Creating homes and neighbourhoods that work well into the future

and don’t cost the Earth

Denise Bijoux, Kay Saville-Smith and Katja Lietz, Beacon Pathway Limited

THE IMPORTANCE OF URBAN NEIGHBOURHOODS.

MEASURING NEIGHBOURHOOD SUSTAINABILITY IN NEW ZEALAND

Beacon Pathway Limited: Vision

Creating homes and neighbourhoods

that work well into

the future

and don’t cost

the Earth

Presentation Structure

• New Zealand Cities and Neighbourhoods

• Beacon Pathway Limited

• Neighbourhoods and Sustainability

• Neighbourhood Sustainability Framework

New Zealand Cities

Urban Residential Neighbourhoods in New Zealand

Why Worry about Neighbourhoods?

•They are where people live

• Represent huge investment (economic, cultural, emotional) in the built environment:

– Dwellings

– Neighbourhood and city infrastructure

• Significant impacts on social, environmental and economic outcomes

Definition of Neighbourhood

•Clusters of households and dwellings, primarily residential functions

•Connecting spaces between individual dwellings and city systems

•Arenas of casual interaction beyond immediate neighbours

•Key sites of routines of everyday life

Neighbourhoods that Work Well

•Housing satisfaction and acceptable physical appearance

• Allows for belonging, identity, interaction and action

• Safety and low noise disturbance

• Accessible facilities and services

• Connectivity to wider settlement

• Low tenure mix

The Neighbourhood Sustainability Framework

• Designed to be outcome oriented

• To help facilitate a built environment that is designed, constructed and managed to generate neighbourhoods to:

– Be adaptive

– Be resilient

– Allow people to create rich and satisfying lives

– Respect the limitations of the environment

Neighbourhood Built Environments – Critical Impacts

• Motor vehicle – greenhouse gases, stormwater and air pollution, high $ cost, social marginalisation

• Quality and nature of public space – habitat, stormwater mechanisms, creative and physical recreation, social interaction

• Flexibility and adaptability – mixed use, various typologies and sizes, local facilities, public transport

• Higher Density – less sprawl, population mass, local business viability, increased use of public transport

Six Critical Domains of Neighbourhood Sustainability

(Saville-Smith et al, 2005)

Goals, Critical Domains and Elements for Sustainable Neighbourhoods

(Saville-Smith et al, 2005)

Tested by adapting and applying to case study areas :

•Draft LEED-ND tool (US Green Building Council)

•‘Place where you live’ survey (Oxford Brookes University)

Beacon Neighbourhood Sustainability Assessment Tools

1. Neighbourhood Sustainability Framework

2. Neighbourhood Sustainability Instruments and Calculators:

• Built Environment Observational Assessment

• Resident Self-Report Assessment

3. A Reporting Template

Key Drivers of Neighbourhood Built Environment Sustainability

Walking Access to Every Day Basic FacilitiesAccess to Public TransportEfficient Use of Space and Viability of Local CentresProtection and Enhancement of the Natural EnvironmentDwelling Sustainability

Measured Credits

Quality of SpaceDiversity and ResilienceAppropriate Street NetworkInnovation

A Mixture of Measurement and Professional Judgement, within Tight Guidelines

Key Drivers of Resident Self-Report

• Collects data on:

– Travel habits

– Use of local facilities

– Community participation

– Resource consumption

– Natural environment

– Neighbourhood satisfaction

• Calculates sustainability by reference to The Place Where You Live Survey

Beacon Neighbourhood Built Environment Assessment

NSF Critical Domains Beacon Neighbourhood Built Environment Assessment

Walking Access To Every Day Basic Facilities

Functional Flexibility

Access To Public Transport Neighbourhood Satisfaction

Efficient Use Of Space And Viability Of Local Centres

Protection And Enhancement Of The Natural Environment

Dwelling Sustainability Minimised Costs Quality Of Space Diversity And Resilience Appropriate Street Network

Innovation Effective Governance and Civic Life Resident Satisfaction With Their

Neighbourhood Resident Travel Habits

Residents’ Use Of Local Facilities Appropriate Resource Use and Climate Protection Residents’ Participation In Their

Community Residents’ Resource Consumption Maximised Biophysical

Health

Residents’ Relationship To The Natural Environment

Applying Neighbourhood Built Environment Assessment Tools

• Identifies priorities for optimising sustainability by:

– Indicating strengths and weaknesses

– Targeting built environment or social interventions

• Potential to help prioritise in consent process

• Supports house level interventions

• Interest in applying NSF principles in policy contexts at local, regional and national levels

Neighbourhood Pathways

• Sustainable neighbourhoods are critical to:

– achieving higher densities

– sustainable settlements and regions

Neighbourhood Pathways

• Neighbourhoods present opportunities for:

– House retrofit

– New design and construction awareness/desirability

– Distributed reticulation systems – electricity and water

– Improved stormwater management

– Improved connectivity and mixed use

Thank you!

www.beaconpathway.co.nz