• How many people does Steffen estimate we will have living in or near cities by mid-century?

8 Billion people.

  • Explain how you agree or disagree with Steffen’s point that our energy use is “predestined” rather than “behavioral”.

I disagree to this point because years ago, energy use was a behavioral method. We could’ve easily chosen when or not to use energy, and our society did not depend on energy use as much as it does today. I would agree, however, that our energy use is “predestined” to this very day, because with rapid urbanization comes extreme energy use. We simply can not avoid using so much energy in order for an incredibly dense city to operate efficiently.

  • What correlation does Steffen make between a city’s density and its climate emissions?

Denser places have lower climate emissions. This would be described as a negative correlation.

  • What are the “eco districts” that Steffen mentions? How you see these as feasible or unfeasible in a city like Norfolk?

The new neighborhoods, which are infill developments to sustain the larger city. It manages our energy use as our cities are becoming increasingly dense. I see it applicable to Norfolk, but I’m not sure how much more space is our there for us to be able to sustain this metropolitan city.

  • Explain how you agree or disagree with the “threshold effect” that Steffen discusses related to transportation.

I agree, with this theory, because people would rather not bother using so much energy (i.e. transportation) in an environment so dense. I believe people have a certain tolerance for driving in an environment so crammed, including with an increase in gas prices. When you narrow it down, someone will eventually think “is it worth to spend so much gas to drive to Starbucks, when it’s only a 5 minute walk?”

  • What does Steffen mean by the idea that, “…even space itself is turning into a service…”? Can you provide any examples that you see here in Norfolk or elsewhere?

People can share space and use it in collaboration on a daily basis. In a city such as Norfolk, one would practically have to share space with someone or something else. An example I can think of is the gas station by 49th street. They share a parking lot with the automobile service building directly next to them. The lot is directly split between the two companies.

  • Describe your understanding of Steffen’s argument that, “…it’s not about the leaves above, but the systems below…”.

Rather than keep the green earth above, we should use the space below the earth, to build under water canals to gather run-off water for restorative purposes. Obviously to balance out extensive energy use, we need to occupy space above the earth to build necessary technology. Simply put, our plants and trees now may not be as efficient as the technology we can create.

  • Finally, overall in what way(s) do you see Steffen’s ideas working / not working here in Norfolk? Spend time with this question!

The city of Norfolk is becoming incredibly dense as the years go by. Space is easily starting to become a “shared service” amongst various companies that inhabit this city. I also think the “threshold level” Steffen discusses is applicable to numerous people who reside in this city, and the numbers will increase as this city becomes more and more dense/populated. As much as I oppose the idea of destroying the environment (trees especially), the city will have to to sustain the population at hand. By doing this, we would be better off building systems below the earth for cleaning/restoration purposes for our earth. Unfortunately, I don’t see this process lasting very long because we’ll eventually run out of space below the soil to balance extreme energy use.