When addressing economic concerns in the establishment of a sustainable development, the needs of every segment of the population should be considered during each stage of design and development. Creating a community in which economic disparity is embraced contradicts the precepts of a sustainable development. Economic diversity contributes to social diversity within the community and provides opportunities for members of different socio-economic groups to participate in a sustainable society.
The findings of this research endeavor are meant to serve as a guide for future application to the design and implementation of sustainable developments. While design guidelines will be addressed through the analysis of the four developments, it is the intent of this project that this guide will be utilized to help designers ensure projects will address environmental, social and economic factors in regards to ensuring their sustainability.
Through the application of the analytical criteria established for the project, a critical assessment of existing and future developments can be made and a determination of their ability to achieve a high level of sustainability can be understood. It is only through the application of sustainable design that our society can hope to reverse the effects that suburban sprawl has had on the natural environment.
Designers and developers of traditional neighborhood developments often embrace and employ the principles of New Urbanism. New Urbanism is a design movement that aims to combat the negative effects of sprawl on multiple levels, including on the regional level as well as the neighborhood level.
New Urbanists believe “neighborhoods should be diverse in use and population; communities should be designed for the pedestrian and transit as well as the car; cities and towns should be shaped by physically defined and universally accessible public spaces and community institutions.” This form of sustainable development has become one of the foundations for regulations regarding TNDs in many municipalities, especially on the east coast.
This brief exploration will analyze four TNDs, all of which have been designed utilizing the principles of New Urbanism. The four developments are; I’on Village in Mount Pleasant, South Carolina; Woodsong Village in Shallotte, North Carolina; Carpenter Village in Cary, North Carolina and Southern Village in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. The Congress for New Urbanism has recognized each of these neighborhoods as alternatives to suburban sprawl.
Through the careful analysis of the qualities of sustainability observed throughout this exploration, a determination regarding the level sustainability each of these developments achieves within its response to the social, environmental and economic factors involved in the design and implementation of these developments.
The Qualities of Sustainability
In order to determine how sustainable each of these developments are, we must establish a system with which to compare and contrast the qualities of the four developments. For the purposes of this study, six aspects that determine the level of sustainability of each development have been categorized and will be analyzed based on normative qualities that are associated with each aspect. These six aspects are; (1) Intensity of Use, (2) Diversity of Use, (3) Extent of Use, (4) Communication, (5) Sense of Place and (6) Flexibility of Use. In order to understand the qualities of sustainability, we must first understand what each of these six aspects represents.
Now there is one outstanding important fact regarding spaceship earth, and that is that no instruction book came with it. -R. Buckminster Fuller
The findings of this research endeavor are meant to serve as a guide for future application to the design and implementation of sustainable developments. While design guidelines will be addressed through the analysis of the four developments, it is the intent of this project that this guide will be utilized to help designers ensure projects will address environmental, social and economic factors in regards to ensuring their sustainability.
Through the application of the analytical criteria established for the project, a critical assessment of existing and future developments can be made and a determination of their ability to achieve a high level of sustainability can be understood. It is only through the application of sustainable design that our society can hope to reverse the effects that suburban sprawl has had on the natural environment.
Designers and developers of traditional neighborhood developments often embrace and employ the principles of New Urbanism. New Urbanism is a design movement that aims to combat the negative effects of sprawl on multiple levels, including on the regional level as well as the neighborhood level.
New Urbanists believe “neighborhoods should be diverse in use and population; communities should be designed for the pedestrian and transit as well as the car; cities and towns should be shaped by physically defined and universally accessible public spaces and community institutions.” This form of sustainable development has become one of the foundations for regulations regarding TNDs in many municipalities, especially on the east coast.
This brief exploration will analyze four TNDs, all of which have been designed utilizing the principles of New Urbanism. The four developments are; I’on Village in Mount Pleasant, South Carolina; Woodsong Village in Shallotte, North Carolina; Carpenter Village in Cary, North Carolina and Southern Village in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. The Congress for New Urbanism has recognized each of these neighborhoods as alternatives to suburban sprawl.
Through the careful analysis of the qualities of sustainability observed throughout this exploration, a determination regarding the level sustainability each of these developments achieves within its response to the social, environmental and economic factors involved in the design and implementation of these developments.
The Qualities of Sustainability
In order to determine how sustainable each of these developments are, we must establish a system with which to compare and contrast the qualities of the four developments. For the purposes of this study, six aspects that determine the level of sustainability of each development have been categorized and will be analyzed based on normative qualities that are associated with each aspect. These six aspects are; (1) Intensity of Use, (2) Diversity of Use, (3) Extent of Use, (4) Communication, (5) Sense of Place and (6) Flexibility of Use. In order to understand the qualities of sustainability, we must first understand what each of these six aspects represents.
Now there is one outstanding important fact regarding spaceship earth, and that is that no instruction book came with it. -R. Buckminster Fuller