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Thursday, December 12, 2013

A Guide To Sustainable Urban Design

By Cornelia White


When thinking about sustainable urban design you need to consider what the three terms mean. Each of these aspects needs to be considered on an individual basis as well as what they mean as a collective term. With the right approach you can get the best long term results from a design.

The environment that people live in can have very real consequences. For example it is rarely a coincidence when one side of a city becomes more affluent than another. This then results in one growing and developing while in the long term the other side becomes less and less affluent.

Another part of this sustainability is access to other areas. More people are likely to want to move to the area if they can get access to major city centres. Therefore it is vital that designers consider transportation in their designs. Ideally this transportation will be affordable and efficient as this will make it easier for people to travel between local areas.

Social issues also need to be considered. While luxury apartments may look good and attractive they will not serve their purpose if people cannot afford to move there. While there is nothing wrong with being ambitious and wanting to attract more people growth has to be viewed in the long term.

While improving the economics of the area is important a designer also needs to be aware of environmental issues. There needs to be enough food for people and increasingly more people want access to fresh food that comes from sustainable sources. Furthermore adding gardens, parks and so on can also make an area appear more aesthetically pleasing and provide more reasons for people to visit the local area. Making sure there are enough recycling centres and ways of disposing of waste in a sustainable way are vital in the long term.

The design of the area can have an impact on each of these aspects of sustainability. If an area is cut off from other thriving parts of a town or city then that area can become more deprived. This has an additional effect as people see the area as being less financially viable and then decide not to move there, thus further exacerbating the impact.

Environmental sustainability also ensures that an area stays clean. Furthermore if the area is more energy efficient then people can afford to live in the area more as they pay less on their electricity bills. This is another aspect where ensuring people have the right facilities can have a massive long term effect.

In short the long term benefits of sustainable urban design can be potentially enormous. If you are someone who is involved it is important to engage with the local community. This will make it easier to create designs that are in keeping with the needs of the people who live in the local area. Use your local search engine to find out more about examples of how design can potentially affect the local area in the long term.




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