When discussing cities, it is necessary to consider urban impact. Everything we build or develop has an impact; some are beneficial, while others can be harmful. Cities provide many opportunities for improving human life, but they also have a range of negative consequences in their operations.

Environmental impacts are “the changes in environmental conditions that lead to impacts on the social and economic functions on the environment, such as the provision of adequate conditions for health, resources availability and biodiversity.”

In the following video, the Lecturer Letiane Benincá presents the concepts of urban impacts and urban metabolism. She also gives examples of urban impacts and what can be done to tackle these issues. This class learning objective is to make it possible for the student to recognize the urban environmental impacts and needs required to implement different aspects of smart sustainable cities.

Main Takeaways

• Some significant adverse environmental impacts related to the urban environment are water, soil, noise, and air pollution; climate change; human health problems; traffic jams; and management issues of solid urban waste. In brief, they cause an overall decrease in citizens’ quality of life.
• Public Policies are alternatives to address some urban impacts, such as encouraging transit-oriented development initiatives and tax emissions, creating green zones, promoting recycling initiatives, providing proper sewage treatment and many others.