Mini

SUSTAINABLE COMMUNITY

This proposal is designed for visionary regional master planned, mixed use, compact, sustainable, land and marine urban communities. The realms of sustainable design addressed include relation of physical design to the natural environment and the way that people use the built environment on an Eco-sensitive site.

This proposal is for an alternative transit corridor that would allow only solar/electric energy or similar mass transit or vehicular use within the urban core.

This proposal would be sustainable in that it would replace conventional suburban sprawl and urban decay and cultural decadent, self-destructive cities with a total environment that is self-reliant with respect to nature and the nurturing of the human condition.

This proposal would rejuvenate a highly biodiverse ecosystem. A compact, sustainable community devoid of fossil fueled vehicles would contribute considerably to natural capital resource conservation. It nurtures the reduction of global warming’s impact on the world’s ecological systems through time. An ecological urbanism as opposed the decay and decaying urban slums currently scattered about our pristine planet. The alternative is non-implementation of a holistic and integrative system that could ultimately lead to extinction.

POTENTIAL SOLUTIONS

Development would be guided by ecological urbanization theory (econization) which integrates Contained Cities Concept with the restoration or maintenance of the natural ecological systems. Contained Cities are very high density, vertically zoned mixed use co replace the streets with pedestrian oriented retail malls or paseos (from the Spanish for a place for leisurely stroll); replace suburban syndrome with urban diversity enhanced through promoting vertical zoning and accommodating major population growth.

FEASIBILITY

By minimizing reliance on remote-source energy sources which include hydroelectric and fossil fuels. The combination of world population with an increase in per capita use of energy carries with it pressures on the environment and atmosphere.

By creating “land” instead of consuming it; real estate values of property are increased exponentially. Not only is existing valuable real estate sustained but an entirely new “spatial” real estate comees into being. Thus the restoration and enhancement of the natural ecosystems begins the reversal of environmental destruction. A proactive planning paradigm can predict an economic model for each modular urban community (MUC). Affordable units can be subsidized or sweat-equity built. Each tenant would pay a common area maintenance (CAM) fee based on the total city, therefore the mortgage would only be paid toward each tenant’s improvements (TI). A development district for each MUC is administrated and financed by governmental entities providing extremely low interest loans factored into the CAM fee over a much longer time period. Intracity alternative transit such as solar and electric vehicles could be purchased. They would be controlled with an electronic management system.

THEORY OF ECOLOGICAL URBANIZATION (ECONIZATION)

Declaring the implementation in the State of Israel (hereinafter known as the “State”) of the concept of Econization or as used in urban design, economic urbanization.
The development would be guided by ecology/economic urbanization (econization) which integrates the Contained Cities Concept with the ultimate restoration or maintenance of natural ecological systems.
Reliance on a regional power grid can be substantially reduced if not entirely eliminated. Econization is a binary concept in that the opposite side of the coin is Economic Urbanization.

CONTAINMENT through compact, three-dimensional environmentally and economically self-sustaining communities. The spatial model for Contained City is best compared to the nature of crystalline growth. This is exemplified by organic growth in nature in that crystals grow from gaseous molecular and removal of error by the orderly accretion of multiple layers from which order is eventually created.

CONTAINED CITY

Contained Cities replace the urban sprawl syndrome by minimizing reliance on remote energy sources which include hydroelectric and fossil fuels. The combination of a rapidly growing world population with an increase in per capita use of energy carries with it pressures on the environment and atmosphere.
The accompanying illustration of “Millennium City” represents the Modular Urban City Concept (MUC) which allows the creation of a small urban community at the approximate scale of the oldest “Gard en City” in England of about 20,000 populations. It would be adaptable to all urban settings, e.g. the MUC concept illustrated on the accompanying drawing would be appropriate to a new growth area setting situated in an Ecotone between two significant urban areas of a diverse ecology.
Contained City is a statement that suburban sprawl syndrome must be counteracted or neutralized before its virus consumes the habitable planet.
Opportunities are created which generate revenues for excellent schools, quality public services and public facilities, reducing poverty and crime resulting in an Eco-healthy clean environment which in turn produces a talented work force with responsible public services that are cost effective and add value over time. Consider:

- Transportation alternatives such as solar powered transit replace intra city automobile traffic with people movers, bicycle and pedestrian alternatives.

- Infrastructure based on vertical organization in lieu of horizontal sprawl.

- Energy systems that can use energy envelops to control natural environmental forces. Energy envelops that are combinations of photovoltaic panels to generate electricity.

- Solar hot water heating panels that prduce hot water.

- Wind generators to produce power.

- Air temperature moderation to control energy transfer to thermal mass.

- Water conservation by maintaining or ecological restoration of sensitive water based environments outside of the city’s critical mass.

- Catchments within the city will capture rainwater that is filtered through earth and plant materials – perhaps distilled through the solar collector system.

- Air quality improved significantly by elimination at intra city fossil fuel burning engines. Air pollution from ignition sources significantly reduced by reliance on organic energy systems.

IMPLEMENTATION

Assumptions and implementation concepts extrapolate the healthy diversity of natural systems into a healthy society. Diversified development used to replace the current patterns of dispersal. Cmmutig can be significantly reduced, perhaps eventually eliminated as the scales of balanced diversity are discovered and implemented.

Vertical mixed-use zoning promotes the dynamic of space-time and variety of uses for a well functioning environment. Ultimately, implementation is dependent on economically viable developments that can compete in a free market economy and legislation that is supportive of econization policy.

As the program summary so convincingly illustrates, the case for implementation of the contained cities concept should be implemented now. Ecological urbanization theory (econization) in many respects is similar to the creation of fonts and castles that were self contained communities.

The political process required to implement econization is already in place and nothing special is required other than introduction of the concept.

RECOMMENDATIONS

- Promote restoration of species and healthy diversity of habitats

- Open natural areas to allow species an opportunity to increase the diversity of population

- Identify and promote ultimate carrying capacity of the land

- Prioritize green planting by promoting naturally occurring species

- Compact and recycle urban waste

- Promote use of natural biologic control in lieu of dangerous for long range health of biosphere

- This is human and natural coevolutionary diversity

- Politics to support the virtues of proximity and similar actions to support the diversity of the third dimension.

- Plan neighborhoods that promote a diversity of functions that are integral one to the other.

- Allow developers a transfer of development rights from low-density areas to higher density areas to reward not to punish.

- Establish the sense of pride of place with desirable development in close proximity to one another.

- Allow wildlife back into the community by eliminating streets, reducing noise pollution and restoration of their natural habitat.

- Replace two-dimensional zoning with the vertical mixed use zoning concept. Vertical zoning promotes the dynamic of space-time and variety of uses for a well functioning environment. Development is concentrated into extremely higher densities.

CAPITAL POLICY ISSUES

Population explosion …… Accommodating population growth much more efficiently due to increased densities

Guiding Development …… Create a Task Force to promote the concept of diversification

Residential Development Patterns …… Moratorium on further development to reverse the exodus to mega cities

Urban Design Tools …… Adopt Smart Growth Principles, Sustainability Theories, et.al …… renounce suburban sprawl policies

Economic Opportunity …… Adopt theory of Econization

Mission Statement: To create an urban environment that never was …