Sustainable Communities

by Barton, Hugh

• ISBN13: 9781853835124
• ISBN10: 1853835129
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2000-06-01
• Publisher: Routledge

Summary

"Sustainable Communities" examines the practicality of re-inventing local neighbourhoods in an increasingly mobile, privatized and commodified society. It presents the findings of a worldwide review of eco-villages and sustainable neighbourhoods, demonstrating what is possible. The book focuses on the ordinary localities in which people live, looking at the changing nature and role of local place communities, at the technologies (of energy, food, water, movement) that help close local resource loops and the potential for subsidiarity in decision making down to the local level. Written by an expert interdisciplinary team of town planners, social scientists and urban designers, it includes case studies from the UK, Denmark, Germany and the US, plus a detailed appendix listing current eco-village and eco-neighbourhood schemes by country.

Table of Contents

Origins	ix
Preface and Guide to the Book	x
Foreword	xiii
Jed Griffiths
The Contributors	xiv
Figures, Tables and Boxes	xvii
Acronyms and Abbreviations	xx
Acknowledgements	xxi
Part I: Setting the Scene
Conflicting Perceptions of Neighbourhood	3	(16)
Hugh Barton
Introduction	3	(1)
Neighbourhood and Community	4	(2)
Sustainable Development	6	(4)
Visions of a Sustainable Locality	10	(2)
The Death of Neighbourhood	12	(2)
Official Policy	14	(2)
Accidental Towns	16	(1)
The Agenda for Debate	17	(2)
Eco-Villages: Dream and Reality	19	(10)
Nigel Taylor
Introduction: Villages, Localities and Environmental Sustainability	19	(2)
Historical Background: Villages, Neighbourhoods and Communities in Town Planning Thought and Practice	21	(2)
The Fragmentation of Locality-Based Forms of Life in the Circumstances of Modernity	23	(3)
`Think Globally, Act Globally' (As Well as Locally)	26	(3)
Unsustainable Settlements	29	(20)
Dominic Stead
Introduction	29	(1)
Unsustainable Land Use Trends	29	(4)
Environmental Impacts of Recent Planning Trends	33	(5)
Reversing Current Land Use and Environmental Trends	38	(6)
Conclusions	44	(5)
Part II: Rethinking the Neighbourhood Option
Do Neighbourhoods Matter?	49	(17)
Hugh Barton
Introduction	49	(1)
Losing Locality	50	(1)
Needing Neighbourhoods	51	(8)
Counter Arguments	59	(1)
Do People Use Local Facilities?	60	(2)
Does Local Use Reduce Trip Lengths and Car Dependence?	62	(2)
The Impact of Design Measures	64	(1)
Conclusion	65	(1)
Innovative Eco-Neighbourhood Projects	66	(20)
Hugh Barton
Deborah Kleiner
Introduction	66	(1)
The Search for Exemplary Projects	66	(3)
Categorising Eco-neighbourhoods	69	(12)
Evaluation	81	(3)
Conclusions	84	(2)
The Neighbourhood as Ecosystem	86	(19)
Hugh Barton
Introduction	86	(1)
The Ecosystem Approach	87	(3)
Social Capital and Housing Mix	90	(3)
Access to Work and Services	93	(4)
Movement and the Public Realm	97	(2)
Local Resource Management	99	(4)
Functional Integration	103	(2)
Urban Form and Locality	105	(18)
Hugh Barton
Introduction	105	(1)
Dispersal Versus Concentration	106	(3)
The Location of Neighbourhoods	109	(3)
Mixed Use Development	112	(3)
Local Densities	115	(4)
Conclusion: Linear Concentration	119	(4)
The Design of Neighbourhoods	123	(24)
Hugh Barton
Vexed Terms and Traditional Concepts of Form	123	(2)
Neighbourhood Size	125	(2)
Neighbourhood Identity	127	(1)
Social Identity and Home-Zones	128	(2)
Open and Closed Neighbourhoods	130	(2)
The Urban Continuum	132	(2)
Shaping Neighbourhoods	134	(4)
The Open Space Network	138	(1)
Conclusion: Cellular and Fuzzy Neighbourhoods	139	(2)
Case Study of Hulme, Manchester	141	(6)
Richard Guise
Part III: Community and Subsidiarity
Design for Living: The Challenge of Sustainable Communities	147	(13)
Alison Gilchrist
Introduction--The Changing Nature of `Community'	147	(3)
Complexity and Sustainability	150	(2)
The Development of Community	152	(2)
Case Study of Easton, Inner City Neighbourhood	154	(4)
Community Governance and Democratic Renewal	158	(2)
Leading from Below: The Contribution of Community-Based Initiatives	160	(16)
Janet Rowe
Celia Robbins
Introduction	160	(1)
The Community Context: Capacity Building	161	(3)
The Waste Reduction in the Community Project	164	(5)
Stroud Local Exchange and Trading Scheme (LETS)	169	(3)
Discussion	172	(4)
Community Governance	176	(13)
Murray Stewart
Introduction	176	(2)
The Scope for Community Governance	178	(1)
Community and Democracy	179	(1)
The Pressures for Community Governance	180	(1)
Community and Neighbourhood Management	181	(2)
Local Government Decentralization and Community Governance	183	(1)
Community Leadership	184	(2)
Conclusion	186	(3)
Part IV: Managing Resources Locally
The Community Energy Utility	189	(10)
Trevor Houghton
The Changing Organization and Ownership of Energy Supply	189	(2)
The Community Utility Versus the Conventional Utility	191	(1)
Sustainable Energy Resources in Sustainable Communities	191	(1)
Environmental Responsibility	192	(2)
Social Responsibility	194	(1)
The Local Economy	195	(1)
Barriers to the Community Energy Utility	196	(2)
Conclusion	198	(1)
The Food Producing Neighbourhood	199	(17)
Rob Hopkins
Introduction	199	(1)
Why Grow Food in Towns?	199	(2)
Approaching Sustainable Food Strategies	201	(3)
Feeding the Neighbourhood	204	(8)
Considerations for Designers	212	(1)
Management Issues Arising	213	(1)
Conclusion	214	(2)
Planning Local Movement Systems	216	(14)
Tony Hathway
More Movement at a Price	216	(2)
Policies and Targets for a Better Future	218	(1)
Understanding Local Movement Patterns	219	(2)
Planning for Non-Motorized and Motorized Transport Options	221	(7)
Cooperation and Coordination	228	(2)
Community Safety and Actual Neighbourhoods	230	(16)
Henry Shaftoe
Introduction: Crime and Locality	230	(2)
Why is There Less Crime in Rural Areas?	232	(3)
Can We Recreate Rural Qualities in Urban Environments?	235	(2)
Boundaries and Edges	237	(2)
Case Studies	239	(4)
Summary and Key Principles	243	(3)
Towards Sustainable Communities	246	(7)
Hugh Barton
General Conclusions	246	(1)
Community Decision-Making	247	(1)
Shifting Hearts and Minds	248	(1)
Reorientating the Planning System	249	(2)
Changing Government Policy	251	(1)
Rounding Off	252	(1)
Appendix 1: Survey of Eco-neighbourhoods World-Wide	253	(15)
Deborah kleiner
Hugh Barton
Appendix 2: Case Studies of Eco-Neighbourhoods	268	(15)
Deborah Kleiner
Bibliography	283	(16)
Index	299