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09:00   General Paper Session AESOP - Planning for sustainable urban areas
Chair: Andy van den Dobbelsteen
09:00
15 mins 		System-search SUSTAINABLE PLANNING AND LAND VALUATION. NEW FORMS OF SUBURBAN GROWTH IN AREAS OF THE SPANISH MEDITERRANEAN COAST.
Gema Ramirez Pacheco, Federico Garcia Erviti
Abstract: The present paper, linked to the analysis of residential models in tourist coast areas, the sustainability of its planning and its repercussion in the urban value, is included in MISBE2011. A study is suggested with the objectives of establishing a methodology for territorial valuation through the analysis of externalities which have had an influence on the urban growth and its impact on the formation of the value of the residential real estate. The objectification of said valuation is established by determining the preferences and necessities of society through the analysis of the real estate’s supply and demand. This will allow the creation of a map for the qualitative valuation of the land, as a result of the combination of environmental, landscape, social, productive and cultural valuation, which will establish a value reference for each one of the areas, as well as their spatial interrelations. The value becomes a guideline for the study of the different territorial scenarios offering a comprehensive view of the field for its urban planning. Once the social requirements and the environmental and economic potentialities are known we would be in a position to set out guidelines which contribute to an improvement of the process for the sustainable territorial planning. The object of study is located in the Spanish Mediterranean coast, in the region of the Vega Baja del Segura, an area with a large ecologic and landscape diversity, in which a clear distinction between urban space and rural space has existed historically. This dichotomy has changed drastically during the last decades, with a strong demographic and economic growth through tourism, which has become an instrument for the stimulation of the development of a land market extremely dynamic. The residential model as an answer to the tourism phenomenom proposes low density developments with growth of a suburban character, which penetrate from the coastline towards the interior of the region, causing a significant scattering of the population. This process has been accompanied by a clear modification of the population structure and the production sectors. An increasing homogenisation of the space where the rural environment has incorporated to its agricultural function other activities linked to the tourist development such as industry, construction and the service sector. We are before a transformation process where the rural character which has historically identified the region is not given up. The justification for maintaining the rural space alive can be found in the paradigm of sustainability understood as safeguard of the environment. This environment is used as a mechanism for conservation, for green spaces equipment, as a support for landscape, recreational and touristic resources, and as an essential space to create areas of discontinuity between built-up urban areas. Another question would be whether to keep the framework implies necessarily the sustainability on every level, both economic as well as environmental, of the content. The development of the region has taken place under criteria responding to the guidelines defined by the land markets against the interests of the sustainable integration of the environmental elements. This has caused a significant increase of residential land which has contributed to a gradual loss of the environmental values of the territory. Within this context, the city depends on a number of attributes that qualify each location and directly affect your training. Defining this process involves selecting a number of variables of an economic, social, environmental and urban presenting mathematical relationships with the value of the property. It presents a detailed market study, with samples geographically qualified and values of finished product sales to establish the criteria for determining the potential demand. It does so by using methods that allow the territorial level management of data such as analytical cartography andGeographicInformationSystems(GIS). Later there will be an econometric analysis based on hedonic pricing models, factor analysis and multiple regression functions to determine whether the distribution of values depends on events for statistical significance with economic and what are the variables with a significance level more or less valued. This is a rating scale urban planning, where the result allows us to establish, through the demand for housing, how the specific characteristics of the coast are valued and how they can be incorporated into a sustainable political development.
09:15
15 mins 		System-search SUSTAINABLE VISIONS FOR THE CAMPUS OF THE FUTURE
Alexandra den Heijer, Peter Teeuw
Abstract: Since 2008 new long-term agreements on energy-efficiency have become effective in the Netherlands. Participating organisations of forty-six sectors have agreed with the Dutch government to make efforts to realise energy-efficiency of 30 percent in the period 2005-2020 and 50 percent - as a guideline - before 2030. Higher education is represented among these sectors. To achieve the energy-efficiency objectives many sectors and associations of organisations have developed sustainable visions and road maps to implement these visions. This paper will elaborate on the sustainable vision for the sector ‘higher education’, summarizing the results of a research project, which included an analysis of the higher education sector, scenario studies and strategic choices for the sustainable campus. In the process of developing sustainable campuses energy efficiency is not the only goal, setting a good example for visitors, employees and a new generation of students is another. Consequently, this research aimed at two targets: (1) supporting (strategies for) energy reduction and CO2 reduction in line with the energy-efficiency goals for 2030 and (2) a mindset change for the users of the campus, both students and employees. The research project consisted of three parts: (part I) the future of the campus, describing the higher education sector, (part II) collecting tools and measures for sustainable development and (part III) combining the components of part I and part II in future models for the sustainable campus. For each part a range of sources was used. Part I and II started with literature review and document analysis, exploring the future of higher education and (strategies for) the Dutch campus for part I and the existing sustainability tools and measures for part II. For part I a scenario study of Agentschap NL was available – developed to support the sustainable visions of many sectors - which comprehensively describes four futures for 2030 in terms of demography, economy, technology, culture, political choices and sociological developments. These scenarios were translated into in four futures for higher education and combined with three campus strategies based on campus management research. Combining the four scenarios with the three strategies resulted in twelve future models for the university and campus: the results of part I. To validate the results of part I and to generate more data for part II, a series of workshops was organised in the last months of 2009 among campus managers, students and other experts and user groups of the campus. Examples are workshops with about forty campus managers and energy coordinators, online questionnaires among students and employees in higher education, replied by about seventy respondents, through network “Sustainable Higher Education” (DHO) and workshops among students specialised in sustainability. The results of these workshops can be found throughout this paper. Part II results in a range of sustainable tools and measures. Part III combines the results of part I and part II, also supported by a web-based tool to deal with the complexity of combining twelve future models (results part I) with more than a hundred sustainable measures (results part II). The web-based tool is developed to generate management information for the decision-making process towards a sustainable campus. Decision-makers in higher education can either browse through the whole database of measures or select a campus strategy and possible scenario, to generate the most suitable or feasible measures for their sustainable campus vision. The paper will contain data and conclusions from all three parts and illustrate the process of developing sustainable visions for the university and campus of the future.
09:30
15 mins 		System-search SUSTAINABLE TRANFORMATION OF CITIES: THE CASE OF EINDHOVEN, THE NETHERLANDS
Antonio Zumelzu
Abstract: Keywords: Urban form, Sustainable Cities, Urban transformation, Pragmatics In Western Europe, the question of sustainable urban development is, to a large extent, linked to the issue of urban transformation, given that growth rates and urban expansion in European context is in general limited. The challenge is to make use of the ongoing transformation processes to come to more sustainable urban development. Hildebrand Frey is the main protagonist of the ‘urban cell theory’ (UCT), a theory that emphasizes pragmatism and focuses on the redesign of the existing cities, through promoting the concept of urban and suburban cores, laying down important arguments for neighborhood borders and neighborhood centers. In short, H. Frey advocates a recalibration of urban components to a higher level of aggregation –urban cells or modules- that might be instrumental to achieve a balanced relationship among transport, urban form and environment; thus a more sustainable city. Urban cells are units on the level of the urban district that establish key criteria for each component of sustainability in the city, categorized into planning, design, environment, social and economic key criteria. Therefore, to meet the objectives of a sustainable city, new methods, strategies and design tools are required as part of a pragmatics-based integrated planning. For decisions to pursue the sustainability path, the pragmatic method will be a practical tool in bringing sustainable considerations to bear in the realm of project decisions, considering each factor converging in the physical, social and economical necessities of a community, connecting them to the environment. This paper examines the sustainable transformation of the cities upon making a re-mapping of the existing city to identify the potential urban cells, restructuring of the actual city of districts and neighborhoods –including satellite settlements if relevant- and thus obtaining a principal layer of the map of the sustainable city. The presentation focuses on Eindhoven, specifically the District of Woensel as a case study, describing the operationalization of the UCT, to obtain new directions towards the sustainable development of the cities, focusing on the criteria of UCT as a conceptual framework. This work is structured in three parts: 1- a preliminary analysis identifying the existing neighborhoods on the district to analyze how the existing parts of the city meet the criteria of UCT, establishing thus potential and non-potential sustainable areas of the existing city under evaluation of the UCT criteria; 2- the description of how to join non-potential and potential sustainable areas of existing city to create “large units of neighborhoods”, making a balance of them, to improve non-potential parts by joining them with the potential areas; 3- the elaboration of results indicating that all the parts of the city are part of potential sustainable areas, obtaining hence a principal layer of the map of the sustainable city: by the interaction among non-potential and potential sustainable neighborhoods; laying down new districts with new borders, main avenues and connections, and district centers if required. The relevance of this approach is to contribute new insights to the debate of sustainable city borders. These insights –referred to methods to redesign the cities- will deliver a new direction to achieve sustainability in the city. References: Barton, H. (2000) Sustainable Communities, the Potential of Eco-Neighborhoods. Ecological planning, sustainable building. London: earthscan, 305 pp. Frey, H. (1999) Designing the city: Towards a more sustainable urban form. London: spon, 148 pp. Frey, H. Yaneske, P. (2007) Visions of Sustainability, Cities and Regions. Taylor & Francis group, 132 pp. Moore, S. (2010) Pragmatic Sustainability, theoretical and practical tools. Routledge, Taylor & Francis group, London and New York, 290 pp.
09:45
15 mins 		System-search THE INEVITABLE AND CONTINUING GROWTH OF REGULATIONS FOR PLANNING AND BUILDING'
Fred Hobma
Abstract: Keywords: legal instruments, urban development, sustainability, regulations, effects ABSTRACT The problem Property developers often complain about the abundance of regulations regarding sustainability they have to comply to. Sometimes even local authorities express their dislike for the huge amounts of statutory obligations preceding new urban developments. Indeed, it seems that new urban developments today can only be realised if many regulations regarding sustainability have been taken into account. This observation stands in contrast with the feeling of many, that a lot of new urban developments cannot be typified as being sustainable. Apparently the regulations relating to sustainability, according to many, result in the delivery of the usual, non-sustainable urban developments. Research question This paper addresses the seemingly discrepancy between the huge amount of regulations regarding sustainability on the one hand and the disappointing physical results on the other hand. The research question is: to what extend do legal instruments promote or hinder the development of sustainable urban areas? This paper is confined to Dutch urban planning. However, it is quite conceivable that other countries are confronted with the same feelings of discrepancy. This is partially due to the fact that many regulations regarding sustainability find their origins in European environmental legislation which, of course, has equal power for each of the member states of the European Union. Method To answer the research question an overview of public law regulations regarding sustainable development of urban areas will be provided. This shall include instruments like Environmental Impact Assessment and regulations for the protection of natural habitats. Provisions for energy efficiency shall also be included, as many other regulations. The overview serves to identify the character of each of the regulations: to what extend does it promote or hinder sustainable development? Apart from public law regulations, attention will be given to private law agreements between property developers and local authorities. To what extend do these agreements reinforce the development of sustainable areas? Results This paper argues that even regulations which have the objective to promote sustainability, may in practice limit or even adverse sustainable effects. Furthermore, it shows the limited space for agreements (relating to sustainability) between property developers and local authorities in Dutch urban planning. Significance If the results of sustainable urban planning fall short – which, according to many indeed is the case – it is sensible to look for a connection with the regulatory framework. This paper shows that some legal instruments promote the sustainability of new urban areas. However, the research also shows that some regulations have very limited or even adverse effects on sustainability. This calls for a rethinking of some of the legal instruments that are intended for sustainable urban development
10:00
15 mins 		System-search SUSTAINABLE RETROFIT POTENTIAL IN LOWER QUALITY OFFICE STOCK IN THE CENTRAL BUSINESS DISTRICT
Sara Wilkinson
Abstract: Given the relationship between energy consumption, greenhouse gas emissions and climate change, the built environment has significant potential to lessen overall emissions. With around half of all greenhouse gas emissions attributed to the built environment; it has a significant role to play in mitigating global warming. With large percentages of office stock structurally vacant in some city centres and only 1 or 2% of new buildings added to the total stock each year; the scope for reductions lay with adaptation of existing buildings. The stock with the highest levels of vacancy and obsolescence offers the highest potential of all. Many cities are now aiming to become carbon neutral. Successful adaptation demands that social, technological, environmental, economic and legislative criteria are addressed. Buildings have to meet user and community needs. City centres comprise a range of different type of office stock with regards to age, size, location, height, tenure and quality. All buildings present challenges and opportunities with regards to adaptation and sustainability and integrating retrofit measures that reduce energy, water and resource consumption. Using a selection of low grade office buildings to develop retrofit profiles, this paper addresses the questions; (a) what is the nature of adaptations in relation to low quality office building stock in the Central Business District (CBD) and, (b) what is the extent and scope for sustainable retrofits to low quality office buildings. Using Melbourne CBD adaptation events of low quality office buildings were analysed between 1998 and 2008 to identify the potential for integrating sustainability into retrofits projects. Keywords: office buildings, sustainability, refurbishment, building adaptation, Australia.
10:15
15 mins 		System-search THE AMSTERDAM GUIDE TO ENERGETIC URBAN PLANNING
Andy van den Dobbelsteen, Nico Tillie, Juliane Kurschner, Bob Mantel, Laura Hakfoort
Abstract: The City of Amsterdam has ambitious goals as to become climate neutral. This will only be possible through a structured approach to both new and existing neighbourhoods. Following steps from the New Stepped Strategy - as used in the Rotterdam Energy Approach and Planning (REAP) - and using the methodology of Energy Potential Mapping (EPM), the Amsterdam Guide to Energetic Urban Planning (in Dutch: Leidraad Energetische Stedenbouw, LES) must become the manual that will support urban area (re)development towards energy neutrality. The Guide clarifies the local Amsterdam energy potentials, both natural and anthropogenic, and gives an extensive overview of measures and data to be used for the sustainable provision of electricity, heat and cold. This is presented in a very tangible manner, practical to urban planners and architects, housing corporations and project developers, public institutions and politician. The Amsterdam Guide has been tested on two sites, one to be newly constructed and another to be redeveloped, and the incremental approach proved worthwhile, enabling energy neutrality in both cases. The Guide has incited discussions on both short-term actions and long-term visions needed to facilitate real climate neutrality in the city of Amsterdam. The paper will discuss the Amsterdam Guide, its methodology, the cases studied, as well as future perspectives and considerations.
10:30
15 mins 		System-search SUSTAINABILITY AND URBAN DENSITY
Rein de Graaf, Peter Paul van Loon
Abstract: SUSTAINABILITY AND URBAN DENSITY A decision based design approach This is a blind reviewed conference. No names or affiliation. Keywords: Sustainability, built environment, urban density, urban design and decision making ABSTRACT This paper concerns the definition, construction and application of a decision based design model which abeles the integration of the allocation of a variety of urban land uses with the distribution of different urban densities, in particular of residential urban areas. Urban planning is, among others things about the spatial distribution of human activities and their physical facilities like buildings, roads, green areas etc. in amount, place and time over a well-defined area. Today, sustainable urban development and sustainability in urban areas are important issues in urban planning. The aspects related to these issues have to be taken in account when developing urban areas. One of these aspects is urban density. Nowadays, it is generally assumed (and accepted) that urban density is related to sustainability. New urban planning approaches, loosely based around new urbanism, are successfully reducing environmental impacts by altering the built environment to create and preserve sustainable cities which support sustainable transport. Residents in compact urban neighborhoods drive fewer miles, and have significantly lower environmental impacts across a range of measures, compared with those living in sprawling suburbs. Urban density can be expressed in many ways. A widely used measurement is the number of dwelling units per unit area (acre, hectare). This measurement gives only information about the number of dwellings, not about their size or the way they are grouped. More general and precise ways of measuring density are measurements based on built area or gross floor area, respectively named ground space index and floor space index. Using these measurements in urban design processes cannot guarantee a good or bad urban area because they are only measurements about the ratio of built and non-built spaces and give no information about the activities and functions within these spaces, neither about their distribution. Therefore, the outcome of an urban design model based on only density factors (as the amounts of built and non-built areas) gives no information about contents of these spaces. Consequently, these types of models are not applicable in a context of social oriented decision making, as in urban planning. As stated above, this paper is about the integration of an urban function or urban activity based model and urban density based model. The first part will give an overview of the definitions, differences and similarities of both function based and density based models, as well as definitions of the combined model. The second part describes the application of the combined model in a number of tests, including a final conclusion.
10:45
15 mins 		System-search DUTCH STRATEGIES FOR THE HISTORIC URBAN CORE, THE HISTORIC INNER CITY, FADED GLORY OR CORE BUSINESS?
Wouter Toorn Vrijthoff
Abstract: Keywords: historic urban core, spatial quality, interventions Abstract After the second world war a long period of steady economic growth started in the fifties, continued in the sixties, peeked in the seventies, had a downswing in the eighties but recovered fully in the nineties. Europe switched over from industry to the service sector as the dominant economic sector. The economic developments went hand in hand with a growth of the urban area that accelerated to a much higher level then the growth initiated by the industrial revolution.The public and economic functions, traditionally located in the urban core, needed more and more space and moved to bigger buildings on better accessible locations, outside the inner cities. The abandoned urban core was taken over by small scale commercial activities and the housing function became stronger. Functions for which the small scale buildings and organic street patterns were fitting like a glove. During the period of economic prosperity the mobility of people improved steadily and the growing service sector became foot lose. Cities more and more became competitive for the favor of the consumer. In relation to that cities were and are looking for characteristics that makes them clearly distinctive from each other. The area of the old inner city is seen as to be essential in that context. Selling the city with the unique quality of the urban core as a corner stone, has placed itself in the limelight of local politics. What is it that gives the urban core its unique quality? What components of the urban core need to be preserved, restored or renewed? What possibilities does the local government have to modify the changing process of the historic urban core in order to aim for preservation and strengthening of its unique qualities? In what way and to what extend do local governments use their possibilities? These questions are subject for debate in local politics and form the framework for this article. These questions are placed in the Dutch context. The answers however can function as a reference for strategies to be developed for non Dutch historic inner cities. To start with a spatial definition is given for the urban core to distinguish the area we are dealing with as the historic inner city. After that the specific characteristics of the urban core is introduced. The main part of this article is about the strategies of Dutch cities for the historic urban core. This part is based on empirical research done on the policy reports of twenty Dutch cities. In addition to the policy reports plans for spatial and functional interventions, initiated by the local government, were analyzed. The analysis were made in the years 2006, 2007 and 2008. The years just before the start of a possibly long lasting economic recession. Apart from some reflections on this subject at the end of this article no attention is paid to this in an analytical way
11:00
15 mins 		System-search CLIMATE CHANGE EFFECTS ON LIVING QUALITY; AWARENESS OF HOUSING ASSOCIATIONS
Martin Roders, Ad Straub, Henk Visscher
Abstract: A changing climate can have a large influence on the living quality of houses. A case study was carried out on the level of awareness of housing associations. This study forms the start of a research project on governance strategies for adaptation in residential buildings. A content analysis on climate change related topics was pursued on the policy plans and the most recent annual reports of the 25 largest Dutch housing associations. They were classified according to their level of awareness. Based on the results of the analysis it is concluded that the housing associations fall within the lowest category of awareness. In order to reach higher levels of awareness, governance strategies for adaptation have to be developed. The nature of possible strategies will depend on the level of awareness of the housing association. The definition of strategies will be studied in the future. This research provides basic information on ‘climate change awareness’ that is valuable for governmental and non-governmental policymakers on the national, regional and local level, who are dealing with climate change issues. Keywords: Awareness, Climate Change, Adaptation, Social Housing