It is increasingly acknowledged that current plans to implement sustainability are not achieving the scale and speed of change required. National built environment strategies to address sustainability tend to focus on large-scale programmes in areas such as renewable energy and energy efficiency. While this approach can improve national environmental indicators such as carbon emissions profiles; it appears unlikely to achieve sustainability. In recent paper titled Neighbourhood Facilities for Sustainability, Jeremy Gibberd argues that more comprehensive, and more local, approaches are required. Interventions at a neighbourhood level should be developed that enable day-to-day living patterns to become more sustainable over time. A key element of this are built environment characteristics and facilities which support sustainability. This presentation illustrates the concept

1. Neighbourhood Facilities for Sustainability
Jeremy Gibberd

2. Structure
• Climate change
• Carbon emission mitigation
• Sustainability and sustainability
assessment
• Built environment interventions to support
sustainability
• Neighborhood Facilities for Sustainability

3. The Year of Climate Departure for
World Cities
Mora et al 2013

4. Low carbon reindustrialisation
Climate Solutions 2: Low Carbon Reindustrialisation , Climate Risk 2009

5. World’s slum population expected
to be 889 million by 2020.
HABITAT)
Global Urban Observatory, UNHABITAT 2005

6. BBC News, 2012

7. Limitations of carbon mitigation
approaches
• Focus on technologies such as solar water
heaters, efficient lighting
• Expensive, benefits companies and countries
who have this manufacturing and capacity
expertise – not developing countries
• Does not address urgent local needs ie health,
education and employment
• Does not draw on local resources and capacity
• Limited influence on day-to-day living patterns
and behaviours
• Focus on carbon - does not address sustainability

8. What is sustainability?
•
the achievement of above 0.8 on the Human
Development Index (HDI)
•
and
•
the achievement of an Ecological Footprint (EF) below
1.8 global hectares per person
World Wild Life Fund, 2006

9. Development of the SBAT
WWF

10. Built Environment Sustainability
Capability
• Human Development Capability (HDC): Is a
measure of the extent to which the built environment
is configured for and includes the characteristics
required to support the achievement of Human
Development targets
• Ecological Footprint Capability (EFC): Is a
measure of the extent to which the built environment
is configured for and includes the characteristics
required to support the achievement of Ecological
Footprint targets.
• Built Environment Sustainability Capability
(BESC): (EFC + HDC) / 2

15. HDI-EF Definition of Sustainability
1. Sustainability in human populations has
been defined as the achievement of
above 0.8 on the Human Development
Index (HDI) and the achievement of an
Ecological Footprint (EF) below 1.8
global hectares per person.Applying the
HDI-EF Definition of Sustainability to the
Built Environment

16. HDI-EF Definition of Sustainability
1. Sustainability in human populations has
been defined as the achievement of
above 0.8 on the Human Development
Index (HDI) and the achievement of an
Ecological Footprint (EF) below 1.8
global hectares per person.Applying the
HDI-EF Definition of Sustainability to the
Built Environment

17. Built environment interventions to
support sustainability
• Solar water heaters
• Building envelope upgrades
• Energy Business Learning (ENBULE)
Facility
• Water Food Mobility (WAFOMO) Facility

18. Solar water heaters
Capability improvement 0.16
Employment
Knowledge
Shelter
5.00
4.00
3.00
2.00
1.00
0.00
Health
Mobility
Food
Existing
Proposed
Goods
Biocapacity
Services
Waste
www.builtenvironmentsustainabilitytool.com

19. Building envelope upgrades
Capability improvement 0.26
Employment
Knowledge
Shelter
5.00
4.00
3.00
2.00
1.00
0.00
Health
Mobility
Food
Existing
Proposed
Goods
Biocapacity
Services
Waste
www.builtenvironmentsustainabilitytool.com

20. WAFOMO: Water, Food and
Mobility
• Community gardens / allotments
• Local fresh produce market
• Non-motorised transport
Built environment capability to support EF
targets:
• Locally available affordable low EF food
• Locally available affordable mobility
Built environment capability to support HD
targets:
• Locally available affordable healthy food
• Locally available affordable mobility

21. Energy Business Learning Facility
Capability improvement 1.12
www.builtenvironmentsustainabilitytool.com

22. ENBULE: Energy, Business and
Learning
• Business and learning centre
• Renewable energy
• Access to ICT
Built environment capability to support EF
targets:
• Low EF energy
• Access to ICT (avoid req for travel)
Built environment capability to support HD
targets:
• Access to ongoing learning
• Access to self employment support

23. Water Food Mobility Facility
Capability improvement 1.00
www.builtenvironmentsustainabilitytool.com

25. ENBULE & WAFOMO
Capability improvement 3.11

26. Conclusions
• Current conventional carbon emission mitigation
programmes not sufficient for sustainability.
• The Neighborhood Facilities (NFS) concept offers
potential to make substantial improvements in
ecological and human development impact in a
local community in a responsive and cost
effective way.
• Contact: J Gibberd at itshose@gmail.com