Sustainable Urban Cells and the Energy Transect Modeling: Reconciling the Green and the Urban

The global city of the 21st century faces major challenges & crises, including social and economic stratification, wasteful consumption of resources, transportation congestion, and environmental degradation with the omnipresence of global climate change. Our cities, communities and neighborhoods are undergoing also rapid transformation and retrofits in terms of energy efficiency and climatic adaptations almost to the point of drastic environmental determinism. The discussion in this paper explores ways for raising quality of life and the standard of living in a new modern era by creating better and more viable places to live through sustainable urbanism approaches. The assertion is that the Green (Sustainable) Urbanism approaches offer an environmentally sound way to plan and design more ecologically stable communities. Sustainable Urban Cells within the idea of the Urban Energy Transect is presented here as a new quantitative and qualitative modeling approach and analytical methodology in working with planning of sustainable urban communities, compatible with other analytical tools such as Space Syntax and other GIS tools. The empirical cases (Sweden and Italy) introduced, show how a better understanding of an integrated system of zoning in a complex community urban setting can contribute to clearer planning and energy efficiency of buildings. The questions we raise are: How can we combat and reconcile urban growth with sustainable use of resources for future generations to thrive? Where and how urbanism comes into the picture? and what role ?sustainable? urban forms can play and have in light of these events? These and some other issues are tackled in this paper whose conclusions point to the predilection that beyond being a system of classification, the cell + transect model we present in this paper, has also the potential to become a better instrument for planning & design which would simply result in better places to live

MICRO CLIMATIC HOUSE DESIGN: A WAY TO ADAPT TO CLIMATE CHANGE? THE CASE OF GHAR KUMARPUR VILLAGE IN BANGLADESH

Doubt on global warming is over in the presence of firm scientific evidence supporting this phenomenon. There is not enough room to indefinitely explore the discourses on climate change; rather it is the time to act together in local and global scale for the common future of this planet. This, then, raises the question of what actions should be taken by the communities within their respective nation states and larger multi-national and global associations. Especially, in the case of developing countries, which are worst affected being in the forefront of global climate change, actions at the community level becomes paramount. One of the poorest nations- Bangladesh is worst hit by the recurrent floods and cyclones that are caused by increased global warming. The recent cyclone Sidr, which caused around 3,000 deaths and several million dollars of property loss, is an example of the devastating consequences of climatic change. Coastal areas of this country are in danger and highly vulnerable to cyclones and floods. This paper is based on the study carried out on the south-western coastal areas adjacent to the Sundarbans and such adjacency makes them unique in relation to dependency on resources. Prime focus of this paper is on the micro-climatic design of houses in response to frequent cyclone and the ways they should be designed in a more sustainable way, with available resources affordable to the community habitants. In the end, this paper raises some general questions about urban design and climate change.global warming, climate change, micro-climatic design, urban design

Urban typologies and heat energy demand. A case-study in the Italian context.

Nowadays, large parts of the world population (50-60%) are living in urban areas, which represent the most energy consuming systems (Buckley et al., 2009). Local governments are therefore asked to take new responsibilities in terms of energy management, adopting the urban scale as level of action, developing new methods and strategies to bring energy sustainability (saving/producing) and environmental quality into the cities. The development of a new energetic and environmental planning approach that can set energy as primary key – leading to a high level of urban efficiency and having a broad effect on other urban areas – is hence highly important. Different studies have pointed out the fundamental energetic role of urban morphology and typology (Ratti et al., 2004). Recognizing the key role of planning and design, and the contribution of modeling, some questions are arising: is it possible to analyze the performances of the built environment in a georeferenced way, considering the effect of urban design/form aspects, in order to achieve a better knowledge of those city characteristics that influence energy demand? Which is the role played by typologies in (re)orienting the energy analyses/model? Which targets can be achieved in reducing cost and energy? The project explore different factors involved in the energy performance of the city, in particular using an innovative evaluation model of heat energy demand, which has urban typologies as starting and key point of the analyses. A dynamic and georeferenced method has been specifically developed, allowing the estimation of the energy behavior of the “real†city. The empirical study is applied at the City of Gorgonzola - Italy, which holds potential both for the dimension of the built environment and the variety of urban typologies, which allow a comparison between them. Purpose of the paper is thus to analyze the results coming from the estimation, that can lead to a strong integration between energy, urban design and planning system.

Poststructuralist fiddling while the world burns: Exiting the self made crisis of “architectural culture”

We critique the current crisis for the environmental design professions: facing urgent ecological, social and economic imperatives, key leadership has become mired in the confusions of do nothing postmodernist artistic doctrine. The result is a self made state of paralysis, leaving the egregious mistakes of the past to be endlessly repeated, while it only matters that they are cloaked in ever more aesthetically extravagant artistic garb. We argue that this self excusing paralysis arises because, under a poststructuralist infatuation with ambiguity, multiplicity and constructed meaning, an effective shared framework to address the urgent challenges of the built environment becomes impossible. This paralysis is rewarded, however, because it serves narrow economic interests, which are happy to find rationalisations for projects that might otherwise be rejected as of inferior quality. We conclude with the hopeful observation that the ingredients of such a framework are indeed emerging from the biological sciences and other fields. However, to make use of them, we argue, professionals must learn to critique, and finally to dispense with, the misapplications of non productive forms of thinking, a number of which we specify herein. We hope this paper will serve as one small step on that important path

Urban typologies and heat energy demand. A case-study in the Italian context

Nowadays, large parts of the world population (50-60%) are living in urban areas, which represent the most energy consuming systems (Buckley et al., 2009). Local governments are therefore asked to take new responsibilities in terms of energy management, adopting the urban scale as level of action, developing new methods and strategies to bring energy sustainability (saving/producing) and environmental quality into the cities. The development of a new energetic and environmental planning approach that can set energy as primary key - leading to a high level of urban efficiency and having a broad effect on other urban areas - is hence highly important. Different studies have pointed out the fundamental energetic role of urban morphology and typology (Ratti et al., 2004). Recognizing the key role of planning and design, and the contribution of modeling, some questions are arising: is it possible to analyze the performances of the built environment in a georeferenced way, considering the effect of urban design/form aspects, in order to achieve a better knowledge of those city characteristics that influence energy demand? Which is the role played by typologies in (re)orienting the energy analyses/model? Which targets can be achieved in reducing cost and energy? The project explore different factors involved in the energy performance of the city, in particular using an innovative evaluation model of heat energy demand, which has urban typologies as starting and key point of the analyses. A dynamic and georeferenced method has been specifically developed, allowing the estimation of the energy behavior of the "real" city. The empirical study is applied at the City of Gorgonzola - Italy, which holds potential both for the dimension of the built environment and the variety of urban typologies, which allow a comparison between them. Purpose of the paper is thus to analyze the results coming from the estimation, that can lead to a strong integration between energy, urban design and planning system

Introduction: Toward a "Post-Alexandrian" Agenda

Christopher Alexander, who died in March 2022, was undeniably one of the most influential, if sometimes controversial, urban thinkers of the last half-century. From Notes on the Synthesis of Form, his first book and Harvard PhD thesis, to the landmark "A City is Not a Tree," to the classic best-sellers A Pattern Language and The Timeless Way of Building, to his more difficult and controversial magnum opus, The Nature of Order, Alexander has left a body of work whose breadth and depth is only now coming into view. Yet Alexander’s legacy is also the subject of intense debate and critique within the planning and design fields. This introduction provides an overview of the thematic issue of Urban Planning titled "Assessing the Complex Contributions of Christopher Alexander." Its purpose is to provide greater clarity on where Alexander's contribution is substantial, and where there are documented gaps and remaining challenges. Most importantly, the thematic issue aims to identify fruitful avenues for further research and development, taking forward some of the more promising but undeveloped insights of this seminal 20th-century thinker

New Urbanism in the New Urban Agenda: Threads of an Unfinished Reformation

We present evidence that New Urbanism, defined as a set of normative urban characteristics codified in the 1996 Charter of the New Urbanism, reached a seminal moment - in mission if not in name - with the 2016 New Urban Agenda, a landmark document adopted by acclamation by all 193 member states of the United Nations. We compare the two documents and find key parallels between them (including mix of uses, walkable multi-modal streets, buildings defining public space, mix of building ages and heritage patterns, co-production of the city by the citizens, and understanding of the city as an evolutionary self-organizing structure). Both documents also reveal striking contrasts with the highly influential 20th century Athens Charter, from 1933, developed by the Congrès Internationaux d'Architecture Moderne. Yet, both newer documents also still face formidable barriers to implementation, and, as we argue, each faces similar challenges in formulating effective alternatives to business as usual. We trace this history up to the present day, and the necessary requirements for what we conclude is an 'unfinished reformation' ahead

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Light railways and busways as key driver for sustainable urban development: The Swedish experiences with transit‐oriented development (TOD)

Sustainable urbanism and good placemaking revolve around creating and maintaining sustainable and attractive places, by reviving planning and urban design paradigms, by experimenting and innovating and by building synergies between the old and the new. The expectations for wide accessibility and networking are very high and the challenge today is to integrate and improve the efficiency and effectiveness of urban and transport systems. The transports have to fulfil the ongoing demands for enhanced efficiency, comfort, safety and speed, as well as the environmental factors in the light of global climate change and energy crisis. One accent in the last 20 years has been on transit‐oriented development (TOD), compact cities and urbanity‐empowering public transports like light railways or light rail transit (LRT) or bus rapid transit (BRT) with its busways as key drivers for sustainable neighbourhoods. TOD in a Swedish (European) perspective is by no means a new idea. Three cases of newer light railway and busway projects (Stockholm, Gothenburg and Norrkoping) are explored in this article and they are seen through a historical overview of the TOD experiences in Sweden and around the world. We also investigate and draw attention to the values of placemaking and sustainable urbanism via the advantages and disadvantages of the urban and regional public transport systems and TOD principles

Public Space in the New Urban Agenda: Research into Implementation

The New Urban Agenda is a landmark international framework for urbanisation for the next two decades, adopted by acclamation by all 193 countries of the United Nations. Nonetheless, implementation remains an enormous challenge, as does the related need for research evidence to inform practice. This thematic issue brings together research from a number of participants of the Future of Places conference series, contributin new research to inform the development and implementation of the New Urban Agenda, and with a focus on the fundamental topic of public space creation and improvement