“Earthrise” taken by astronaut William Anders

Apollo 8, Dec 24, 1968

Apollo 17’s “the blue marble” 1972

World Population Trend

0.8 1

1.65

2.523

3.7

4.5

5.3

6

7

0

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

bil

lio

n

1700 1800 1900 1950 1960 1970 1980 1990 2000 2012

World population increased more in the 12 years between 2000 & 2012

than it did in the 200 years between 1700 and 1900

850 million

in 200 yrs

1 billion

in 12 yrs

Las Vegas, Nevada

May, 1973

Population 358,400

Las Vegas, Nevada

June, 1991

Population 937,261

Las Vegas, Nevada

May, 2000

Population 1,563,282

Las Vegas, Nevada

February, 2006

Population 2,013,267

City of College Station, Texas

Change in City Limits and Development

1938 – 2003 (65 years)

Example of resource use:

Transportation • U.S. represents 5% of the world’s population but

uses ~ 25% of the world’s oil.

• Oil use in 2007: #1 USA used 20.7 million bbl/day; #2 China 7.5 million bbl/day….

• U.S. has 30% of the world’s motor vehicles. 66% of oil used in the U.S. goes to transportation.

• Motor vehicles cause more air pollution than any other single resource use.

• 30-50% of urban land is dedicated to auto transport

• Rate of car ownership and miles travelled are down in USA over last 5 - 10 years.

Questions

• Is growth sustainable?

• Is development sustainable?

What is sustainable

development?

• Bruntland Commission 1987: “… meets the

needs of the present without compromising

the ability of future generations to meet

their own needs.”

• Recognition of limits

• Maintenance of resources, places

• Lasting, enduring

Three principles of

sustainable places

• Strive to maintain an ecological/biological balance in a place

▪attempt to balance between open space for habitat, flood control, cleaner air, cleaner water and infrastructure: transportation, buildings

▪encourage behaviors and adopt technologies that conserve resources

• Strive to create or maintain a sense of place

▪history/culture (what’s a place mean to residents and visitors)

▪the aesthetic of place (visual, auditory, olfactory)

• Strive to provide equitable access to process and decisions regarding place

▪including citizens in why and how to change

▪equitable access to places and services

Ecological -

Land Use Issues

Greenway System Benefits:

wildlife habitat/biodiversity

flood control

water & air quality

alternative transportation

fitness and recreation

Greenways

Highways

Green Infrastructure

http://greeninfrastructure.net/content/definition-green-infrastructure

Parks and other open space in proper

balance with built environment

http://water.epa.gov/infrastructure/greeninfrastructure/index.cfm

Ecological - open space and land use issues

- building design considerations

Mass transit

Building design

Permeable pavement

Solar lighting

Ecology - Transportation Houston

Anchorage

Plano

Design for Alternatives to the Car Bike/Ped Bridge, Austin

Austin’s Lady Bird Lake Trail Recreation and Transportation

A Center Piece in Urban Design

Classic Urban Center Piece NYC Central Park – Olmstead and Vaux

Planning an Alternative System

Mixed Land Use: Salt Lake City, UT: Location & Connectivity

Leadership in Energy and

Environmental Design - LEED

• Certification program that is administered by the

U.S. Green Building Council

• Awards points for “green” building and

development practices

• Different point levels allow projects to achieve

different certification levels: Certified (40-49 pts);

Silver (50-59 pts); Gold (60-79 pts); Platinum

(over 80 pts)

LEED Certification for Construction

• Site is important – brownfield redevelopment; alternative

transport supported through access and facilities; protect

habitat; maximize open space; stormwater control; reduce

light pollution

• Water efficiency – reduce use of water; rainwater

collection

• Energy and atmosphere – minimize energy consumption;

on-site renewable energy

• Materials and resources – reuse existing buildings;

recycled content; certified wood

• Indoor environmental quality – ventilation; low emitting

materials; daylight and views; controllability of lighting

systems

LEED Certification for Neighborhoods

• Location and linkages – reduced automobile dependence;

bicycle network and storage; jobs and proximity; steep

slope protection; site design for habitat, wetland, water

conservation

• Neighborhood pattern – walkable streets; mixed use

centers; reduced parking footprint; street connectivity;

access to recreation facilities; access to civic and public

spaces; local food production; tree lined shaded streets;

neighborhood schools; mixed-income diverse communities

Sense of Place

Sense of Place – Design with nature

Brison Park,

College Station

Cell tower designed to blend

with nature

Sense of Place - Denver

First impressions:

Denver International

Airport

Denver Convention Center

RecreationalEquipmentInc. Denver…

- Historic power plant redeveloped

- Located on Platte River

- Reflects Denver’s history and

Colorado’s outdoor active image

Dallas Convention Center

Sense of Place – History/Culture

Sense of Place –

A River as focal point

Water

Sense of Place –

Transportation

Old bridge design influenced the new

Maintaining “sense of place” in a new development. Original

control tower retained at Mueller Development in Austin, TX

Mueller Development has incorporated local art and has maintained

20% of the land as parks and open space to help create a sense of

place, create habitat and manage stormwater.

Equitable access to process & decisions

Planning and design processes have traditionally reflected

only the ideas of experts

client design

Public design should include

ideas of many - guided by experts

Desire for

change Livable design

Example – creating one facility for multiple user groups

Skate park design team

included important user

groups

People need to understand

what they have

Trail planning field trip

Hearing from many - regional stakeholders provide input for

national park transportation

Summary

• Many of our places are changing rapidly

• The sustainability concept can help guide change

• Good planning/design of parks and other tourism places should contribute to sustainable (lasting) communities.

Ecology of place (behaviors, land uses, technologies)

Sense of place (visual quality, history, identity)

Equity in place (including many perspectives and offering many opportunities)