Sustainable Design: Ecology, Architecture and Planning: Beyond The Building

beyond the building:
Sustainable Design: Ecology, air /
Architecture and Planning

Sustainability at the Regional Scale light /
water /
soil /
gravity /
orientation /
LivingFutures 08
Vancouver, BC
capacity /
daniel williams, faia
daniel williams architect
architecture, urban & regional design
seattle, washington
"Sustainability is the [emerging] doctrine that economic
growth and development must take place, and be
maintained over time, within the limits set by ecology in
the broadest sense -- by the interrelations of human
beings and their works, and the biosphere...It follows
that environmental protection and economic
development are complementary rather than
antagonistic processes."
William D. Ruckelshaus
Scientific American
September 1989
dp→S
Sustainable Model
Sustainable Model
waste
urban
agricultural
industrial
Free
work of
nature
1) At what point do the apparent changes in the climate radically change our design
approach and 2) is this approach appropriate to the scale of the challenge?
If We Don't Like Sprawl, Why Do We Go On Sprawling?
Between 1970 and 1990 the population of Chicago grew by four percent;
its developed land area grew by
46 percent.
Over the same period Los Angeles swelled
45 percent in population, 300 percent in settled area.
In Redmond, Washington, single-family houses pay 21 percent of property tax but

account for 29 percent of the city budget. A study in California's Central Valley
calculated that more compact development could save municipalities 500,000
acres of farmland and $1.2 billion in taxes.
Donella Meadows' The Global Citizen, March 4, 1999

sustainable development
1. Design on a Human Scale
Compact, pedestrian-friendly communities allow residents to walk to shops, services, cultural resources, and jobs and can
reduce traffic congestion and benefit people's health.
2. Provide Choices
People want variety in housing, shopping, recreation, transportation, and employment. Variety creates lively neighborhoods and
accommodates residents in different stages of their lives.
3. Encourage Mixed-Use Development

Integrating different land uses and varied building types creates vibrant, pedestrian-friendly and diverse communities.
4. Preserve Urban Centers

Restoring, revitalizing, and infilling urban centers takes advantage of existing streets, services and buildings and avoids the need
for new infrastructure. This helps to curb sprawl and promote stability for city neighborhoods.
5. Vary Transportation Options

Giving people the option of walking, biking and using public transit, in addition to driving, reduces traffic congestion, protects the
environment and encourages physical activity.
6. Build Vibrant Public Spaces

Citizens need welcoming, well-defined public places to stimulate face-to-face interaction, collectively celebrate and mourn,
encourage civic participation, admire public art, and gather for public events.
7. Create a Neighborhood Identity

A "sense of place" gives neighborhoods a unique character, enhances the walking environment, and creates pride in the
community.
8. Protect Environmental Resources

A well-designed balance of nature and development preserves natural systems, protects waterways from pollution, reduces air
pollution, and protects property values.
9. Conserve Landscapes
Open space, farms, and wildlife habitat are essential for environmental, recreational, and cultural reasons.
10. Design Matters

Design excellence is the foundation of successful and healthy communities. (from AIA Livable Communities)
The grandest of cultures have missed the message - the question is
how “advanced” is our culture and how good is our crystal ball?
“…civilization is always a race between learning and disaster” h. g. wells
seven generations
before during after

landuse:
• more than zoning
• relate uses
• create buffers as
ecotones/connect
• mix uses
Air Quality
Cache Valley, Utah

AIA SDAT
Ecological Zones
• Bench Agriculture encircles valley at the
base of sloping valley walls. Until 1970
supported limited fruit production, now
favored for housing. Bench land is an
important groundwater recharge zone.
• Upland Agriculture, supporting irrigated row
crops and dairy, occupies roughly two-thirds
of valley agricultural land. Soils are
generally deep and fertile with little need for
fertilizer.
• Lowland agriculture, centered on the valley
floor, consists largely of grazing beef and
dairy cattle. A high water table and cold air
drainage are limiting factors of the lowland
area. Reliance on grazing has decreased
over the last 30 years.
Agricultural Strengths
• The diversity of ecological

zones and growing
conditions is one of the
strengths of the Cache
Valley “foodshed”. The
excellent soil and water
resources and limited
reliance on genetically
modified crops (corn, soy,
canola) supports a “clean
and green” image.
Preserving the green “quilt”
Views and Vistas
• Three of the four
entrances into Cache
Valley open to a view of
an agricultural
landscape.
• Identify key points along
the corridor and create
a hierarchy of places/
nodes to preserve view
points.
Recommendations
for preserving a sense of place
• Provide incentives to build and develop within existing towns and cities.
• Preserve and visually enhance the canal system.
• Preserve distinguishable architectural elements and the original setting
of villages set six to eight miles apart.
• Preserve at a smaller scale individual farmsteads and barns.
• Identify, preserve, and enhance views at Logan & Little Bear rivers.
Ecologic / Economic Linkages
region: a case study FLORIDA
landuse has a carrying capacity at all scales
© daniel williams architect, seattle

design the transition in large, incremental steps – water!
growth boundaries and conservation zones – a utility
establish water supply and protect / preserve additional 700,000 by preserve / protect / re-
land use criteria - carrying agriculture - 2025 establish ecological system
capacity develop transit integrity
sustainable design and planning reduces taxes
The economic, environmental and social choice is clear -

The Eastward Ho: Alternative Development Vision
SAVES
 67,725 acres of developable land

 13,887 acres of fragile environmental lands
 52,856 acres of prime farmland
 $62,000,000 in state road costs
 108 lane miles of state roads
 $1,540,000 billion in local road costs
 4,221 lane-miles of local roads
 $157,000,000 in water capital costs
 $135,600,000 in sewer capital costs
? - reduction in asthma, obesity, diabetes, road-rage

? – increase in quality of life, fishing industry, tourism…
(Rutgers University, Center for Urban Policy Research)

create designs informed by science, design and regulations
infrastructure mobility
supplies
belonging
air
water
puget sound – the loss of the solar subsidy ~ increase infrastructure taxes
1972 1996
© daniel williams architect, seattle

the water budget drives development
et = 75%
gr + s = 24%
budget = 1%
win plan sfwmd 1996 swim figures

as high as 60% of urban infrastructure is auto orientated
transit metric
what percentage
of the population
is serviced by
transit?
what incentives
are in places to
stimulate use?
how are the

incentives
funded?
community place
protection
security
stability
culture
security / protection
• increase in storm
frequency and
strength
• sea level rising,

18” - 72” by 2096
urban ecosystems
Designing sustainable landuse patterns
provides for the integration and protection
of local natural infrastructure enabling
communities to have a high quality of
life at a lower tax base.

Community
Equity Design
Social Fabric
the
Culture
Connections
Preservation
Environment
Economy
Cycles
Flows
Systems
Value
Connections
sustainability is a three-dimensional opportunity

"Sustainability is the [emerging] doctrine that economic
growth and development must take place, and be
maintained over time, within the limits set by ecology in
the broadest sense -- by the interrelations of human
beings and their works, and the biosphere...It follows
that environmental protection and economic
development are complementary rather than
antagonistic processes."
William D. Ruckelshaus
Scientific American
September 1989

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beyond the building:

Sustainable Design: Ecology, air /

Architecture and Planning

In Redmond, Washington, single-family houses pay 21 percent of property tax but

Donella Meadows' The Global Citizen, March 4, 1999

3. Encourage Mixed-Use Development

4. Preserve Urban Centers

5. Vary Transportation Options

6. Build Vibrant Public Spaces

7. Create a Neighborhood Identity

8. Protect Environmental Resources

10. Design Matters

before during after

• more than zoning

Cache Valley, Utah

• The diversity of ecological

© daniel williams architect, seattle

The economic, environmental and social choice is clear -

 67,725 acres of developable land

? - reduction in asthma, obesity, diabetes, road-rage

(Rutgers University, Center for Urban Policy Research)

© daniel williams architect, seattle

win plan sfwmd 1996 swim figures

how are the

• sea level rising,

provides for the integration and protection

of local natural infrastructure enabling

communities to have a high quality of

life at a lower tax base.

sustainability is a three-dimensional opportunity

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