Deck 14: Urban Environmental Management

Question 1

The United Nations classifies ________ of the global population as urban dwellers.

A) 25 per cent
B) 55 per cent
C) 35 per cent
D) 75 per cent

Answer 1

B

Question 2

One in ________ urban dwellers currently live in slums.

A) twenty
B) ten
C) fifty
D) six

Answer 2

D

Question 3

By 2050, it is estimated that _______ people will live in urban areas.

A) 4.4 billion
B) 3 billion
C) 5.5 billion
D) 6.6 billion

Answer 3

D

Question 4

Achieving sustainable urban development requires attention to ________.

A) urban inequalities
B) the intertwined human and natural systems
C) the planet's biophysical limits
D) All of the above

Question 5

Urban form refers to ________.

A) where cities are sited
B) how buildings are designed
C) the type and distribution of infrastructure in communities
D) what energy sources a city relies on

Question 6

Urban sprawl contributes to loss, disruption, and degradation of ________.

A) air quality
B) nearby farmland
C) natural habitats
D) All of the above

Question 7

________ of energy used for transportation in Canada is used for moving people.

A) 60 per cent
B) 80 per cent
C) 20 per cent
D) 40 per cent

Question 8

Strategies that help to reduce energy use by transportation within cities do NOT include ________.

A) parking arrangements that encourage reduced car travel
B) reducing teleworking and teleservices
C) transit pass programs
D) development of ride-sharing programs

Question 9

Buildings in North America release about ________ of the continent's total carbon dioxide emissions annually.

A) 90 per cent
B) 55 per cent
C) 35 per cent
D) 15 per cent

Question 10

In Canada, most energy used in buildings is for ________.

A) heating and cooling
B) operating heavy equipment
C) operating appliances
D) lighting

Question 11

Energy use in residential buildings is influenced by ________.

A) shape of the building
B) construction materials
C) orientation of the building
D) All of the above

Question 12

An integrated approach to waste management strives to divert as much waste as possible away from disposal through ________.

A) refrain, reduce, reuse, recycle
B) reuse, recycle, recover, restrain
C) reduction, reuse, recycling, recovery
D) Both a and c

Question 13

Finding sites for waste disposal can be challenging because they are viewed as ________, which can trigger ________.

A) pollution; cooperation
B) LULUs; NIMBY
C) opportunities; competition
D) profitable; envy

Question 14

Between 2002 and 2016, in Canada the percentage of waste diverted from residential sources grew to ________.

A) 32 per cent
B) 25 per cent
C) 55 per cent
D) 18 per cent

Question 15

Building site design should include ________.

A) minimized building density
B) integration with transit facilities
C) maximized site permeability
D) Both b and c

Question 16

Building location considerations should include ________.

A) access to the countryside
B) transit service access
C) proximity to amenities and services
D) Both b and c

Question 17

Greenfields are ________.

A) parks
B) undeveloped land
C) green spaces within cities
D) previously developed land

Question 18

Ground-level ozone is also known as ________.

A) summer smog
B) photochemical smog
C) winter smog
D) Both a and b

Question 19

Air quality in Canada is monitored by measuring ________.

A) ground-level ozone
B) fine particulate matter
C) stratospheric ozone
D) Both a and b

Question 20

The urban heat island effect can result in city temperatures that are ________ degrees Celsius greater than those in surrounding areas.

A) 1 to 2
B) 2 to 6
C) 6 to 8
D) 8 to 15

Question 21

The urban heat island effect can be reduced by ________.

A) green roof technology
B) better building orientation
C) green areas
D) All of the above

Question 22

Portland, Oregon, used green roofs to deal with both the urban heat island effect and ________.

A) pollution
B) storm water runoff
C) food production
D) Both b and c

Question 23

In Canada, it is estimated that annually approximately 7,700 deaths can be attributed to ________.

A) E. coli
B) congenital heart disease
C) exposure to air pollution
D) car accidents

Question 24

Consequences of urbanization on the hydrological cycle include ________.

A) surface flooding
B) polluted water
C) reduced recharge of aquifers
D) All of the above

Question 25

A growing concern affecting groundwater in Toronto is related to ________.

A) CO₂ emissions from increased road traffic
B) increased sewage output from a growing population
C) de-icing salt
D) acid deposition from nearby industry

Question 26

Abandoned, contaminated properties in cities are often called ________.

A) greenfields
B) LUST
C) brownfields
D) HAZMAT

Question 27

LUST stands for ________.

A) land under stress test
B) lead underground storage tanks
C) leaking underground storage tanks
D) large underground scientific treatment

Question 28

Kitchener, Ontario, spent more than $19 million to remove ________ from beneath one city block.

A) sulphur sludge
B) mine tailings
C) hazardous waste
D) coal tar

Question 29

Over the past 60 years in Canada, ________.

A) both geophysical hazards and weather-related hazards have increased
B) geophysical hazards have stayed constant, but weather-related hazards have increased
C) weather-related hazards have decreased, but geophysical hazards have remained constant
D) geophysical and weather-related hazards have stayed constant

Question 30

Disaster-resilient cities should have ________.

A) efficiency, interconnectedness, and adaptability
B) homogeneity, dependency, and collaboration
C) stagnancy, passivity, and redundancy
D) redundancy, diversity, and autonomy

Question 31

More than ________ of the 100 largest cities in the world are vulnerable to at least one natural hazard.

A) 75 per cent
B) 20 per cent
C) 35 per cent
D) 50 per cent

Question 32

Hurricane Sandy was a Category 1 hurricane when it hit the East Coast of the USA. It caused extensive damage because of ________.

A) human vulnerability related to where they live and work
B) the combined effects of the hurricane, a cold front, and a second storm system
C) the timing of the storm during a full moon, which contributed to higher storm surges
D) All of the above

Question 33

Events such as ________ highlight the vulnerability of urban infrastructure to hazards.

A) hurricanes
B) floods
C) earthquakes
D) All of the above

Question 34

On the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale a Category 3 hurricane has the wind speed of ________ km/hour.

A) 154 to 177
B) 252 or higher
C) 209 to 251
D) 178 to 208

Question 35

In Canada, ________ are at risk of experiencing an earthquake.

A) the west coast regions
B) regions off the coast of Nova Scotia and Newfoundland
C) the St. Lawrence and Ottawa valleys
D) All of the above

Question 36

LEED refers to ________.

A) a national standard for design, construction, and operation of high-performance green buildings
B) a construction company that focuses on building environmentally friendly buildings
C) the Canadian government's green building program operated through Natural Resources Canada
D) a system for removing contaminated toxins from old industrial sites

Question 37

LEED provides benchmarks for performances related to aspects of human and environmental health, including ________.

A) water savings
B) indoor environmental quality
C) emissions targets
D) Both a and b

Question 38

It is estimated that up to ________ in economic activity is lost each year due to congestion in Toronto.

A) $11 billion
B) $5 billion
C) $11 million
D) $5 million

Question 39

________ result in stormwater running off more quickly.

A) Expansion of roads
B) Construction of parking lots
C) Buildings
D) All of the above

Question 40

In 2013, single-family residential water use in Calgary was reduced to ________ litres per capital per day.

A) 330
B) 300
C) 231
D) 215

Question 41

In Canada, it is estimated that up to ________ per cent of food is lost or wasted.

A) 58
B) 40
C) 38
D) 50

Question 42

Most of the food lost or wasted is at the _______ level.

A) household
B) small business
C) food industry
D) All of the above

Question 43

________ of global waste ends up in open dumping facilities.

A) 33 per cent
B) 50 per cent
C) 37 per cent
D) 20 per cent

Question 44

One way to better address the challenges of urban environmental management across different political and ecological boundaries is to ________.

A) refer to the provincial authority
B) create a regional authority
C) duplicate efforts
D) create a municipal authority

Question 45

The US city that has banned polystyrene (Styrofoam) containers is ________.

A) San Francisco, CA
B) Oakland, CA
C) Chicago, IL
D) New York, NY

Question 46

Incentives to encourage different behaviour in terms of transportation include ________.

A) making driving into the city more expensive
B) providing free parking in municipal lots for fuel-efficient vehicles
C) charging a lower license fee for fuel-efficient vehicles
D) All of the above

Question 47

Montreal's BIXI public bicycle program ________.

A) cost taxpayers in Montreal $60 million by 2019
B) allowed users to purchase passes for 24 or 72 hours, a month, or a year
C) was the first public bicycle program in Canada
D) All of the above

Question 48

________ is determined to become the greenest city in the world by 2020.

A) Vancouver
B) Toronto
C) Montréal
D) Calgary

Question 49

As of 2018, Vancouver reached a ________ decrease in GHG emissions form 2007 levels.

A) 11 per cent
B) 27 per cent
C) 15 per cent
D) 7 per cent

Question 50

Using Copenhagen's ________ is an example of environmental improvement and green growth going hand in hand with liveability.

A) cleaning of the city harbour and the opening of a "harbour bath"
B) reduction of household-generated waste
C) pursuit of becoming a carbon-neutral city by 2025
D) use of district heating systems that draw energy from large co-generation plants

Question 51

Energy use by transportation and buildings is a major contributor to GHG emissions.

Question 52

Urban sprawl results from an increase in high-rise development.

Question 53

There is a strong relationship between more compact, mixed-use urban forms and reduced car use.

Question 54

Townhouses and apartments are usually more energy efficient than single detached houses.

Question 55

Halifax diverts over half of its waste from landfill sites.

Question 56

Concentrations of some common air pollutants are decreasing in Canadian cities.

Question 57

In Canada, there has been a decrease the number of smog advisory days since 2005.

Question 58

The urban heat island effect can result in city temperatures that are as much as 6 degrees higher than temperatures in nearby rural areas.

Question 59

Urban areas affect the hydrological cycle in terms of both the quantity and quality of water.

Question 60

Brownfield sites exist in many cities.

Question 61

92.7 per cent of Vancouver residents are within a 5-minute walk to a greenspace.

Question 62

Part of the reason that the remediation of the gasification plant site in Kitchener, Ontario, was more expensive than initially anticipated was that the contaminated soils extended much deeper and contained more hazardous materials than initially anticipated.

Question 63

The most vulnerable earthquake areas in Canada are in British Columbia and the St Lawrence Valley.

Question 64

Few cities are pursuing resilience thinking and management.

Question 65

After Superstorm Sandy struck the East Coast of the USA, 87 people died due to hypothermia from loss of power, carbon monoxide, or accidents.

Question 66

The Saffir-Simpson scale is a measurement of the intensity of an earthquake.

Question 67

LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) originated in Canada.

Question 68

More than four out of five Canadians live in urban areas.

Question 69

San Francisco, California, banned plastic shopping bags in 2006.

Question 70

Twenty-four per cent of all food sold in Copenhagen is organic, the highest rate in the country of Denmark.

Question 71

Describe the strategies that can reduce energy use by transportation within cities.

Question 72

Urban Canadians are recycling and composting, but with significant variability across the country. How do these efforts vary? Give some provincial examples.

Question 73

Explain the connection between the urban heat island effect and GHG (greenhouse gasses). What is green roof technology and how can it influence this connection?

Question 74

How is the quantity of water in urban areas affected by the hydrological cycle?

Question 75

Why did the City of Kitchener implement a remediation project in the centre of the city? What process led to the waste in the city centre? What were some of the unanticipated costs?

Question 76

In 2003, Environment Canada noted several factors that make our country vulnerable to weather-associated natural disasters. What are the factors that can contribute to these disasters?

Question 77

What are the 10 ambitious goals that the City of Vancouver set out for the Greenest City 2020 initiative and briefly summarize the 2018 updates?

Question 78

What are the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation "smart growth" indicators?

Question 79

What are the benefits of public parks and pathways in urban areas?

Question 80

What can you do to green your neighbourhood?