Sustainable Developments

Introduction

As cities grow outwards, or rural towns grow, generally the resulting communities formed are called subdivisions.  In other words, as the land the was owned by a single property owner is developed, the property is subdivided to allow smaller lots usually for housing in a residential setting.

Subdivisions are the formalising of the required infrastructure into a shape that is convenient, meets regulations and provides access to all the housing lots.  There are plenty of examples of badly designed subdivisions, but through over the past decade or so, there has been a growing trend towards providing sustainable solutions for the land.

Sustainable

 This is a word that seems to ge thtrown around alot, particularly from a  marketing perspective.  Sustainability is simply a measurement of the outcome of a particular design on various markers.  Some of these have traditionally been:

• The Environment,
• The Community, and
• The Economy.

   

The 1995 World Summit on Social Development defined the term Sustainable Development as "the framework for our efforts to achieve a higher quality of life for all people," in which "economic development, social development and environmental protection are interdependent and mutually reinforcing components."

 How do we acheive it?

From the outset, residential developments can be designed with sustainable objectives in mind.  Some governing authorities are requiring it, but equally, a developer can approach their concept design from a life cycle cost analysis, energy cost analysis and an environmental cost analysis perspective. 

Some simple ways to improve subdivision design to be more sustainable are designing effective stormwater treatment trains, creating lots that have room to make use of passive solar design principles, incorporating green space elements in the design that are usable spaces, creating traffic and pedestrian networks that promote walking riding or car sharing.

There's more to come....

As this page grows, I'll be writing and linking to great articles and photos on the subject.  Please feel free to leave a comment!