Katen Bakhytbek. Use the most advanced technologies.// 09.06.2008

http://expert.ru/kazakhstan/2008/23/katen/

Absence of effective management prevent from extensive use of world experience to solve ecological problems, believes the executive partner of NAI Kazakhstan Aristan Bahytbek Katen.

- How closely related issues of city construction and ecology?

The most important question is city planning. That means not only architectural drafting as in Soviet Union but complex planning considering ecological standards and international agreements accepted worldwide. These standards are requirements of modern society such as traffic unloading and so on. Some cities in the world are already built based on these standards. There is rapid development of islands and mainland area in China, the city planning does not look like before. There was a after war model of city planning – low story buildings, wide prospects, horizontal, dissipated type of planning. There is an American model, which concentrates informational flows inside city. Everything influences ecology. New modern models of planning exist and we need to use them. Invite the specialist, who took part in such successful cities’s constructions like Hong Kong, Singapore and use their experience. These architects will apply the most modern technologies – from a city’s tallness to distance between buildings, districts – and it will be comfortable to live in these cities.

- But Almaty is already constructed . It is difficult to reconstruct the existing streets, but meanwhile traffic load should be decreased.  

- How to plan the traffic flows in downtown? For instance, to limit the access to private car use like it is done in London city. To have people use the public transportation by making it more convenient and comfortable. Having a private car in many European countries is troublesome matter, even in financial terms. That’s why people use the public transportation and it is not the point for self or status assertion.

- What factors should be taken in consideration?

“Ecologically clean material use” is a trite phrase, though it is true. For example, reinforced concrete  takes 30-50 % from the total amount of materials used. Reinforced concrete (reinforcing rods and chemical substances) emit toxic substances. Here, we should have standards accepted by city authorities to use the particular type of constructing materials. Even if they are produces abroad, because there are a few of them made in Kazakhstan.  So, the list of approved for import construction materials should be created or fee for environmental damage should be applied for materials conditionally approved for import  Some materials should be prohibited to import, like  “Alucobond” after the fire in “Transport Tower” sky scratcher in Astana. I can say that the use of many construction materials today will create the ecological problems tomorrow. The majority of them are subjected to fast deterioration, the utilization is just dumping in landfills. These landfills will emit hazardous substances due to low quality of plastics, metal and so on.

So, Almaty lacks the modern approach to ecological problems solving?

It is actually the reason. Kazakhstan is a rich country. And it is able to renew communications, build roads, and extend highways. Unfortunately, technologically efficient way to solve these problems is not always in favor. It is depressing. Almaty loses huge amount of water in existing water supply systems – new pipes should be used, however, they use pipes, which were used 30-40 years ago. We as a rich state should use everything of high quality, even the most expensive. We should have this philosophy – to use the best quality.

Katen Bakhytbek. Use the most advanced technologies.// 09.06.2008

http://expert.ru/kazakhstan/2008/23/katen/