Waldron Cayuela Miller SB13 June5 record - cagbc.org · Regenera’ve)Neighbourhoods)– scalingupfromnetposivebuildings Stream’5’–Pushing’the’Boundaries:’Net’Posi6ve’Buildings(SB13

Regenera've Neighbourhoods – scaling up from net posi've buildings

Stream 5 – Pushing the Boundaries: Net Posi6ve Buildings (SB13) CaGBC Na6onal Conference and Expo, Vancouver BC, June 4-‐6, 2013

D. Waldron Synapse Strategies/University of Bri6sh Columbia A. Cayuela University of Bri6sh Columbia D. Miller University of Bri6sh Columbia

Early findings from the Regenera've Neighbourhoods Project

3 Tracks: 1.   Research (understand/assess) 2.   Applica'on (Campus as Living Lab)

3.   Networking and Knowledge Diffusion

Waldron, D., Cayuela, A., Miller, D. CaGBC Na6onal Conference and Exhibi6on, June 4

-‐ 6, 2013, Vancouver, BC

This Presenta'on

•  Context: Sustainability Challenges and the Built Environment

•  Big Idea: ‘Regenera've Sustainability at the Neighbourhood Scale’

•  Building-‐scale observa'ons (e.g. CIRS)

•  Scan of Urban Sustainability Context

•  Early Observa'ons and Proposi'ons



Context



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2

4

6

8

10

12

1950 1975 2000 2025 2050

Billions Medium

HighLow

00.5

11.5

22.5

33.5

44.5

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Po

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2005 2030

RuralUrban

Urban Popula'on Challenge

Ref. UNDP 2012



•  Water •  Energy & Climate Change •  Air Quality •  Materials & Waste •  Transporta6on & Land Use •  Food & Nutrients •  Biodiversity/Habitat

•  Affordability •  Employment •  Health •  Social Jus6ce •  Community Fabric •  Infrastructure Funding* •  Etc....

Urban Sustainability – e.g. Interconnected Challenges

*Es6mated Global Municipal Infrastructure Investment: ~$53 trillion to 2030 (OECD, 2007)



ShiZing the perspec've



ShiZing the perspec've

Big Idea: ‘Regenera've Sustainability’ “a net posi've approach to sustainability leading to a mutually beneficial co-‐evolu'on of socio-‐cultural (‘human’) and ecological (‘natural’) systems” (Cole, Mang & Reed)

Our Guiding Ques6on: “to what degree can human ac8vi8es lead to improvement of both environmental and human wellbeing?” (Robinson)



Why Neighbourhoods?

•  A large influence on global sustainability: ci6es shape themselves ‘organically’ from the boeom-‐up

•  Limita6ons of single-‐building innova6on

•  More meaningful community engagement?

•  more informed engagement/sense of ownership (vs. urban)

•  more diverse & representa6ve interests and issues (vs. building)

•  Other...? Waldron, D., Cayuela, A., Miller, D. CaGBC Na6onal Conference and Exhibi6on, June 4


Rendering by Busby Perkins + Will

Building Scale Example: Centre for Interac've Research on Sustainability (CIRS)

Moving from “less bad” to “net posi8ve” – two dimensions: •  Environmental wellbeing

Energy Water Structural Carbon Opera6onal Carbon

•  Human wellbeing Health Happiness Produc6vity



e.g. Water and Energy at CIRS



Rendering by Busby Perkins + Will

Some observa'ons about scaling up from net posi've buildings...

•  Sub-‐system needs larger system(s) •  Biophysical:

•  complex integrated stocks & flows (metabolism)

•  constraints (6me, distance, etc.) •  quan6fica6on, boundaries & LCA

•  Interac6ons, narra6ve & community-‐building

•  Blurred & porous boundaries •  Unique characteris6cs of surroundings

(e.g. water vs. PV) •  Discrete pre-‐ & post-‐occupancy



Building within Neighbourhood

NEIGHBOURHOOD

Building: Capable of ‘net posi6ve’ contribu6ons to human & environmental wellbeing (i.e. beyond the building)



Neighbourhood within Urban?

Regenera6ve Neighbourhoods: i.e. capable of net posi6ve contribu6ons beyond neighbourhood? What addi'onal human and environmental wellbeing issues are ‘in play’ at the urban scale? (...and, therefore, influence the poten6al for ‘neighbourhoods to make ‘net posi6ve’ contribu6ons?)

URBAN



Converging Threads (some examples) ➠  Regenera've design &

development

➠  Urban sustainability planning, design & assessment

➠  Complexity science & urban morphology

➠  Urban & neighbourhood metabolism

➠  Urban Economics

➠  Public Health

➠  Etc.

Neighbourhood Niche (within urban):

... How can these threads of knowledge inform ‘net posi6ve’ approaches for

human and environmental wellbeing?



e.g. Neighbourhood Metabolism

“...prac8cal solu8ons to the development of sustainable ci8es can be achieved through studying urban metabolism, urban ecology,..., and the interdependency between social actors, ins8tu8ons, and biophysical system flows” [Emphasis Added] (Kennedy et al., 2012) Waldron, D., Cayuela, A., Miller, D. CaGBC

Na6onal Conference and Exhibi6on, June 4 -‐ 6, 2013, Vancouver, BC

Urban Context Observa'ons •  Scaling up introduces an array of new issues (& changes in emphases)

•  Regenera6ve Design and Development is intended to scale up (but tends to focus on built form)...

•  Urban Sustainability field is ‘wider & thinner’ (& tends towards ‘less harm’)

•  Poten6al to weave threads to improve human & environmental wellbeing:

•  Synergis6c? Co-‐benefits? •  Unintended consequences?

•  Reminder: shik the role of the built environment: serves the capability for posi6ve co-‐evolu6on... (Cole)

URBAN



...and scaling down

Summary Reflec'ons on ‘scaling up’...



•  Story, inten'on, place-‐based narra've

•  Highly par'cipatory, relevant & resonant

•  Poten'al-‐seeking •  Capability enabling •  Adap've and transforma'onal

•  Etc....

Process Considera'ons? (proposi'ons)



Scaling up Dimensions

Biophysical (e.g.): •  Energy, carbon and climate... •  Water... •  Materials food and nutrients... •  Biodiversity... •  Air quality... •  Etc.



Human/Social (e.g.): •  Happiness, physical & mental health... •  Learning/educa'on... •  Arts/beauty... •  Housing/shelter needs... •  Social Jus'ce... •  Safety/security... •  Transporta'on/movement...

Scaling up Dimensions



Smaller to larger scales

Building Neighbourhood ‘Niche’

Urban/ Metro

‘Rigor of tangible net pos

i've outcomes,

built environment models

Complexity & diversity of repr

esenta6ve

socio-‐economic and enviro

nmental issues

Neighbourhood as ‘Niche’



Postscript on ‘Net Posi've’



Net Posi've? Temporal •  Con6nuous flux, boeom-‐up ‘organic’ growth. Neighbourhood socio-‐economic ac6vi6es shape ci6es... (Baey)

•  Consider pre-‐ & post-‐interven8on •  Short term: rolling baseline & interven6ons? •  Long term: benchmarking historical levels

(in the Anthropocene)? •  Biophysical: e.g. contribute to balancing

cycles (e.g. C, P, H2O), biodiversity, etc. •  Human: (e.g. objec6ve & subjec6ve

wellbeing)? •  Consider the process of engaging (‘net posi6ve’ engagement process)? Waldron, D., Cayuela, A., Miller, D. CaGBC

Na6onal Conference and Exhibi6on, June 4 -‐ 6, 2013, Vancouver, BC

Net Posi've? Spa'al •  Neighbourhoods changing size & shape •  Different sub-‐systems – different boundaries (e.g. energy, cultural, ecological)

•  Qualita6ve maeers! (including new ‘inten6on’, narra6ve, story, language, goals)

•  Quan6ta6ve? •  Set boundaries? •  Metabolism & LCA/LCC tools? •  Re-‐consider: ‘net posi6ve ripple effect’ (e.g. from interven6on points)?

•  Consider net posi6ve engagement process – i.e. beyond neighbourhood?



Regenera've Neighbourhoods – scaling up from net posi've buildings

Stream 5 – Pushing the Boundaries: Net Posi6ve Buildings (SB13) CaGBC Na6onal Conference and Expo, Vancouver BC, June 4-‐6, 2013

D. Waldron Synapse Strategies/University of Bri6sh Columbia A. Cayuela University of Bri6sh Columbia D. Miller University of Bri6sh Columbia

Documents

Waldron Cayuela Miller SB13 June5 record - cagbc.org · Regenera’ve)Neighbourhoods)– scalingupfromnetposivebuildings Stream’5’–Pushing’the’Boundaries:’Net’Posi6ve’Buildings(SB13