Mechanics of Sustainable Urban Developments, E.G
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Work in progress. Please do not cite without the permission of the authors THE MECHANICS OF SUSTAINABLE URBAN DEVELOPMENT: The case of Lanxmeer, Culemborg, NL Anne Lorène Vernay 1, Tadeo Baldiri Salcedo Rahola 2, Wim Ravesteijn 1 1Delft University of Technology, Delft, The Netherlands, [email protected] +31(0)15 27 81653 2 Research Institute for the Built Environment, Delft, The Netherlands Abstract Sustainable urban development projects are initiated almost every day. They are the results of very dynamic processes during which a number of decisions have to be taken according to the local conditions. Eventually each project follows its own path. The aim of this paper is to gain insight in the mechanics of sustainable urban development in order to better understand why certain pathways are chosen rather than others. To do so we propose a methodology to analyze sustainable urban developments and apply it to EVA-Lanxmeer, a project completed in Culemborg, the Netherlands. Ultimately, applying this methodology could help formulating recommendations for urban planners interested in starting and running such a process. Keywords Sustainable urban development; methodology; urban pathway; process 1. Introduction More than half of the world population lives in urban areas concentrating and increasing the magnitude of social and environmental impacts. Their potential role in a transition to a sustainable society started to be widely recognized after the 1992 Rio conference where the Agenda 21 program was signed (United Nations, 1992). Since then, a number of urban developments that aim to be sustainable have been and are being implemented worldwide. Numerous research efforts have been done in order to assess how sustainable these developments are (Debuyst et al, 2001, Pandis and Brandt, 2009). However, too little is understood regarding how these developments actually came about and how they got shape. Knowledge Collaboration & Learning for Sustainable Innovation ERSCP-EMSU conference, Delft, The Netherlands, October 25-29, 2010 1 Work in progress. Please do not cite without the permission of the authors In fact, these developments are the result of dynamic processes during which a number of decisions regarding the choices for specific technological and organizational solutions have to be taken. These decisions are influenced by the environmental, economic, social and political context and must be taken in consultation with a number of stakeholders. This paper seeks to gain insight in the mechanics of sustainable urban development in order to better understand why certain pathways are chosen rather than others and to assess the strength and weaknesses of the chosen approach. Ultimately this could help to draw recommendations for urban planners interested in engaging in such a process. To do so we propose a methodology to analyze sustainable urban developments. It consists of two steps: a description of the initial context and an analysis throughout the entire process, from initiation to the building phase, based on four influential parameters: stakeholder involvement, resource availability, ideas (technological or organizational solutions considered) and key events. This methodology will be applied and tested using the sustainable urban development of Lanxmeer, Culemborg, in the Netherlands as a case study. EVA Lanxmeer is a sustainable urban district of about 24 Ha developed in the municipality of Culemborg in the Netherlands in the mid 1990’s. This municipality is part of the province of Gelderland and counts almost 30,000 inhabitants. Up to now about 300 houses have been completed and 100 more are expected. Moreover, a number of office buildings are also present on the site, combining living with working. This district has two main specificities: 1when developing the district, the actors did not focus on a single theme like was common at the time, namely energy or water. On the contrary they adopted an integrated and holistic approach and considered energy, water, transport, architecture, building material and agriculture simultaneously (Stichting EVA, 2010a). 2The inhabitants played an important role in the design and management of the district (Stichting EVA, 2010b). They were given the possibility to influence their future living environment right from the beginning. Interestingly, this may seem like a purely bottom up approach. However the municipality also played an important role by being risk bearing, by investing in the project and by dedicating the time of a number of civil servants to the project. As such it is more exact to say that this project results from a combination of bottom up and town down forces, though at the communal level. In the sections that follow we are going to analyze how this project developed, what we call in our title the mechanics of the project. Our analysis will focus on the period from 1993 Knowledge Collaboration & Learning for Sustainable Innovation ERSCP-EMSU conference, Delft, The Netherlands, October 25-29, 2010 2 Work in progress. Please do not cite without the permission of the authors when Marleen Kaptein, the initiator of the project, first had the idea until 2003 when the experimental phases were completed and the implementation got shape. However, we will also mention a few developments that took place afterwards in as much as they reveal the strength and weaknesses of the approach followed. Please note that the findings presented here are the result of literature review including a number of reports, brochures, business plan and communication documents written from 1993 to 2008 as well as six semi-structured interviews conducted with Marlein Kaptein initiator of the project and founder of the EVA foundation.; Jan Goed, the head of the Department of Urban Development at the time; Martin Bonouvrié, employee at the Department of Urban Development initially secretary for the project and later on project leader representative for the municipality; Hein Struben, appointed project leader; Jan Hanhart member of the BEL, association of inhabitants of EVA-Lanxmeer, and board member of the company Thermo Bello; and Arjan van Timmeren, researcher and consultant involved in the project. 2 The mechanics of the sustainable urban development of EVA-Lanxmeer As explained previously, the goal of this paper is to better understand the mechanics around sustainable urban development. Using the case of EVA-Lanxmeer, we have examined four mains aspects that help understanding these mechanics: stakeholder involvement, key events, resource availability, and ideas considered. The results of our analysis are summarized in table 1. However, before presenting and analyzing these results, we will first briefly describe the general context in which EVA-Lanxmeer was initiated. 2.1 Context of the initiative: Inspired by the Brundtland report and the emerging momentum around sustainable development, the RIVM, the Dutch National Institute for Public Health and the Environment, published in 1998 a report discussing environmental problems, how they arise and how they are interrelated (Langeweg, 1989). This was the first of the kind in the Netherland. Later on, in 1993, the Ministry of Housing Spatial Planning and the Environment (VROM) published the VINEX (Vierde Nota Ruimtelijke Ordening Extra ). It stated that between 600,000 and 800,000 new houses were to be built in 20 years throughout the country. The government was aiming at developing sustainable buildings with high energetic efficiency but that should still be cost efficient (VROM, 2010). In parallel, the Dutch government also tried to involve the citizens in their environmental policy through TV commercials and environmental reports. Knowledge Collaboration & Learning for Sustainable Innovation ERSCP-EMSU conference, Delft, The Netherlands, October 25-29, 2010 3 Work in progress. Please do not cite without the permission of the authors However, they did not really succeed in reaching the people (Kaptein, personal communication, 21 April, 2010). It is in this context that Marleen Kaptein took the initiative to develop a district with high environmental standards and where future inhabitant would be involved in the design process. Initially she did not have a specific location in mind and it was for a number of reasons that Culemborg was chosen. First the municipality already had experience in the field of sustainable building, citizen participation, management of green areas and they had the ambition to go further with urban sustainability in general. Moreover, Jean Eigeman, Alderman in Culemborg at the time as well as Jan Goed head of the department of urban development were both enthusiastic about the project. Finally they also had a very suitable location available near the local train station (Stichting EVA, 2003). 2.2 Analysis of the process using 4 parameters: Key events We have identified 18 key events that took place between 1993 and 2003 and that had a significant influence on the development process of EVA-Lanxmeer. Each of these events is also pointed out in table 1. 1. 1993: Marleen Kaptein writes a document describing her idea and starts distributing it through her network. 2. 1994: First contact between the municipality of Culemborg and Marleen Kaptein 3. 1994: The EVA foundation is created with some professors, experts and civil servants as board members. Creating the foundation is necessary to be able to engage in negotiations with a municipality (Stichting EVA, 2010c). 4. 1995: The concept of the foundation is completed (Stichting EVA,