Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
Components of TOD include (a) a walkable design with pedestrian as the
highest priority; (b) a train station as the prominent feature of the town centre
with a regional node containing a mixture of uses in close proximity includ-
ing office, residential, retail and civic uses; (c) high-density, high-quality
development within a 10-minute walk circle surrounding the train station;
(d) collector support transit systems including trolleys, streetcars, light rail,
buses and so forth; (e) easy use of bicycles, scooters and rollerblades as daily
support transportation systems; and (f) reduced and managed parking inside
a 10-minute walk circle around the town centre/train station [31].
3.4.3 Sustainable Urbanism
In a more comprehensive movement, Farr established the concept of 'sus-
tainable urbanism'. He states its basic tenets as walkable and transit-served
urbanism integrated with high-performance buildings and high-performance
infrastructure. Sustainable urbanism emphasises that the personal appeal and
societal benefits of neighbourhood living—meeting daily needs on foot—are
greatest in neighbourhoods that integrate five attributes: definition (defined
centre and edge), compactness (increasing sustainable effectiveness), com-
pleteness (daily and lifelong utility), connectedness (integrating transporta-
tion and land use), and biophilia (human access to nature) [21].
According to Khalil, guidelines for sustainable urban development can
be formulated using a number of criteria: (a) Defined neighbourhood with a
defined centre and edge comprising a traditional neighbourhood structure
and advocating high-quality architecture and urban design; (b) compactness
for an increased sustainable effectiveness through advocating walkability,
connectivity, increased density and compact building design; (c) completeness
with daily and lifelong utilities including diversity of mixed uses, mixed hous-
ing and fostering distinctive, attractive communities with a strong sense of
place; (d) connectedness with integrating transportation and land use, green
transportation and a variety of transportation choices; (e) enhancing the QOL
by preserving open space, farmland, natural beauty and critical environmental
areas and a more balanced regional development, promoting human access to
nature; and (f) such sustainable urban development should encourage citizen
and stakeholder participation in the development decisions [30].
3.5 Best Practices in Energy Efficiency
and Sustainable Urbanism Principles
This section analyses the relationship between scoring high in energy
efficiency on the Green City Index and adopting the relevant principles
of sustainable urbanism. As shown in Table 1.1 in Chapter 1, indicators
