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Nowadays, there has been much debate around the need for sustainable neighbourhoods.
But what is a sustainable neighbourhood exactly? Why are neighbourhoods important and why is sustainability crucial at this scale?
A sustainable neighbourhood is a mixed used area with a feeling of community; it is a place where people want to live and work, now and in the future. Sustainable neighbourhoods meet the diverse needs of existing and future residents, are sensitive to their environment, and contribute to a high quality of life. They are safe and inclusive, well planned, built and run, and offer equality of opportunity and good services to all. (Bristol Accord, 6-7 December 2005).
Sustainable district planning aims to accomplish long-term socially, environmentally and economically feasible communities by focusing on:
 Governance: well managed neighbourhoods with effective and inclusive participation, representation and leadership.
Transport and Mobility: well connected communities with good transport services and communication linking residents to their work places and services (health, education, recreation, commercial areas etc). Residents should be able to assure as many of their needs as possible within walking distance from their homes. A street pattern should take the form of a continuous web with paths linking one place to another. Good public transport infrastructure is essential in order to limit car use.
Environment: providing the opportunity for people to live in an environmental friendly way (low energy consumption or passive buildings, minimised waste generation, recycling, use of natural and environmental friendly materials, minimising water consumption etc) and enjoying clean, safe surroundings.
Economy: a flourishing and lively local economy.
Services: availability of public, private, community and voluntary services which are accessible to all residents.
Equity: fair for each resident and for both present and future generations (decent homes at prices people can afford, services reasonably priced for all, public open spaces accessible to all).
Diversity: create socially cohesive and diverse communities through a mix of social categories (mix of housing types and employment opportunities, shared community activities by all) and mix of generations.
Mixed used: as a crucial difference to existing suburbia areas which are often zoned (keeping separately residential areas from industrial and commercial quarters), a sustainable neighbourhood offers mix of functions (living, working, making use of recreational and commercial areas).
Identity: active, inclusive and safe with a strong local culture and other shared community activities; provide the sense of community and belonging that many residents seek. Therefore, each neighbourhood needs a clear centre (a place where residents can find shops, social and cultural activities etc).
Citizens and residents participation, cooperation and involvement: residents need to interact and be involved in the co-creation of their neighbourhood and they need to have a say on the way their community is managed. Neighbourhoods do more than house people; they form a support for wider activities, providing many of the social services that link individuals with each other, giving rise to a sense of community.
The quest for more sustainable communities and neighbourhoods requires that we look at qualities such as these and that we investigate what can be done both in the suburbs and cities to give a boost to different areas. We need to work from the centre outwards, ’layer by layer, starting by reconnecting the innermost neighbourhoods which are only minutes on foot from lively centres’.
Pictures of Leidsche Rijn, Utrecht. http://www.utrecht.nl/smartsite.dws?id=184753
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Bristol Accord
Conclusions of Ministerial Informal on Sustainable Communities in Europe (6 - 7 December 2005)
What is a sustainable community? - Communities and Local government
The UK Department for Communities and Local Government proposes a definition of sustainable community which integrates the social, economic and environmental components.
What is a sustainable community?
The Egan Review : Skills for Sustainable Communities, Chapter 1 : The common goal:
defining and measuring sustainable communities - Office of the Deputy Prime Minister, 2004
The aim of this chapter is to define the expression of sustainable community which could be applied to a city, a town, a collection of towns or individual neighbourhoods. The definition identifies seven key components of a sustainable community: governance, transport and connectivity, services, environmental, economy, housing and the built environment, social and cultural.
Sustainable communities and neighbourhoods. Theory, policy and practice - Mark K. Smith, 2008
Based on different studies, the author defines the concept of sustainable community in the context of climate change, urbanization, economic growth and globalization. "In this piece we want to explore this background and then look at what might be involved in a sustainable community - and the associated notion of an enduring neighbourhood".
Sustainable communities and neighbourhoods. Theory, policy and practice
Changing our mindsets: Inspiration from sustainable districts - Energie-Cités, November 2007
The IMAGINE initiative aims at encouraging the European territories to prepare for their future by making them less vulnerable to energy risks and returning to them the responsibility for their energy consumption and its associated impacts on resources and emissions.
2008 State of the world : Innovations for a Sustainable Economy - The Worldwatch Institute, 2008
Communities are by their nature small and seem more able to resolve environmental problems. This document studies sustainable communities’ experiences in Europe and North America stressing on their benefits in accordance with energy efficiency and greenhouse gas reduced, and on the social and economic contributions creating by this communities.
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Last update: 31 July 2008
BedZed: an ecological footprint reduced by half:
Eco-Viikki: sustainability as a whole:
EVA-Lanxmeer: residential participation and integrated fonctions:
Hammarby-Sjöstad: "building the city inwards":
Kronsberg: planning for sustainability:
Rieselfeld: quality and local life combined:
Vauban: European example of local sustainability:
Weingarten: a model for urban renewal:
Vesterbro: a poor and derelict district becomes an attractive place to live in:
GWL-Terrein: a car-free district:
Scharnhauser park:
Bo01 in Malmö:
Leidsche Rijn:
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A collection of case studies demonstrating exemplar ‘sustainable community’ projects across Europe - BSHF (Building and Social Housing Foundation), july 2005
This collection of case studies, based on the components of a sustainable community as defined in “The Egan Review – Skills for Sustainable Communities”, highlights some of the issues that need to be considered when creating places for people. It depicts several sustainable communities in accordance with the background of their setting up, the key features realised and project contacts.
Urban Ecology: Projects in Europe : visions for Oslo? - Oslo Kommune Havnevesenet
This document presents the main caracteristics of 4 sustainable communities in Europe: Kronsberg, Bo01 Malmö, Viikki, Südstadt. It studies the context of creation and the methods applied to carry through the project.
BEDZED
BedZED - Chris Twin, The Arup Journal, 2003
The built environment created in BedZED aims to attain a more harmonious equilibrium in consumption of energy and in use of natural resources. This article is about energy efficiency in BedZED and highlights the use of renewable energies and the sustainable building orientation.
Construction materials report: Toolkit for Carbon Neutral Developments – Part 1 – Nicole Lazarus, BioRegional Development Group, December 2002
This case studies compares BedZED material with conventional alternatives and quantifies the environmental benefits of the choices of construction materials and describes design, quality and sourcing issues, cost implications and contractual arrangements.
ECO-VIIKKI
Eco-Viikki : Aims, Implementation and Results – City of Helsinki, Finnish Ministry of the Environment, 2005
This document “presents the aims, planning process, and practical implementation of Eco-Viikki, as well as the use of the buildings over a period of a few years. Also documented are the multi-faceted cooperation between the different parties, the ambitious goals, the unique eco-criteria, the numerous individual development projects, the tools of building project steerage as well as the long-term monitoring of the use of the buildings.”
EVA-LANXMEER
Sustainable urban decentralization : case Eva Lanxmeer, Culemborg, The Netherlands - Dr. Ir. A. van Timmeren, M. Kaptein, ir. D. Sidler, 2007
"This paper focuses on the spatial, technical and social integration of a ‘combined waste (wastewater) / energy system’ for an urban neighborhood (the deep green district ‘Lanxmeer’ in Culemborg, The Netherlands) integrated in a semi-public building.” The concept called “Sustainable Implant” (based on a small scale biogas installation, Combined Heat Power and accompanying closed greenhouse) is explained in the following study as well as the social context resulting from this urban neighbourhood.
KRONSBERG
Sustainable urban development – the ecologically exemplary new settlement of Hannover-Kronsberg – Karin Rumming, 2006
The author studies the urban and transport planning of the Kronsberg district. Example of sustainable urban district, Kronsberg has integrated the social and environmental components in its construction and development project.
LEIDSCHE RIJN
Two sites, one city : Utrecht is on the move - Leidsche Rijn Utrecht, april 2004
This paper focuses on the urban development of the Leidsche Rijn district according to the sustainable principles applied in infrastructures, environmental protection and energy management.
HAMMARBY SJOSTAD
Hammarby Sjöstad : a unique environmental project in Stockholm - Hammarby Sjöstad, Stockholm City, 2007
The main characteristics of the Hammarby Sjöstad district are explained in this document with a master plan of the district.
RIESELFELD
The new district of Freiburg-Rieselfeld: a case study of successful, sustainable urban development - Stadt Freiburg i.Br. Projektgruppe Rieselfeld, January 2007
This document studies the Freiburg-Rieselfeld district and the project management focusing on the political, urban, environmental and social components.
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Last update: 9 September 2008
Projects in France:
Grenoble: ZAC de Bonne
Paris: ZAC de Rungis
Nantes: Ile de Nantes
Rennes: La Courrouzze
Echirolles: La Viscose
Chalon-sur-Saône: Saint-jean-des-jardins
Nanterre: Seine Arche
Lyon: Confluence
Limeil-Brévannes: Les Temps Durables
Projects in the United Kingdom
The Eco-towns Team of the Communities and Local Government published a consultation paper on eco-towns projects in the UK.
Communities and Local Government home page
Download the consultation paper
Projects in Portugal:
Mata de Sesimbra
Last update: 1 August 2008
Intelligent Energy-Europe Programme (IEE)
The Intelligent Energy-Europe Programme - within the framework of the EU’s Competitiveness and Innovation Framework Programme (CIP) - aims to promote use of renewable energy and reduced energy consumption by supporting energy efficiency, new and renewable energy sources, and technological solutions to reduce greenhouse gas emissions caused by the transport sector. IEE programme does not fund "hard investments”, demonstration projects, or technical research and development projects on energy efficiency and renewables.
More Info: http://ec.europa.eu/energy/intelligent/index_en.html
Eco-innovation
The Eco-innovation programme is a cross-cutting programme that supports eco-innovative projects in different sectors which aim at the prevention or reduction of environmental impacts or which contribute to the optimal use of resources.
More info: http://ec.europa.eu/environment/etap/ecoinnovation/library_en.htm
Concerto
The Concerto initiative applies for both new and retrofitted communities and municipal zones, with the objective of a drastic reduction in the specific and overall consumption of energy, especially conventional energy. An innovative integration of the external supply together with large self-supply from renewable energies and relevant energy efficiency measures in communities will be supported.
More info: http://concertoplus.eu/
Civitas
CIVITAS - cleaner and better transport in cities - stands for CIty-VITAlity-Sustainability. With the CIVITAS Initiative, the EC aims to generate a decisive break through by supporting and evaluating the implementation of ambitious integrated sustainable urban transport strategies that should make a real difference for the welfare of the European citizen.
More info: http://www.civitas-initiative.org
Urbact II
The URBACT Programme is part of the European Territorial Cooperation Objective of the Structural Fund policies for the period 2007-2013. It aims to develop exchanges of experience between European cities and their local actors contributing so to an improvement of actions carried out at local and regional level and find the most efficient solutions to common problems.
More info: http://urbact.eu/towards-urbact-2.html
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EU funding in brief - February 2007
Publication that gives an overview of the European fundings available for the 2007-2013 period.
New Forms of Financing Municipal Sustainable Energy Projects - Energie-Cités, ADEME, 2006
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Last update: 31 July 2008
Events, Conferences, Seminars
European pilot experiences
24th of October 2008 conferences day in Mons (Belgium)
http://www.energymons.be/en/european-pilot-experiences.html
Presentation of the pilot projects of BedZed, Bo01, Kronsberg, Hammarby Sjöstad, Vesterbro and Vauban.
Exhibitions
IMAGINE
Imagine exhibition
Site visits
Study Tours organised by Energie-Cités
Go to the list
Last update: 1 August 2008
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Sustainable Neighbourhoods
