Seven Principles for the Design of a Sustainable Built Environment

A sustainable built environment depends…

1. an integrative, human-ecological design approach

· the design must be integrative, multidisciplinary versus more conventional linear, disciplinary process

· man’s impact on nature is greater than ecosystems can adapt and adjust to

2. changing approaches to land use and community fabric

· mixed-use community planning allows for pedestrian linkages among residential, institutional, commercial and recreational places that support daily lives

· move away from single-use, car-dependent developments and move toward the increased use of existing infrastructure, revitalization, infill and reuse of existing communities with more pedestrian friendly, mixed-use quality of life (cut commute time, quality of life for those who do not have cars)

3. effective use of natural, local, and global resources to reduce infrastructure loading and maximize infrastructure use

4. the use of locally harvested and crafted materials and assemblies

5. the design of forgiving and adaptive systems, including structure, enclosure, mechanical, lighting, networking, and interior systems.

6. design for life-cycle instead of minimum first cost

7. the promotion of infrastructures to neighborhood amenities

Sustainable design integrates consideration of resource and energy efficiency, healthy buildings, ecologically and socially sensitive land use, and an aesthetic sensitivity that inspires, affirms, and ennobles  AIA/IUA

Must change our thinking…

• building to last
• instead of privatizing the profits while socializing the costs to life-cycle ownership
• from thinning out America to making American communities pedestrian friendly
• from paving of America to landscaping of America
• From the crumbling of American infrastructures to engineering longevity
• From a widening of the haves and have-nots to a shared future

How this can be achieved…

· Multiple-family housing – reduce land, infrastructure, etc. consumption

· Multiple options for recycling, reuse and remanufacturing materials and skilled people to operate these activities

· Car-free mobility - walking, cycling and public transit viable

· Co-generation of electricity and use of industrial waste heat to reduce per capita energy consumption, cleaner air, easy access to amenities, closer to shopping/employment

· Cities become more self-reliant – rethink cities as complete ecosystems (bioregional)

Ref:  BuiltEnviromentHelpSheet.doc