by Douglas Farr
(New York: Wiley,
2007); 978-0471777519
Written by the chair of the LEED-Neighborhood Development
(LEED-ND) initiative, Sustainable Urbanism: Urban Design with Nature is both an
urgent call to action and a comprehensive introduction to "sustainable
urbanism"--the emerging and growing design reform movement that combines
the creation and enhancement of walkable and diverse places with the need to
build high-performance infrastructure and buildings. Providing a historic
perspective on the standards and regulations that got us to where we are today
in terms of urban lifestyle and attempts at reform, Douglas Farr makes a
powerful case for sustainable urbanism, showing where we went wrong, and where
we need to go. He then explains how to implement sustainable urbanism through
leadership and communication in cities, communities, and neighborhoods.
Essays
written by Farr and others delve into such issues as, increasing sustainability
through density; Integrating transportation and land use; creating sustainable
neighborhoods, including housing, car-free areas, locally-owned stores,
walkable neighborhoods, and universal accessibility; the health and
environmental benefits of linking humans to nature, including walk-to open
spaces, neighborhood stormwater systems and waste treatment, and food
production; and high performance buildings and district energy systems.
Enriching the argument are in-depth case
studies in sustainable urbanism, from BedZED in London, England and Newington
in Sydney, Australia, to New Railroad Square in Santa Rosa, California and
Dongtan, Shanghai, China. An epilogue looks to the future of sustainable
urbanism over the next 200 years