Challenging policy barriers in sustainable urban design

In built environment design, codes set minimum health and safety requirements, policies set aspirational targets, and incentives such as green building rating schemes set design standards. These approaches have failed to provide universal well-being and environmental justice (i.e. intra-generational...

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Main Author: Birkeland Janis
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń 2018-06-01
Series:Bulletin of Geography. Socio-Economic Series
Subjects:
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.2478/bog-2018-0013
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author Birkeland Janis
author_facet Birkeland Janis
author_sort Birkeland Janis
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description In built environment design, codes set minimum health and safety requirements, policies set aspirational targets, and incentives such as green building rating schemes set design standards. These approaches have failed to provide universal well-being and environmental justice (i.e. intra-generational equity), or increases in the natural life-support system that exceed depletion rates (i.e. inter- generational equity). Governments that do not ensure all citizens can obtain basic needs, life quality and resource security fail to meet their basic responsibilities. Two recent documents, one representing sustainable urban policy and principles, the other representing urban biodiversity standards, are examined against the Positive Development Test (whether the development increases the public estate, ecological base and future public options). The discussion suggests that contemporary policies and incentive schemes, as presently conceived, cannot provide the basic physical preconditions for sustainability, let alone address socio-economic inequities. An alternative design-based approach is presented to address the issues the paper identified.
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spelling doaj-art-b0c04caefafe41e185aa0bbcd8b887f12025-08-20T03:36:01ZengNicolaus Copernicus University in ToruńBulletin of Geography. Socio-Economic Series2083-82982018-06-014040415610.2478/bog-2018-0013bog-2018-0013Challenging policy barriers in sustainable urban designBirkeland Janis0University of Melbourne, Faculty of Architecture, Building and Planning, VIC 3010, Melbourne, AustraliaIn built environment design, codes set minimum health and safety requirements, policies set aspirational targets, and incentives such as green building rating schemes set design standards. These approaches have failed to provide universal well-being and environmental justice (i.e. intra-generational equity), or increases in the natural life-support system that exceed depletion rates (i.e. inter- generational equity). Governments that do not ensure all citizens can obtain basic needs, life quality and resource security fail to meet their basic responsibilities. Two recent documents, one representing sustainable urban policy and principles, the other representing urban biodiversity standards, are examined against the Positive Development Test (whether the development increases the public estate, ecological base and future public options). The discussion suggests that contemporary policies and incentive schemes, as presently conceived, cannot provide the basic physical preconditions for sustainability, let alone address socio-economic inequities. An alternative design-based approach is presented to address the issues the paper identified.https://doi.org/10.2478/bog-2018-0013urban designpositive developmentgreen building rating toolsnet-positive designurban biodiversitynew urban agenda
spellingShingle Birkeland Janis
Challenging policy barriers in sustainable urban design
Bulletin of Geography. Socio-Economic Series
urban design
positive development
green building rating tools
net-positive design
urban biodiversity
new urban agenda
title Challenging policy barriers in sustainable urban design
title_full Challenging policy barriers in sustainable urban design
title_fullStr Challenging policy barriers in sustainable urban design
title_full_unstemmed Challenging policy barriers in sustainable urban design
title_short Challenging policy barriers in sustainable urban design
title_sort challenging policy barriers in sustainable urban design
topic urban design
positive development
green building rating tools
net-positive design
urban biodiversity
new urban agenda
url https://doi.org/10.2478/bog-2018-0013
work_keys_str_mv AT birkelandjanis challengingpolicybarriersinsustainableurbandesign