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Enhancing Sustainability at the Community Level: Lessons from American Ecovillages

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Enhancing Sustainability at the Community Level: Lessons from American Ecovillages Enhancing Sustainability at the Community Level: Lessons from American EcoVillages A thesis submitted to the Graduate School of the University of Cincinnati in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science in Architecture in the School of Architecture and Interior Design of the Design, Arts, Architecture, and Planning by Leila B Loezer University of Cincinnati June 2011 Committee: Virginia Russell, FASLA, RLA, MLA, LEED AP, GRP (Chair) Carla Chifos, AICP (Faculty Member) Robert Thayer, FASLA, FCELA (Reader) Abstract Sustainability has been a subject of concern in various levels of society. Top-down approaches proposed by governments, corporations, and non-profit organizations are responsible for implementing policies, marketing, and organized movements towards environmentally friendly practices and design. Grassroots initiatives can also contribute with experiences and encourage local communities to develop and implement strategies to enhance sustainability. Many times, urban design overlooks the unusual and rich achievements of intentional urban communities and EcoVillages. Some of the most successful examples of urban design are the result of grassroots initiatives, which many times did not engage the professional services of architects and designers. This thesis explores best practices and experiences of grassroots initiatives to make the urban environment more sustainable. The literature review chapter identifies the most relevant strategies for sustainable communities. Strategies and objectives are divided into social, environmental, and economic approaches and then detailed in a matrix. The objectives in the matrix of sustainable measures are used as criteria to compare the four communities studied: Village Homes, EcoVillage at Ithaca, Los Angeles EcoVillage, and Enright Ridge EcoVillage. This thesis proposes recommendations of best practices for communities that are striving to become more sustainable based on the experiences of the communities studied. Leila B Loezer MSArch Thesis ii Leila B Loezer MSArch Thesis iii Acknowledgements This thesis would not be possible without the support and contributions of my advisors, Professors Virginia Russell and Carla Chifos, who provided guidance for literature and case studies suggestions, instigated discussions about the research topics, and made relevant comments on my writings. The contribution of my reader, Professor Robert Thayer, was absolutely essential for the improvement of the structure of this thesis. I also appreciate his suggestions of literature and insights on the discussion about sustainable communities. Thanks to all my committee members. This thesis would not be complete without visits to the communities described in the case studies chapter. Professor Robert Thayer and his wife, Lacey, warmly received me in Village Homes and gave me an insider‘s point of view on the community. Courtney Schroeder allowed me to stay at her house during my visit to the EcoVillage at Ithaca. Liz Walker and other residents from the EcoVillage at Ithaca dedicated time to talk about what it is like to live in the community. Lois Arkin provided me with information about the Los Angeles EcoVillage over the phone and helped arrange my visit to the community. Julio Santizo gave me a detailed tour through the Los Angeles EcoVillage and was prompt to answer all my questions. Jim Schenk dedicated plenty of time in explaining and discussing the process of creation of the Enright Ridge EcoVillage and its functioning. Thank you to all community coordinators and residents who supported my visits and spared time to talk about the EcoVillages. The opportunity to use the theoretical and practical aspects of this research in teaching a course was an experience of major significance. Thank you Professor Frank Russell for Leila B Loezer MSArch Thesis iv providing me with the opportunity to apply my research in his Sustainable Urbanism Seminar in the Spring of 2011 in the form of lectures and case studies exercises. Finally, this thesis would not be possible without the help of Anne Sawyer, Professor Frank Russell, and Glen-Erik Cortes, who thoughtfully revised my writings and provided suggestions for improvement. Thank you to friends and family members for all your support. Leila B Loezer MSArch Thesis v Table of Contents Chapter I: Introduction ....................................................................................... 1 Definition of Community .......................................................................................................................... 3 Definition of Sustainable ........................................................................................................................... 3 Sustainable Communities ......................................................................................................................... 6 The Communes ......................................................................................................................................... 8 Intentional Communities and EcoVillages .............................................................................................. 12 Problem Statement ................................................................................................................................. 16 Goals and Objectives of the Study .......................................................................................................... 17 Research Questions ................................................................................................................................ 18 Methodology ........................................................................................................................................... 18 Chapter II: Literature Review ............................................................................ 22 What makes a community sustainable? ................................................................................................. 23 Social-oriented strategies ................................................................................................................................... 24 Environmental-oriented strategies ..................................................................................................................... 30 Economic-oriented strategies ............................................................................................................................. 38 Summary and criteria for case study analysis ......................................................................................... 43 Comprehensive Theoretical Frameworks for Sustainable Communities ............................................... 46 Precepts of Biological Design .............................................................................................................................. 47 Ecological Design................................................................................................................................................. 48 Chapter III: Case Studies ................................................................................... 52 Village Homes, Davis, California .............................................................................................................. 53 Urban design ....................................................................................................................................................... 54 Solar design ......................................................................................................................................................... 56 Low impact site infrastructure: natural drainage system ................................................................................... 58 Community living ................................................................................................................................................ 59 Summary ............................................................................................................................................................. 61 EcoVillage at Ithaca, Ithaca, NY ............................................................................................................... 64 Land use .............................................................................................................................................................. 66 Cohousing model and green building ................................................................................................................. 68 Leila B Loezer MSArch Thesis vi Community living ................................................................................................................................................ 73 Education and outreach ...................................................................................................................................... 75 Summary ............................................................................................................................................................. 76 Los Angeles Eco-Village, Los Angeles, California ..................................................................................... 78 Restoring the urban environment ...................................................................................................................... 80 Environmentally oriented activities ...................................................................................................................
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