of
congestion pricing, the city experience a 45% traffic reduction, 10 miles-per-hour increase in
average driving speed, 25% fewer accidents, 176,000 fewer lbs of carbon dioxide emitted, and
20% increase in public transit usage (APTA, 2002).
Another likely but efficient solution is to implement or strengthen a public transportation
system. Most successful public transportation systems are those that provide easy-access links
within and among all forms of modern travel. A multi-model transit system can reach a large
amount of people, providing travelers with choices. The advantage of a transit system is to lure
riders away from cars. An example is the bike-on-buses programs that successfully link riders
with different transportation modes. In San Francisco area, two thousand bicyclists commute
each day between San Francisco and Silicon Valley on commuter trains equipped with bike racks
(APTA, 2002). In Phoenix, buses equipped with bike racks attract more than 15 million
bicyclists a year (APTA, 2002). If Americans drove alone to work, it will fill a nine-lane
freeway from Boston to Los Angeles (APTA, 2002). According to Maryland Department of
18

19. Transportation (DOT), public transportation has greatly reduced the amount of cars on their state
roads. For example, a full bus clears 60 cars from roads, 12 cars for a full van, and up to 200
cars for a full commuter rail car (APTA, 2002). In St. Louis, a full light rail train removed 125
cars from roads, and an entire system removed 12,500 cars from daily rush-hour traffic (APTA,
2002).
Public transportation also benefits businesses and industry. Businesses look to invest in
cities with a well organized transit infrastructure. Public transportation is an essential element
for maintaining a vibrant business community and economic climate. Reason being is that
public transportation expands labor pool, job accessibility, and reliability within the region.
Moreover, business leaders can be the driving force to increase transit investment and use.
Every $10 million invest in transit capital projects yields $30 million in business sales, and the
same investment in transit operations generates $32 million (APTA, 2002). In St. Louis, a 25
year transit modernization plan is expected to generate a $2.3 billion return in business sales
(APTA, 2002). Every dollar of public funds invested in transit returns up to $6 in benefits
(APTA, 2002). Furthermore, businesses tied to public transit are experiencing more employee
reliability and less absenteeism and turnover. As a result, business are saving money and earning
profit due to the reliance of a public transit system. In 2000, 23.8 million accidents involved
auto vehicles which resulted in a loss of $71.5 billion in wages and productivity (APTA, 2002).
Without solving traffic congestions, businesses can face an annual loss of $40 billion, and of all
public transportation commuters drove, loss will be increased by over 37% (APTA, 2002).
Newark as a commuter city
Newark may be a regional hub but the city must make connections to outer
neighborhoods and surrounding towns. By enhancing its transportation network to the
19

20. surrounding towns, Newark can alleviate the congestion issue caused by the city’s major
highways. Major road corridors should not just accommodate vehicles but also transit,
pedestrians, bicycles, trees and infrastructure, dotted with transit nodes that serve as focal points
of development and community activities (Regional Plan Association, 2006). Perhaps the single
most effective way to make Newark greener, more accessible, more equitable and prosperous is
to facilitate mixed-use development near the transit nodes and highly-traveled corridors (i.e.
Newark Penn Station, Broad Street Station, and Orange Street Station).
An example of a mixed-use development is a transit-oriented development (TOD), which
is a mixed-use residential or commercial area designed to maximize access to public transport,
and often incorporates features to encourage transit ridership (NJ Transit, 2008). A TOD
neighborhood normally has a center with a train station, metro station, tram stop, or bus station,
surrounded by relatively high-density development with progressively lower-density
development spreading outwards from the center. The benefits of a TOD is that it provides an
opportunity for a community to grow and prosper economically, increase area of commercial
activity, increased transit ridership, provide a sustainable and green city, and attract businesses
located along freeways by moving to the city’s business district. In a NJ Transit report, TOD
generate less vehicular trips and requires less parking, reduces congestion by 10% to 25% in
peak periods and about 10% to 15% daily (NJ Transit, 2008).
There are a number of solutions to relieve congestion within Newark’s road network.
One method is a signal coordination system such as ramp metering system. The purpose for this
system is that it installs traffic signals at freeway on-ramps to control the rate of vehicles entering
the freeway, which can be set at different metering rates to optimize freeway flow and minimize
congestion (Pearson, et al., 2009). Another method is to exert control over the large volumes of
20

21. truck traffic that flow through the city. Specific truck routes should be identified with
community input as well as input from the trucking industry and regional entities and
implementing street signs saying “No Trucks” to indicate truck routes within areas of heavy
truck traffic (Plan Association, 2006).
The most important step is to create a Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) within the city but
outside towns. A BRT is distinguished from local bus services by providing express service,
stopping only every half mile, and by receiving signal preemption, which allows the vehicles to
move more quickly than auto traffic (Plan Association, 2006). A BRT functions with vehicles
typically stopping at transit nodes with raised platforms, fare machines, and shelters. The
stations create a sense of permanence that would form the basis for nodes of activity and the
creation of transit oriental corridors. A BRT operates much like a light rail but without the high
cost of laying rail and hanging overhead wires, and can be deployed quickly. In addition, a BRT
can be a best practice for Newark because of the low light rail ridership which is mostly
operating in the downtown district. The BRT service has been employed in Curitiba, Brazil and
Oakland, California with dramatically successful results.
Building Energy
Establishing and enforcing increasingly strict building energy codes and encouraging LEED
certificated green building for large commercial building.
Building codes are one of the main reasons for substantial decrease of energy
consumption in buildings, in which government plays a key role to ensure a rigorous building
energy code and it is strictly followed. It is also important for the city government to encourage
an integrated design of buildings that meet LEED green building standards. An example of best
practice is the Hearst Tower in New York City. This building provides a good blueprint for
commercial buildings to achieve great energy efficiency through integrated design. It is most
21

22. notable for its environmentally friendly technical innovations such as using advanced material
and locally sourced, recycled materials and a bundle of technological and programmatic
efficiencies. New commercial buildings in Newark are encouraged to use such new technology,
material, and design.
Retrofitting existing buildings to reach energy efficiency
Updating and retrofitting existing buildings in Newark can generate a more
environmentally friendly community. Reduction of carbon emissions can be achieved by
appliance efficiency improvements and various energy-saving designs in the buildings. The
major challenges when improving old building energy efficiency are technology and financial
constraint, the policies here need to address these two key problems. A comprehensive energy
evaluation program on all buildings is needed to audit energy consumption. For buildings that
meet appliance replacement requirement, city government will follow New Jersey State Energy
Master Plan (NJSEMP) to cooperate with appliance manufacturers, distributors and retailers by
providing incentives such as rebates or co-promotion to increase higher energy standards
appliance penetration in existing buildings (Energy Master Plan Implementation Strategy).
Moreover, city government can go further to make the retrofitting affordable to the owners by
utilizing incentives to pay part of the incremental cost of more expensive energy efficiency
equipment (Energy Master Plan Implementation Strategy). By creating the building efficient
appliance fund to cover the up-front cost and let the owners pay the rest of the cost with the
money saved from the energy bill (One city, one future). For the other buildings that are not
covered by the appliance replacement program, a whole building approach focusing on
equipment tune-up will be implemented (Energy Master Plan Implementation Strategy).
22

23. Utilizing massive incentives to spur use of renewable energy appliance
Governments will need to provide tax incentives and subsidies to enable investment on
renewable energy appliance, such as solar panels. Solar panel is a clean energy appliance that
can be used for water heating and lighting. New Jersey is the second largest state that has the
most solar panels; however, solar panels used in Newark are behind the state number. A forge
partnership with PSEG can improve solar panel implementation in Newark by installing
neighborhood, government building, commercial, community and affordable housing solar
panels. To start the solar program within Newark central area that includes the city hall, business
center, and University Heights will be the foundation that eventually branchs out to the
community.
Weatherization for low income homes
A weatherization program is greatly demanded in Newark due to the large population in
poverty. It can serve Newark’s neediest citizens to improve their quality of life and benefit the
city by reducing the energy consumption. This program will enhance the environment and
stimulate economic development within low –income communities. It will be achieved by
stressing the financial assistance and efficiency that can measure insulation, air sealing,
windows, lighting, heating and air conditioning improvement.
Public outreach program
Majority of building energy is wasted because of poor design, inadequate technology, and
inappropriate human behavior. Reduction of energy consumption can’t be accomplished only by
technological improvement, but fundamentally by behavior change. Since the previous
recommendations are made to address poor building design of old buildings with inadequate
energy efficiency. This public outreach program addresses people’s behavior. The program focus
23

24. group concentrates only on individuals in the city but also building stakeholders. The best
practice of Energy efficiency in the buildings: transforming the market by World Business
Council for Sustainable Development, recommends that government authorities must establish
sustained campaigns to promote behavior change and to increase awareness of the impact of
energy use in buildings. It is essential to demonstrate their commitment to addressing this urgent
challenge by cutting the energy consumption of their own buildings (Energy efficiency in the
buildings). Newark government needs to take advantage of the universities in the city and work
with them to introduce various workshops and trainings on energy efficiency for “motivating
behavior change by owners, project developers, tenants and reinforce the message to fully
establish a change in behavior. Educate and train developers, architects, engineers and the
building trades to improve understanding of code requirements, illustrate the advantages of
integrated design and alleviate concerns for higher costs (Energy efficiency in the buildings).
CONCLUSION
Global warming has become an inevitable phenomenon of the world today and
transportation has taken a predominant role in enhancing its effects. It is evident that this is man-
made and through certain interventions, the process, although cannot be reversed, can eliminate
the incidence of the holistic effect it is seen to cause. Consumerism and a technologically
affiliated life-style can still exist by altering certain individual behaviors. Economic development
is dependent on various factors like brownfields, transportation and building energy.
Implementation on these grounds can greatly influence economic development and head in the
direction of a green future.
24

25. References
About.Com. (2005). U.S. Traffic Congestion Getting Worse, Researchers Report. Retrieved May
2009, from http://usgovinfo.about.com/od/consumerawareness/a/congestion.htm
Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry. (2009). Hydrocarbon Factsheet. Retrieved
May 13,
2009, from http://www.cdc.gov/exposurereport/pdf/factsheet_pah.pdf
Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR). (2009). Toxic Substance Portal.
Retrieved May13, 2009, from http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/
Akbari, H., Pomerantz, M., & Taha, H. (2001). Cool Surfaces and Shade Trees to Reduce Energy
Use and Improve Air Quality in Urban Areas. Solar Energy, 70(3), 295-310.
American Cancer Society (2009). 2009 Cancer Statistics. Retrieved May 13, 2009, from
http://www.cancer.org/docroot/PRO/content/PRO_1_1_Cancer_Statistics_2009_Presentation.asp
American Cancer Society. (2006). Asbestos. Retrieved May 13, 2009, from
http://www.cancer.org/docroot/PED/content/PED_1_3X_Asbestos.asp?sitearea=PED
American Public Transportation Association (APTA). (2002). The Benefits Of Public
Transportation - An Overview. Retrieved May , 2009, from http://www.apta.com/research/
info/online/ben_overview.cfm#bfi
Ayres, E. & Black, H. (2001). Impacts of elevated atmospheric CO2 concentration on soil C
sequestration. Nature, 10(411), 469-472.
Atlanta Station . (2005). Atlanta Station - Life Happens Here. Retrieved May 13, 2009, from
http://www.atlanticstation.com/home.php
BBC News. (2006). At-a-glance: The Stern Review. Retrieved May 2009, from
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/6098362.stm
BenBest. (1996). MV Deaths. Retrieved May , 2009, from
http://www.benbest.com/lifeext/causes.html
Buildings Energy Book. (2009). DOE EERE Buildings Energy Data Book 2005. Retrieved .
from http://buildingsdatabook.eren.doe.gov/Default.aspx%20
Burdett, R., & Sudjic, D. (2008). The Endless City. London: Phaidon Press, Inc.
Delaware Department Environmental Agency. (1996). A Pollution Prevention Guide for Small
Chemical Manufacturing Operations. Retrieved May 13, 2009, from mhtml:file://E:
25

26. RegionalDevelopment05-12-09A Pollution Prevention Guide for Small Chemical
manufacturing Operations
EcoBridge - Causes Global Warming. (2004). Causes of Global Warming. Retrieved May , 2009,
from http://www.ecobridge.org/content/g_cse.htm
Energy Information Administration. (2007). Annual Energy Review 2006. Retrieved May , 2009,
from http://www.eia.doe.gov/kids/energyfacts/sources/electricity.html
Energy Information Administration. (2008). Greenhouse Gases, Climate Change, and Energy.
Retrieved May , 2009, from
http://www.eia.doe.gov/bookshelf/brochures/greenhouse/Chapter1.htm
Environmental Protection Agency. (2007). Atmospheric Climate Change. Retrieved May , 2009,
from http://www.epa.gov/climatechange/science/recentac.html
Environmental Protection Agency. (2006). Anatomy of Brownfield Development. Retrieved May
13, 2009, from http://www.epa.gov/brownfields/anat_bf_redev_101106.pdf
Environmental Protection Agency. (2009). EPA: $111.9 Million in Grants for Contaminated
Land Cleanup, Economic Development. Retrieved May, 8, 2009, from
http://yosemite.epa.gov/admpress.nsf/docf6618525a9efb8525
Environmental Protection Agency.. (n.d.). Image. Retrieved May , 2009, from
http://www.epa.gov/hiri/images/UHI_profile-rev-big.gif
Environmental Protection Agency. (2009). Protecting Public Health. Retrieved May 13, 2009,
from http://epa.gov/brownfields/tools/tti_pub_hlt.htm
Environmental Protection Agency. (2009). Yosemite. Retrieved May 13, 2009, from
http://yosemite.epa.gov/OAR/globalwarming.nsf/UniqueKeyLookup/RAMR6MBLP3/$Fil
e/06Energy.pdf%20
Hollander, J. (2006). Polluted and Dangerous : America’s Worst Abandoned Properties and
What Can
Be done About Them. New Brunswick: Rutgers Press
New Jersey Energy Master Plan. (2008). Energy Master Plan. Retrieved May , 2009, from http://
nj.gov/emp/docs/pdf/strategies.pdf
New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP). (2005). List of BDAs. Retrieved
May 12,
2009, from http://www.nj.gov/dep/srp/brownfields/bda/
New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP). (2008), Site Remediation
Program Brief
26

27. Synopsis of NJDEP’s Brownfield Development Area Initiative. Retrieved May 12, 2009,
from http://
www.nj.gov/de/srp/brownfields/bda/ New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection
(NJDEP)
(2008), BDA Sites at a Glance . Retrieved May 11, 2009, from
http://www.state.nj.us/dep/srp/brownfields/bda/sites/
New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT). (2000). Mobility and the Costs of Congestion.
Retrieved May , 2009, from http://www.noaanews.noaa.gov/stories/s1119.htm
NJ Transit. "Making the Connection: TOD - A Blueprint for Success." In: . (Reprinted from New
Jersey Transit, 2008, November 14)
One City, One Future. (2008). One city, one future: A blueprint for growth that works for all
New Yorkers. Retrieved May , 2009, from
http://onecityonefuture.org/One_City_One_Future_Blueprint.pdf%20
Paull, Evans. (2008). Energy Benefits of Urban Infill, Brownfields, and Sustainable Urban
Development
Northeast Midwest Institute. Working Paper.
Pearson, R., Black, J., & Joe, W. (2009). Ramp Metering. Retrieved May , 2009, from
http://www.calccit.org/itsdecision/serv_and_tech/Ramp_metering/ramprep_print.htm
Ralph, Raymond M. (1978). From Village to Industrial City: The Urbanization of Newark, New
Jersey
1830-1860. England:University Microfilms International
Reason Foundation. (2006). Study: Many Cities Face Los Angeles-like Traffic Jams. Retrieved
May , 2009, from http://www.reason.org/news/show/126875.htm
Regional Plan Association. "Newark Draft Vision Plan." In , (pp. 1-35). (Reprinted from
Regional Plan Association, 2006, October)
Smart Communities Network . (2009). Smart Communities Network: Creating Smart Energy
Communities. Retrieved May 13, 2009, from http://www.smartcommunities.ncat.org/
Solecki, W. D., Rosenzweig, C., Parshall, L., Pope, G., & Clark, M. (2005). Mitigation of the
heat island
effect in urban New Jersey. Environmental Harzards, 6, 39-49.
The Economist. (2009, Feb 28-Mar 6) A Special Report on Waste. The Economist, 1-18.
United States Census Bureau. (2007). Fact Finder. Retrieved May , 2009, from
http://factfinder.census.gov/servlet/ADPTable?_bm=y&-geo_id=16000US3451000&-
27

28. qr_name=ACS_2007_3YR_G00_DP3YR4&-ds_name=ACS_2007_3YR_G00_&-
_lang=en&-_sse=on%20
United States Department of Energy. (2008). Emissions of Greenhouses Gases Report. Retrieved
May , 2009, from http://www.eia.doe.gov/oiaf/1605/ggrpt/index.html%20
United States Climate Change Science Program. (2007). The First State of the Carbon Cycle
Report, The North American Carbon Budget and Implications for the Global Carbon
Cycle. Retrieved May , 2009, from
http://www.climatescience.gov/Library/sap/sap2-2/final-report/sap2-2-final-all.pdf%20
United States Environmental Protection Agency. (2007). Atmosphere Changes. Retrieved May
15, 2009, from http://www.epa.gov/climatechange/science/recentac.html
Wikipedia. (2009). Effects of the automobile on societies. Retrieved May 15, 2009, from
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Car_culture#Economic_changes
Wikipedia. (2009). Effects of Global Warming. Retrieved May , 2009, from
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Effects_of_global_warming#Local_climate_change
Wikipedia. (2009). Greenhouse Gas. Retrieved May 12, 2009, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/
Greenhouse_gas
Wikipedia. (2008). Single Use Zoning. Retrieved Feb. , May, from
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Single_use_zoning%20
Wikipedia. (2009). Urban Sprawl. Retrieved May 8, 2009, from
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Urban_sprawl#Increased_pollution_and_reliance_on_fossil_f
uel
World Business Council for Sustainable Development. (2009). Energy efficiency in the
buildings: Transforming the market, World business council for sustainable Development.
Retrieved May , 2009, from http://62.50.73.69/transformingthemarket.pdf
28