Unfortunately, Cities: Skylines does not give the option for such enlightened leadership. Landfill rates dropped from 60% to less than 20% in a decade. Faced with a plan to build an incinerator, residents of the Italian town of Capannori decided to bypass the technology and employ a citizen-powered recycled programme. Recycling advocates say incinerators are an outmoded technology, one that locks us into the waste cycle and pumps out dangerous gases, including CO2, NOx, N2O and ammonia. Copenhagen dumps just 3% of its waste into the ground and incinerates 39%. Even though Danes create more household waste than any other EU country, they have one of the lowest landfill rates: much of the waste is burned instead, to create energy. This is indeed a serious real-world stumbling block for all would-be eco-cities, including Copenhagen. But eventually I had to relent, after thousands of people began deserting my trash- and (presumably) rat-infested city. I resisted and resisted installing incinerators to burn the trash in my overflowing landfills. The biggest struggle for my city was rubbish. Recent studies show that having 10 or more trees in your street makes you feel seven years younger. I also ensured that every street was lined with trees. In Copenhagen, a study found that heat demand from buildings could be reduced by up to 76%. Despite its lack of sexiness, reducing energy demand through insulation, smart meters, double-glazing and efficient appliances вЂњoffers the best and most cost-effective chance to mitigate the worst effects of climate changeвЂќ, according to the UK Green Building Council.

This was pleasing because energy efficiency is often overlooked when it comes to greening cities. It was costly, but was immediately repaid through a housing boom, as land value increased and owners invested in their homes. The single most effective policy I adopted was a green housing initiative. Trains bring people and goods to and from surrounding cities, cutting down traffic and reducing carbon emissions Energy-efficient housing By 2025, city officials say 75% of all journeys will be by foot, cycle or public transport. CopenhagenвЂ™s StrГёget, a central pedestrianised shopping area, has shown that with good mass transport and bike paths, major business districts can be magnificently car-free. All public movement would be by foot and a fleet of bicycles, maintained by the city police force.вЂќ Had the game allowed, I would have adopted Hunter S ThompsonвЂ™s promise during his unsuccessful campaign for mayor of Aspen.Д«ike transport is sorely overlooked in Cities: Skylines. вЂњRip up all city streets with jackhammersвЂ¦ sod the streets at once. Roll on the electric vehicle: in Denmark, one in 20 cars sold is battery-powered. Yet still cars dominated, with Hopenhageners clinging to their gas guzzlers. I planned neighbouring high-density residential and commercial spaces, so commuters had only short distances to travel between their office and apartments. In an effort to provide my residents and industries with mass transport alternatives to roads, I spent hugely on metro systems, bus routes and rail connections. Transport is the thorn in every city councilвЂ™s side - desperately expensive, dirty, noisy and terrible for the climate. Population 20,000: solar power reaches Hopenhagen Transport But also it does not give the option of exporting and importing power from a national grid to even out the peaks and troughs. The game does not account for the dips in renewable supply that occur at night or on still or cloudy days. Luckily my city had constant sunlight as well as wind. Power from large-scale solar is half the price it was five years ago and is approaching parity with coal and other fossil fuels. The fall in solar prices has been vertiginous. The game is a little ahead of its time in making solar the cheapest form of electricity production - although this could happen within a decade. By tapping its own enormous wind power resources, Copenhagen aims to become the first carbon neutral city in the world by 2025.Д®ventually my city grew enough to build a solar power plant.

Coal is the dirtiest of dirty fuels and there is no place for it in the cities of the future. Coal is significantly cheaper than wind, but environmentally the choice is a no-brainer. The game allows you to start with wind or coal power. The first order was to provide power for my would-be denizens.

Hopenhagen survives solely on wind power.

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