Hi,
I'm researching ecologically sustainable (ES) urban design in master-planned communities. My focus is on the social impacts of ES technologies and practices, e.g. changes to comfort, psychological and physical health, social capital etc. It's easy to find information on the environmental benefits of ES urban design but more difficult to find studies that investigate the social effects. Does anyone know of any theoretical or empirical attempts to characterise the social impacts of ES urban design, either at a household or community level? Any help or direction would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks,
Nicki
Nicki Sochacka
PhD Student
Catalyst - Research Centre for Society and Technology
University of Queensland Brisbane, Australia
Tel: +61 7 3346 9913
Fax: +61 7 3365 4799
Social Impacts of ES Urban Design
Sign in or Sign up to comment
Nicki
Try the Martin Centre at the School of Architecture, University of Cambridge they are doing research into comfort somewhere I have a b/card from the lead researcher. If I find it I will pass it on to you.
Kind regards,
Andrew --
Andrew Stuck MA, MBA, MAUD, Dip EE
Ideas Broker, Education and Training Consultant
Community Engagement | Environmental Education
Sustainable Travel | Urban Design & Ecology Rethinking Cities Limited
66 Beauval Road London SE22 8UQ
United Kingdom 020 8299 4384 /
07725555460
[email protected]
http://www.rethinkingcities.net
See the Post-Occupancy Evaluations done by Adrian Lehman et al from http://www.usablebuildings.co.uk/ which cover building user perceptions of things like comfort in the context of more sustainable (ie mixed-mode) buildings. And see the work of Elizabeth Shove, for example the Future Comforts project: http://www.lancs.ac.uk/fass/sociology/research/projects/futcom/
Cameron Tonkinwise
Nicki,
You should check out these two editions of Alternatives journal, for well-referenced articles:
http://alternativesjournal.ca/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=51&I temid=77
http://alternativesjournal.ca/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=47&I temid=77
Regards,
Kevin Devitt
Toronto, Canada
Hi Nicki,
While I don't know of studies specific to the social impacts of sustainable design, a good test case could be Drake Landing in Okotoks, Alberta (Canada): http://www.sterlinghomesgroup.com/drake/northamerica.html The community on the whole has done a lot of work in terms of sustainability planning and development - social, economic, environmental sustainability: http://www.okotoks.ca/sustainable/publications.asp Otherwise, there may be some information stemming from the University of Calgary (Alberta) from their Master's of Environmental Design program there: http://www.ucalgary.ca/evds/
All the best with your research,
Heather
Heather Wheeliker
Coordinator, Waste Education
Alberta Environment Education & Outreach Section
Tel: (780) 427 - 5452
Fax: (780) 422 - 4086
e-mail: [email protected]
Mailing address: Main Floor, Oxbridge Place
9820 - 106 Street Edmonton, Alberta T5K 2J6
www.environment.gov.ab.ca