Green urbanism : learning from European cities / Timothy Beatley.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Beatley, Timothy, 1957-

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Urban ecology (Sociology).

City planning--Environmental aspects.

City planning.

Sustainable development.

Cities and towns--Europe.

Cities and towns.

Europe.

Physical Description:

xv, 491 pages : illustrations, maps ; 23 cm

Place of Publication:

Washington, D.C. : Island Press, [2000]

Summary:

In Green Urbanism, Timothy Beatley explains what planners and local officials in the United States can learn from the sustainable cities movement in Europe. The book draws from the extensive European experience, examining the progress and policies of twenty-five of the most innovative cities in eleven European countries. Beatley focuses on the key lessons from these cities and what their experience can teach us about effectively and creatively promoting sustainable development in the United States.

Green Urbanism will be a useful reference and source of ideas for urban and regional planners, state and local officials, policymakers, students of planning and geography, and anyone concerned with how cities can become more livable.

Contents:

Chapter 1. Introduction: Green Urbanism and the Lessons of European Cities 3

The Important Role of Cities in Global Sustainability 3

The Vision of Green Urbanism 5

Research Methods and the Cities Examined 9

Issues of Transferability: Why Study European Cities? 13

The Relevance and Role of Urban Sustainability in Europe 15

The Plan of the Book to Follow 24

Part II. Land Use and Community 27

Chapter 2. Land Use and Urban Form: Planning Compact Cities 29

Strategies for Compact Urban Development 32

Compact Growth Districts, with a Green Emphasis 41

Urban Villages and the Importance of City-Centers 43

New Towns and Growth Centers 47

Regional and National Spatial Planning 52

The Value of Rural, Agricultural, and Undeveloped Lands 58

Cultural and Other Influencing Factors 59

Economic Signals and Policy Instruments 60

Sustainable Land Use Trends? 61

Lessons for American Cities: Prospects for More Compact Urban Form 62

Chapter 3. Creative Housing and Living Environments 76

Planning Livable Environments 76

Urban-Village Living 77

Accessory Units and Mixed Housing Environments 80

Housing over Shops 81

Hofjes, Cohousing, and Ecovillages 83

Preservation and Adaptive Reuse 90

Streets, Urban Design, and the Civic Realm 92

Pedestrianized Centers 93

Lessons for American Cities 101

Part III. Transportation and Mobility in Green-Urban Cities 107

Chapter 4. Transit Cities: Public Transport Innovations and Priorities 109

High-Mobility Transit Cities 109

Public Transit Strategies and Solutions 111

Coordinating Transit and Land Use 112

Multimodal, Integrated Systems 113

Systematic Transit Priority 116

The Clear Benefits 118

The Tram City 119

The Special Feel of Trams 122

High-Speed Rail, Green Transit, and Other Creative Mobility Strategies 124

Lessons for American Cities 129

Chapter 5. Taming the Auto: The Promise of Car-Free Cities 137

The Promise of Car-Free Cities 137

Traffic-Calming and Car-Limiting City Strategies 139

Car-Free Developments and Housing Estates 145

Car-Sharing 150

Call-a-Car and Demand Management 154

Road Pricing 156

Lessons for American Cities 161

Chapter 6. Bicycles: Low-Tech Ecological Mobility 166

Bicycles as a Legitimate Form of Mobility 166

Bicycle-Friendly Cities 167

Public Bikes Programs 177

Building a Bike-Riding Culture 183

Lessons for American Cities 184

Part IV. Green, Organic Cities 195

Chapter 7. Urban Ecology and Strategies for Greening the Urban Environment 197

Cities like Forests 197

Natural Capital of Cities 198

Ecological Networks: National and Urban 199

Reimagining the Built Environment: Organic, Living Buildings and Urban Landscapes 203

Eco-Bridges 213

City Farms and Ecology Parks 214

Green Schools 215

Desealing and Natural Drainage Strategies 216

Planning for Local Climate 218

Ecological Regeneration 219

Ecological Urban Restructuring 220

Urban Gardens 221

Urban Wildlife and Habitat Conservation 222

Lessons for American Cities 223

Chapter 8. Urban Ecocycle Balancing: Toward Closed-Loop Cities 232

Urban "Ecocycles" and the Metabolism of Cities 232

Connections between City and Hinterland 238

Closed-Loop Economies: Industrial Symbiosis in the City 242

Ecocycle-Balanced Neighborhoods and Urban Development 246

Encouraging Ecocycle Balancing: The Role of Green Taxes 252

Lessons for American Cities 253

Chapter 9. Renewable Energy Cities: Living on Solar Income 258

Low-Energy, Renewable-Energy Cities 258

Municipal Energy Planning and Conservation 258

Decentralized Energy Production 261

Strides in Energy Efficiency 264

Energy Standards for New Development 267

Urban Policies to Promote Renewable Energy 268

Emerging Solar Cities 270

Solar Urban Development 274

Zero-Energy Building and Energy-Balanced Homes 277

Carbon Dioxide Reduction Strategies 282

Lessons for American Cities 284

Chapter 10. Building Ecologically: Designing Buildings and Neighborhoods with Nature in Mind 290

A Revolution in Ecological Building 290

Many Examples of Ecological Building Projects: The Dutch Leading the Way 291

Ecological Urban Renewal 304

Strategies for Promoting Green Building 307

Green Mortgages 309

Green House Numbers 310

Other Important Strategies 312

Lessons for American Cities 313

Part V. Governance and Economy 325

Chapter 11. Ecological Governance in Green-Urban Cities 327

Audits, Indicators, and Targets 328

Sustainability Matrices and Appraisals 331

Environmental Budgets and Charters 333

Procurement and Investment Policies 336

Employee Mobility Strategies 337

Management of Municipal Buildings and Properties 338

Green Energy 342

Environmental Vehicles 343

Ecological Twinnings and Looking Beyond the City's Borders 344

Educating and Engaging the Public: Local Agenda 21 and Community-Based Initiatives 345

Public Awareness Campaigns 349

The Role of the Nongovernmental Sector 353

Confronting the Consumer: Eco-Teams and Green Codes 354

Supporting and Encouraging Ecological Communities 358

Lessons for American Cities 360

Chapter 12. Building a Sustainable Economy: Innovations in Restorative Commerce 369

Building a Sustainable Local Economy 369

Supporting Sustainable Local Businesses 370

Industrial Symbiosis and Ecoindustrial Parks 374

Envisioning a Sustainable Factory 378

Sustainable Industrial Estates 381

Economic and Ecological Renewal: Economic Development through Landscape Recycling 384

Green Offices: More Ecological Ways of Working? 387

Ecobusinesses and Green Consumerism 390

Marketing Sustainable Business and Technologies 400

Lessons for American Cities 401

Part VI. Learning from Europe 405

Chapter 13. The Promise of Green Urbanism: Lessons from European Cities 407

The Challenges of Green Urbanism 407

Creating Green and Sustainable Cities in The United States: Lessons from Europe 414

A Final Note: From Aalborg to Austin 427

Appendix A. Individuals Interviewed 451

Appendix B. Charter of European Cities and Towns: Towards Sustainability 462.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages 429-450) and index.

ISBN:

1559636823

OCLC:

42690078