Table Of Content

Avi Friedman Fundamentals of Sustainable Urban Design Fundamentals of Sustainable Urban Design Avi Friedman Fundamentals of Sustainable Urban Design Avi Friedman McGill University School of Architecture Montreal, QC, Canada ISBN 978-3-030-60864-4 ISBN 978-3-030-60865-1 (eBook) https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-60865-1 © Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2021 This work is subject to copyright. All rights are reserved by the Publisher, whether the whole or part of the material is concerned, specifically the rights of translation, reprinting, reuse of illustrations, recitation, broadcasting, reproduction on microfilms or in any other physical way, and transmission or information storage and retrieval, electronic adaptation, computer software, or by similar or dissimilar methodology now known or hereafter developed. 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This Springer imprint is published by the registered company Springer Nature Switzerland AG The registered company address is: Gewerbestrasse 11, 6330 Cham, Switzerland Preface Fundamental global and local social changes bring about a need to rethink urban design strategies and align them along sustainable principles. Past approaches no longer sustain new demands of innovation. The need for a new outlook is propelled by environmental, social, and economic transformations in large and small communities. The depletion of nonrenewable natural resources, elevated levels of greenhouse gas emissions, and climate change are a few of the environmental challenges. They force urban designers to reconsider conceptual approaches in favor of ones that promote a better suitability between communities and nature. Consideration of overall planning concepts that minimize a development’s carbon footprint by including district heating, considering passive solar gain, promoting local renew- able energy production, and preserving the site’s natural assets are some strategies that architects and builders are integrating into their thought process and practice. Social challenges are also drawing the attention of key stockholders. As the “baby-boom” generation is retiring, accommodating elderly populations in cities and homes is taking priority. Walkable communities, aging in place, and multigen- erational living are some of the concepts considered. In addition, live-work environments have become part of the economic reality for those who wish to work from home—made possible through digital advances. In addition, a call to reduce urban sprawl, shrinking family size, and rapidly growing aging populations have led to demands for new housing types. Economic fluctuations and shifting buying and production trends have affected world markets and the lives of individuals leading to a downturn in some cities’ wealth and the creation of new types of business hubs in others. For one, the rise of grassroots and sharable initiatives seems to be a natural outcome of these transformations. Establishing an economy somewhat independent of global and national trends has always been an aim of many communities, but recent crises may increase interest in this goal considerably. Cities are resorting to measures that encourage people to use local products and services. As a result of these transformations, this book is aiming to offer sustainable urban design strategies and practices for the planning of new cities and renewal of v vi Preface existing ones, to make them resilient to the present and future challenges. The need to think innovatively and systematically about the design of cities also guided the structure and the content of this book that is organized in four parts. Part I, Adapting to Changing Times, sets the stage for all the book’s chapters. The subjects discussed in this part are Chap. 1: Present and Future Challenges, Chap. 2: Sustainability and Urban Design. Part II, Urban Forms and Buildings’ Shape, examines the broader planning issues of cities. It includes Chap. 3: Master Planning for Sustainability, Chap. 4: The Form of a Place, Chap. 5: Choosing a Suitable Density, Chap. 6: Orienting for the Elements, Chap. 7: Space Defining Buildings, Chap. 8: Sense of Place, Human Scale, and Vistas, Chap. 9: Mixing Land Uses and Dwelling Types, Chap. 10: Infill Projects and Strategies for their Integration, Chap. 11: Urban Design for Growth and Change, Chap. 12: Identity and Diversity of Districts and Buildings, Chap. 13: Planning for Energy Distribution and Waste Collection, Chap. 14: Communities with a Digital Heart. Part III deals with Mobility and Connectivity in Cities. It includes Chap. 15: Mobility and the City; the Broad View, Chap. 16: Urban Design for Transit-Oriented Development, Chap. 17: Alternative Standards for Streets, Paths, and Pavements, Chap. 18: Urban Design for Safe Walking and Biking, Chap. 19: Car-Free Environments and Shared Streets, Chap. 20: Public Transit and Urban Design, Chap. 21: Urban Design and Shared Transport, Chap. 22: Accommodating Seniors and People with Reduced Mobility, Chap. 23: Accessibility and Livability in Winter Cities. Part IV deals with Public and Green Open Spaces. It includes Chap. 24: Open Spaces as an Urban System, Chap. 25: Integrating Existing Natural Features, Chap. 26: Urban Design for Biodiversity, Chap. 27: Planting and Landscaping for Sustainability, Chap. 28: Open Spaces for Healthy Living, Chap. 29: Urban Agriculture and Community Gardens, Chap. 30: Urban Design for Social Engagement, and Chap. 31: Public Art and Street Furniture. The trust of the book lays in the fact that sustainability is the overarching aspect of all the strategies and practices discussed. It offers a systematic and structured approach to urban design to cover aspects central to decision-making. The theories are accompanied by cases and illustrations that support the concepts described. When put together, these subjects offer a comprehensive compendium of issues that will guide urban design in changing times. Montreal, QC, Canada Avi Friedman Acknowledgments Sustainable planning was a subject of my work for many years. It included collabo- ration with and contribution by numerous colleagues, assistants, and students who directly and indirectly inspired my work. My apology if I have mistakenly omitted the name of someone who contributed to this book. I will do my best to correct such omission in future editions. This book could not have been written without contribution to the background research, compiling information, and the writing by a team of highly dedicated assistance. It included my outstanding former students Emmanuelle (Emma) Bandia, Simone Dayal-Escutin, Alexandra Pollock, and Kelly Waldron. Their dedication, hard work, talent, and punctuality are most appreciated. Assembling the book’s material, its organization, and editing was coordinated by another former student Genessa Bates. I truly appreciate Genessa’s hard work, dedication, insistence on clarity, accuracy, and outstanding communication skills. Special thanks are extended to Charles Grégoire, Elisa Costa, Jeff Jerome, Zhong Cai, Diana Nigmatullina, Josie White, Juan Mesa, Jing Han (Jay), David Auerdach, Isabella Rubial, Rainier Silva, JJ Zhao, Xiong Wu Fa, Amelie Lessard, Nyd Garavito-Bruhn, Na Zhang, and Jing Yan Liu who drew the illustrations. Their talent and insistence on achieving excellence is truly appreciated and admired. Many thanks are also extended to the elected officials and administrators of the cities who invited me to consult them and are featured in the book. My apprecia- tions go to my design team members, who are listed in the Projects’ Teams list for their utmost dedication. To Michael Luby, Senior Publishing Editor at Springer and Nicole Lowary, Assistant Editor, many thanks for the trust and the guidance. Finally, my heartfelt thanks and appreciation to my wife Sorel Friedman, Ph.D., and children Paloma and Ben for their love and support. vii Contents Part I A dapting to Changing Times 1 Present and Future Challenges . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 2 Sustainability and Urban Design . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 Part II U rban Forms and Buildings’ Shape 3 Master Planning for Sustainability . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29 4 The Form of a Place . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37 5 Choosing a Suitable Density . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49 6 Orienting for the Elements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57 7 Space Defining Buildings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67 8 Sense of Place, Human Scale, and Vistas . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75 9 Mixing Land Uses and Dwelling Types . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85 10 Infill Projects and Strategies for Their Integration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95 11 Urban Design for Growth and Change . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 105 12 Identity and Diversity of Districts and Buildings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 115 13 Planning for Energy Distribution and Waste Collection . . . . . . . . . . . 125 14 Communities with a Digital Heart . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 135 Part III M obility and Connectivity 15 Mobility and the City: The Broad View . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 145 16 Urban Design for Transit-Oriented Development . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 155 ix x Contents 17 Alternative Standards for Streets, Paths, and Pavements . . . . . . . . . . 163 18 Urban Design for Safe Walking and Biking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 171 19 Car-Free Environments and Shared Streets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 181 20 Public Transit and Urban Design . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 187 21 Urban Design and Shared Transport . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 197 22 Accommodating Seniors and People with Reduced Mobility . . . . . . . 205 23 Accessibility and Livability in Winter Cities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 213 Part IV P ublic and Green Open Spaces 24 Open Spaces as an Urban System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 225 25 Integrating Existing Natural Features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 235 26 Urban Design for Biodiversity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 245 27 Planting and Landscaping for Sustainability . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 257 28 Open Spaces for Healthy Living . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 267 29 Urban Agriculture and Community Gardens . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 277 30 Urban Design for Social Engagement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 285 31 Public Art and Street Furniture. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 295 Illustration Credits . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 307 Projects’ Teams . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 309 Bibliography . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 311 Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 321 Part I Adapting to Changing Times