Carnegie Mellon University

Intersect@CMU

INTERSECT@CMU

On February 10, 2022, Metro21 attended the INTERSECT@CMU session, Cities and Infrastructure, moderated by Gbemi Disu of Carnegie Mellon University-Africa.

Key Takeaways:

Mark Chambers:

  • Climate change and inequality are linked – inclusive climate action means we have to make people inside the buildings able to take part and thrive in our generational work of a carbon free future
  • The Infrastructure law is so important at this point in time and as we go forward, making sure infrastructure investments are done well and putting Americans to work that will make more resilient too. Infrastructure & Build Back Better (BBB) work together to do what’s necessary to thrive in the future.
  • BBB agenda is by far the most comprehensive, elaborate and ambitious climate effort so being able to support is important; on the tech side, it’s important for us to think about how we look at heating/cooling buildings that are efficient and more effective – heat pumps are going to be a defining technology to transition and electrify buildings to get more value out of it
  • Combating inequity as we transition into clean energy future – the justice 40 initiative – to make sure we’re being thoughtful of a whole govt approach to make historic investments and deliver to disadvantaged communities. As we embrace different infrastructure transition we’re doing for everyone and helping address the historically underserved investments to leap forward to make sure we aren’t making the same mistakes of the past and helping more of population to be part of it.

Howie Choset:

  • Materials inside small electronics need to be reclaimed when recycled that you don’t want going into the environment – extracting the materials is tedious and sometimes dangerous. Developing automation to get the tools quickly and more safely that will have an impact on what’s going into landfills.  The appetite for electronic devices is growing exponentially, and stuff going into landfills is growing just as fast.
  • The wealthy benefit from the fruits of our tech and markets, the poor tend to bear the costs; with the right tools, we can do a much better job in reclaiming materials, make sure they don’t hit the landfills
  • AI will create jobs to extract materials in a safer, cleaner way.
  • Regarding smart cities, we can immediately help to track materials (where does our trash go? How is it picked up?) Right now it’s an ad hoc process that they just get to the landfill – if we can track that information and then apply basic AI techniques, we will infer all sorts of trends that we otherwise would have overlooked and then use common sense how to minimize negative impacts.  The reality of the work is it has to be sustainable at an economic level – hopefully creating jobs but also creating wealth.  Tracking trash should tell show what was thrown away and what the next trend will be. 
  • Within next year, education and informing people what we can do, empowerment, people would be wiling to do more if they felt their impact would be of significance; incentives – we need to figure out how to get the average person want to be more proactive in their community

Carmen Yulin Cruz:

  • Cities are places of contradictions and crisis; cities are divided into two things – those who have and those who haven’t
  • Sustainable goals are about building a growth map for cities to transform into sustainable ecosystems – put power where it comes from (in communities) and take it from the talking point that people participate in decision making process but make sure the people can lead the transformational process to build a more equitable city and society, not only in dialogue but also in execution
  • FEMA doesn’t allow cities to transform – they have to rebuild at the same level that it was.
    • Why build infrastructure at the same level if it cannot withstand the next hurricane, or flooding?
  • When in crisis, inequality and inefficiencies of cities as well as structural build up. During hurricanes, could not get to every community that needed the help at once – you have to decide where help is needed the most. 
    • Put what’s needed in pockets around city to be deployed uniquely and fast – communities were eager to tell what they needed and execute what they needed.
    • Put together center for community empowerment & transformation – an emergency management place with food, water, totally solarized, water distillation system, infirmaries- these are community led, on a closed circuit system so they could call the emergency management system instead of waiting for mayor or leadership to get the necessities immediately.
    • People want the execution to be community led. These spaces can be replicated so people can go to one place to get what they need to move away from the crisis they’re in.  People have to face crisis with hope – sustainability is also about building hope into communities.  Allowing communities to make their own blueprint gives them hope.

Diane Turnshek:

  • Light pollution is excessive and intrusive light at night where its not needed or wanted. 99% of people in US live under light polluted skies.  There’s a dome over cities that extends 300km out because of scattered light – it’s not limited by national or state borders, it just spreads. 
  • Many people follow dark sky practices and one person can ruin it for everyone.
    • Global avg. rate of increase over 10 years is 2% per year of light pollution, growing at double the rate of population growth.
    • Reduces safety at night because of increase with white LED glare that can disrupt your vision, it can have harmful adverse affects on human health (circadian rhythm), we can promote culture through dark skies, human well being through dark skies, it’s the right of all humans and species to have a natural light and darkness cycle.
  • It’s safer to direct light only where it’s needed – do we need light in middle of a park in middle of the night when no one should be there?
  • People can also follow these same technical issues – floodlights don’t do the job, you need motion sensor to spotlight something that’s going on. It is very hard on plants and animals – trees near streetlights are stressed out – knows when to leaf out depending upon daylight; impactful on everything that has been studied (fish, algae, turtles, birds, bird migration, insects – we are in insect apocalypse (1/3 due to light pollution)) Light pollution suppresses development of melatonin – a hormone response for regulating human wake/sleep patterns.  Leads to insomnia, mood disorders, depression, obesity, heart disease – so you want to not have areas of city flooded with light that people can’t keep out of windows and this happens in under resourced communities
  • In the next year, go for the low hanging fruit – turn the lights off. Shine a spotlight on the fact that there’s such an equity problem; people in affluent neighborhoods recognize darkness is an amenity.  Twice as much light in poorer neighborhoods – it’s an environmental justice issue.