Hammarby Sjöstad – a new environmental and ecological city district project

• The current speed and complexity of urbanisation calls for radically new approaches to sustainability of cities
• Study suggests “urban tinkering” as a solution – a systems thinking approach inspired by evolutionary biology
• It can help engineers, architects, ecologists, health specialists and others to develop innovative solutions for reaching Sustainable Development Goal 11 for cities

Australia’s cities face significant social, economic and environmental challenges, driven by population growth and rapid urbanisation. The pressure to increase housing availability will lead to greater levels of high-density and medium-density stock. However, there is enormous political and community pushback against this. One way to address this challenge is to encourage medium-density living solutions through “precinct” scale development.

SALT is a planned One Planet residential community set on the margins of the coastal township of Torquay in regional Victoria. Its history, location and setting is unique, local, and coastal, earning it the working name of ‘SALT’.

One Planet Living is an initiative of Bioregional and its partners to make truly sustainable living a reality.  One Planet Living uses ecological footprinting and carbon footprinting as its headline indicators. 

EnviroDevelopment is a national rating tool which provides independent verification of a project’s sustainability performance.
The EnviroDevelopment program is underpinned by the EnviroDevelopment National Technical Standards which sets out the criteria for assessment and supporting documentation requirements. The certification process is rigorous and designed to assess project initiatives across six areas – ecosystems, waste, energy, materials, water and community.
 

In the UK, we throw away some 14.8m tonnes of food every year throughout the supply chain. This report acknowledges food waste as both an issue and a valuable resource. It aims to act as a roadmap to encourage behavioural change at all levels, within both business and society, and to set the framework for a food waste-free future.

Green Star – Communities assesses the planning, design and construction of large scale development projects at a precinct, neighbourhood and/or community scale. It provides a rigorous and holistic rating across five impact categories:

• governance
• liveability
• economic prosperity
• environment
• innovation

Castleward is a 12.1 hectare brownfield regeneration site in Derby currently undergoing redevelopment to create a new community of sustainable homes and businesses. This £100 million project is located between Derby Midland Station and the city centre. The development is a joint venture between Derby City Council and a private partner, Compendium Living, a company jointly owned by housing developer Lovell Partnerships and social housing provider The Riverside Group.

For local governments working on a climate action plan, revising a green building ordinance, looking to incentivize transit-oriented development or tackle other similar problems this paper explores pursuing the LEED for Neighborhood Development certification as a catalyst for doing so. It reviews the basics of the LEED ND certification, the constraints facing municipalities with regard to LEED ND, and four approaches used in successful communities.
Four key approaches are highlighted in this guide:

With the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, Member States agreed on 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) with 169 global targets, and nearly 234 indicators that will be monitored for the period 2015–2030. The targets are designed to be integrated and indivisible and to balance the social, economic and environmental dimensions of sustainable development. The 2030 Agenda further seeks to realize the human rights of all, and to achieve gender equality and empowerment of all women and girls.

Australia’s cities face significant social, economic and environmental challenges, driven by population growth and rapid urbanisation. The pressure to increase the availability of housing, including a move to a more compact urban form, will lead to greater levels of high-density and medium-density stock. This research is attentive to the lack of medium-density dwellings and associated planning instruments to support and encourage increased medium-density living.