“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)