Sustainable Urban Design

[Patrick]

How we design where we live, work, and play is a huge part of the sustainability discussion. The more we spread out and rely on cars, the greater the cost of housing and the more emissions are created. This thread is dedicated to examples of sustainable urban design and discussion of urban design principles. If you have a link to a project which you think exhibits the qualities of sustainable development, post it here.

My own design statement describing my vision of a sustainable city:
Sustainable City

[Patrick]

Here are a few examples of sustainable urban design:

Boklok - affordable and quality prefab housing by Ikea

Could vertical farms be the future of agriculture?

The "Slow City" movement gains popularity in Italy

Sweden builds a green utopia without fancy new technologies

Urbanism, better design is the key to reducing energy use

[Johnny Electriglide]

I'll tell you, "sustainable urban design" sounds like an oxymoron. Cities beyond a certain size and number are not sustainable, and we passed that point even with better "design" long ago.

[Metyu]

Patrick has set this thread up so that we can make a resource of global progression in sustainable developments. Let's try to keep the pessimistic discussion and arguments elsewhere please!

[Metyu]

BedZED

This is one of the UKs first attempts at a zero energy development, "with strong emphasis on roof gardens, sunlight, solar energy, reduction of energy consumption and waste water recycling," as well as car-pools, emphasis on cycling, and the provision of work units close to home units.

Pooran Desai of Bioregional (BioRegional: BedZED homepage) has been forthright pointing out the problems the development had in operation, e.g. the biomass CHP system did not work (I think it clogged up!) and the triple-glazed, south-facing windows actually made the temperature indoors too high for comfort.

One of the biggest criticisms of this development has been that the Peabody Trust, a social housing outfit, could have spent the money on many more 'conventional' social housing units. The counter argument has been that BedZED has provided valuable insight into how sustainable, zero-energy development proposals actually operate.

[Patrick]

Johnny, while a crash may be inevitable at this point, don't you think we should at least try to aim for a soft landing? Continuing with business as usual will surely make the coming crash even worse. If we begin making preparations for a low-energy world now, than we can avoid some of the pain in the future. The one good thing about our wasteful exponential growth economy is that we can get things done. When the peak oil crisis matures there will be a shortage of capital/resources to get anything done, so it would be a lot better if we try to make the necessary adjustments now rather than later.

[Corey]

Intricate part of this would get the population under control. Mandatory breeding limits as an example.

[Patrick]

Sustainability can not be reached unless population is addressed. If you check out my site you will see that I have discussed birth licenses as a possible way to stabilize population. However, this thread is dedicated to sustainable urban practices/development, so please keep the discussion on topic. Please keep the population conversation in the population thread.

[Patrick]

Mayor of Curitiba, Brazil discusses how cities can achieve sustainability.

[Johnny Electriglide]

Originally Posted by Patrick

Johnny, while a crash may be inevitable at this point, don't you think we should at least try to aim for a soft landing? Continuing with business as usual will surely make the coming crash even worse. If we begin making preparations for a low-energy world now, than we can avoid some of the pain in the future. The one good thing about our wasteful exponential growth economy is that we can get things done. When the peak oil crisis matures there will be a shortage of capital/resources to get anything done, so it would be a lot better if we try to make the necessary adjustments now rather than later.

Right, that is why I push for the 70% reduction in GHG emissions within 9 years--for a biosphere that surviving humans can live in. To stop the mass extinctions and the "dying Earth" scenario, and try for that "soft landing". The development of sustainability--NOT the oxymoron sustainable development. Some people mean the same thing, while others push for more development and the profiteering of the growth only economy. Others, are knowledgeable of the need to transition to a steady state economy.
Metyu does not seem to understand that because the crash is not stoppable, I am being pessimistic and not realistic. I am being realistic, and going from there with hope that afterward, the climate, species, soil and water left will allow the continuation of intelligent humanity that will achieve sustainable living as a matter of morals.