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Capitalize on a Comprehensive New Process for Planning and Designing Sustainable Green Communities.
Written by internationally renowned architect Avi Friedman, Sustainable Residential Development equips you with a much-needed process and examples for planning and designing green communities. This landmark resource explains the principles of green building and how to apply them to residential development, presenting guidelines for creating communities that balance social, economic, and environmental needs.
Filled with plans, elevations, and vignettes, the book shows how to incorporate wind direction, sun exposure, tree preservation, topography, and public spaces into site plan. It also shows how to design high-density neighborhoods . . . apply green design and construction principles by using local materials and techniques, solar power, waste management, and water efficiency . . . as well as rehabilitate neighborhoods while respecting their heritage. Sustainable Residential Development features:
- Expert guidelines for planning and designing communities that balance social, economic, and environmental needs.
- A wealth of international and U.S. case studies and examples that illustrate the principles of sustainable community design.
- Over 100 downloadable plans and elevations that offer a head start for planning and designing sustainable communities.
Inside this Green Planning and Design Guide:
- Defining and Applying Principles of Sustainability in Neighborhood Development.
- Learning Lessons from the Past: The Rise of Suburbia.
- Site Selection and Analysis.
- Strategies for High-Density Neighborhoods: The New Urbanism.
- Planning, Design, and Construction Principles for Sustainability.
- The Urban Renewal Process and Architectural Heritage.
- Balancing Environmental, Cultural, and Economic Needs: A Framework for Greener Neighborhoods.
From the Preface
Global warming, depletion of non-renewable natural resources, and urban sprawl have become global
challenges. Decades of poor planning, inconsiderate building practices, and overconsumption of goods
have done little to reverse course in the residential environment. This book is about the steps that need to be taken to alter that course.
The term subdivision suits most suburban developments. Land is partitioned with disregard to the site's
natural features, wide roads are paved and oversized residences with huge garages and big expanses
of picture windows are constructed. Identical homes attract households of similar demographic background and means, robbing the place of relationships that sprout when people of different age groups and incomes mix. The common sense that led the development of neighborhoods in earlier centuries has been abandoned.
The thrust of this book is to reintroduce common sense to the design of neighborhoods. The principles
of community that are proposed in this book are the outcome of my examination of environmental, social, and economic concerns during residential neighborhood planning and after occupancy. The approach in this book is a stark deviation from that of contemporary developers, who initiate processes in which a few aspects, be they stylistic or monetary, are the focus. Residents' needs and the areas' natural conditions are often ignored, while the initiating party's financial objectives are the focus of these developments. Affordability, proximity to open spaces, and privacy still hold great promise and attraction, yet these considerations must be reconfigured to align with other concerns brought about by the twenty-first century.
Principles of sustainable development represent a better approach. Sustaining present needs, while considering the needs of future generations, is the focus of this book, which offers discussions of these principles and presents projects that demonstrate them. The scope of sustainability includes a variety of manifestations. Both the conception processes and, once built, the life span of the communities and homes are important considerations. Each chapter deals with one stage in the process, from selecting a site while conserving its natural conditions, to siting a development, planning for a denser community, designing "green" homes, rehabilitating neighborhoods and dwellings when they age, and finally implementing it all. The text walks the reader through historical roots, planning and design principles, and a project in which the thought process, its application, and its outcome are described.
Chapter 1 offers fundamental terms, recalls the contemporary genesis and interpretation of sustainability, adds an expanded definition and formulates principles to evaluate the merit of sustainable communities, reviews the role of key stakeholders, and provides a sketch of a sustainable place. Learning from the past is essential to charting a road to the future, and Chapter 2 is devoted to the historical evolution of the neighborhood and the rise of suburbia. Chapter 3 discusses items that need to be considered in residential project site selection. The relationships between nature and society are traced, principles are listed, and a detailed project with an integrated approach to sustainable design is described.
The need to offer a response to the many negative consequences of rampant urban sprawl led to my
writing Chapter 4 on denser neighborhoods. When proper planning strategies are adopted, even
dense communities can maintain many of the attributes that draw people to suburbia. This chapter
reviews the evolution of high-density living, outlines planning and design principles, and demonstrates
their implementation.
Chapter 5 discusses dwellings whose design and mode of operation make careful use of resources.
Past roots of such settlements and homes are traced, and design and construction principles are
outlined. The later part of the chapter offers an in-depth look at a community that integrated a
number of sustainable planning and design principles.
Planning for and regarding the renewal of a community as a large recycling and retooling project,
while respecting urban and architectural heritage, is the subject of Chapter 6. Neighborhoods and
homes are built onto history, and lifecycle approaches must accompany their planning process.
When a neighborhood's physical and social standing decline, extra offers are required to place
them back on good footing. Heritage conservation is discussed, guidelines are laid out, and the
rehabilitation of a neighborhood and its renewal along sustainable principles is described. Finally,
Chapter 7 offers considerations for implementing sustainability. It lists general criteria for
acceptance of innovation, describes common certification methods, and presents demonstration
projects.
If I were to illustrate the thrust of my own professional work, it would likely be a row of homes
standing tall next to each other. Over the years, in collaboration with others, I have studied,
designed, thought out, and advocated for common-sense neighborhoods and homes. The work
spans from physical features that enhance the web of community relations, to the reduction of
resources necessary to build and operate such places. I hope this book successfully shares the
knowledge I have gathered and helps decision-makers and professionals design neighborhoods
using sustainable principles.
Table of Contents
Preface. Acknowldegements. Chapter 1: Fundamental Terms and Principles. Chapter 2: The Rise of Suburbia. Chapter 3: Siting a Community. Chapter 4: High-Density Neighborhoods. Chapter 5: Green Homes. Chapter 6: Urban and Dwelling Renewal. Chapter 7: Implementing Sustainability. Bibliography. Index.
About the Author
Avi Friedman PhD is a Professor of Architecture, where he directs a housing design program. Known world-wide for his housing innovation and contributions to green building, he is a recipient of the United Nations World Habitat Award, Progressive Architecture Research Award, and the Association of Collegiate School of Architects Creative Achievement Award, Dr. Friedman is also the author of The Grow Home; Planning the New Suburbia; Peeking Through the Keyhole: The Evolution of the North American Home; The Adaptable House; Homes Within Reach: A Guide to the Planning, Design, and Construction of Affordable Homes and Communities; and Room for Thought: Rethinking Home and Community Design. |
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