The Eco Town Concept - Essay Example

The eco town concept as promoted under the brown premiership Environmental protection is a growing global concern. In Britain, the leaders have for long sought ways of embracing environmental sustainability. Ironically, there has been growing demand for housing which is attributed with about twenty seven percent of carbon emission. Therefore, the Britain government has consciously aimed at solving the environmental problems associated with housing while making housing availability possible. In this regard, the Britain Prime Minister, Gordon Brown called for the development of the eco-town concept that was initiated by the Housing Minister, Yvette Cooper. Consequently, the Town and County Planning Association (TCPA) was commissioned by the government’s Community and Local Government to offer assistance on these developments. The concept has not been implemented yet in Britain and what exists is the research and recommendations on how the projects would be implemented. Therefore, this document will explore the concept of eco-town as guided under the Brown’s premiership as well as the Town and County Planning Association recommendations. Eco-towns can be described as small towns or communities of about five to twenty homes. The eco-town “are intended to exploit the potential to create a complete new settlement to achieve zero carbon development and more sustainable development using the best design and architecture” (Communities and Local Government, p.1). Moreover, eco-town are basically designed to counter the environmental problems that are brought about by development through innovations that ensure environmental sustainability. The concept of sustainability for the eco-towns spells a three dimensions approach encompassing social, economic and environmental criteria. The environmental criteria take great considerations to energy and carbon, materials, water, waste, transport and access, health and wellbeing, food, urban form and land use, and green infrastructure and ecology. On the other hand, the economic aspect addresses employment such that much of it is created within the eco-towns or accessible from these communities. What is more, the networking of the community is vitals as is the sustainance and support of the employments. Further, social criteria emphasize sustainable communities that are characterized by a scale and mix that support certain necessities like a secondary school. Essentially, an eco-town should create clusters which together have the capacity to sustain a higher order of economic and social activities. With these criteria as an overview, outline of key features that define eco-towns are as follows: They are places with distinct and separate identity and are not a replica of the already existing towns. Nonetheless, they are well linked to the surrounding cities and towns in terms of transport, employments opportunities and services. The eco-towns must meet the zero carbon standards such that they are the exemplar in one or more areas of environmental protection and technology. The eco-towns should have a wide range of facilities within it such as retail centre, schools, business space and social amenities. Thirty to twenty percent of the allocation should be affordable housing that are characterized by a suitable tenure and home sizes with mixed communities. The management of the town should also provide support to people and businesses while coordinating delivery of services in addition to managing the facilities. In scoping the concept of eco-town, it is essential to understand sustainability in three dimensions. In addition to the environmental consideration, the developments should also consider the equally significant social and economic aspects. In this regard, sustainability of eco-towns as well as various components that make up eco-towns would be significantly influenced on the level of consideration of all the three aspects of sustainability. The environmental aspect is the main consideration in the creation of the eco-towns. The British Government set out the criteria under which the eco-towns would be assessed. Of significance is that the government promotes the Code for Sustainable Homes to be the guide on sustainability concerns. Therefore, these criteria create a perfect picture of how the eco-towns would be. Energy and carbon dioxide emission is a crucial environmental factor in eco-town development. In these towns each of the homes would have to meet the level six for energy in the Code for Sustainable Homes standards. Even with creation of a parallel code in the course of the eco-town project, equally high standards will have to be met for the buildings. Moreover, the BREEAM standards stipulate the guidelines under which the expectation of the eco-towns buildings would be determined. The buildings within the eco-towns would not be in isolation. In support of this, they would be characterized with energy strategies and solutions that aim at reducing consumption of energy all year round, promoting the utilization of renewable energy and supplying energy efficiently across these developments and in each building. Consequently, there would be considerable reductions in energy prices within the communities. Moreover, the requirement for “sustainable supply systems” (Town and Country Planning Association, 9) would result in vital mass development. This will further necessitate the creation of supply infrastructures before the completion of the building hence at this stage zero carbon might not be realized across the site. Water is another environmental factor that defines eco-towns. In this respect, each of the homes would have meet the level 6 of the Code for Sustainable Homes. In addition, other buildings should meet the BREEAM standards. Therefore, elements such as sustainable management of and access to water for use by businesses, in irrigation, and for human consumption would characterize the eco-towns. Moreover, the towns would be defined with great water efficiency in buildings as well as in the surrounding communities. On top of that, strategies for water management would eliminate localized flooding. Again, the eco-town would have to make sure that water demand is below the available water at present and in the future. Materials and waste are also significant in developing eco-towns. Eco-towns are built with locally available and sourced materials as well as materials that are products of recycling. These materials are obtained from sources that are managed sustainably. Moreover, the towns are provided with means for collection, sorting, storage, and recycling of waste from businesses and homes. The strategies for waste management would be specific to the local circumstances as well as consider possible links with transport, energy generation, and health and well being. Transport is another important sector that determines the success of the objectives of the eco-towns. A high quality transport system both between and within the town is essential. Moreover, services, shops and employment should be accessible with ease. Infrastructures are available to support cycling and walking as the public transport offer alternatives to other kind of movements. Significantly, easy accessibility to buses and other means of transport is enabled. The layout, density and size of the neighbouring communities considered together would spell the arrangements of these services. In addition, variable densities that are determined by the accessibility to public transport points are significant across the eco-towns. Green infrastructure and ecology also represents the environmental aspect that is embraced in eco-towns. The eco-towns and cities could also be a suitable habitat for wildlife. Sustainable eco-towns have humans and wildlife in co-existence. What is more, green infrastructure and tree covers from private gardens as well as large parks would characterize the eco-towns. These contribute to the wellbeing and health of the community while reducing the “urban heat island effect” as well as flash flooding. Food is not only essential in supporting the life of human being but it is essential in eco-towns. Therefore, the eco-towns would be characterized by use of food schemes that are sourced locally, a strategy that is crucial in Carbon dioxide emissions. Furthermore, farming processes in eco-towns are less energy intensive. The “food mile” factor in eco-town is vital in reduction of carbon dioxide emission. Land use and urban form have a significant influence on all other aspects in eco-towns. Suitable mixed-use developments help in attaining sustainable accessibility, movement, energy performance, efficacy of recycling systems and adaptability changes in climate. The social aspect in eco-town is also significant and contains several elements. The eco-towns embrace a scale and mix such that they can support and accommodate its own learning institutions; therefore, secondary schools are vital in these communities. Moreover, the sustainability of the eco-towns is achieved when the needs of children are successfully addressed through to adulthood. The quality of life is improved where older children are also catered for within the communities. Eco-towns are open systems and form part of networks or clusters of places which together sustain higher order of economic and social activities. These networked communities call for creation of means of transport other than car. Additionally, social development projects ensure there is social cohesion and integration. With this, the rate of social organizations and institutions development at local level is accelerated. Arrangements for governance in eco-towns are set to support sustainability in the communities. Thus, the community is organised so as to have good quality of life. In addition, the power to select the priorities of local spending are applied in the best way so as to ensure safe, clean streets as well as an interactive life. As well, a healthy and sustainable relationship between various age groups, faith groups and ethnic groups is encouraged within the eco-towns. There are various components of economic aspect that are significant in eco-towns. Sustainable employment within the community or that is accessible from the community and that is able to absorb as much people a possible is vital for eco-towns to achieve their purpose. Achievement of this is thus dictates appropriate networking within the eco-towns as well as to the actual, virtual and sectoral clusters. Developments of support facilities and services that enable working from home as well as in sociable resource centres within the communities are encouraged. Innovations that are motivated through social interactions and urban design in eco-towns show the emphasis put on institutional and social infrastructure for business networking. Therefore, a connection with “local economic programmes and regional economic development strategies” is vital and characterizes the eco-towns (Town and Country Planning Association, 12). In eco-towns, training initiatives and facilities as well as education are elements that warrant sustainability of employment at the local level. Furthermore, “an education campus” within the community showing long term dedication to learning would be an attraction to research and development investors and tenants (Town and Country Planning Association, 12). The land for the eco-town development is singly owned. However, it is pooled together where it owned by several people or organisations (Town and Country Planning Association, 12). The eco-towns are further characterized by long-term maintenance arrangements and management. The quality of community facilities and of the public domain is secured through for instance, endowment with commercial properties or capital sums entrusted to non-profit organisations. Moreover, long-term financial accountability and support is essential to the sustainability of eco-towns. The settlements in eco-towns are big enough so as to enable attainment of economies of scale that support zero carbon. Therefore, their developments are based on a totally different economic foundation to the ordinary developments. The objective tries to capture most of the “land value uplift” that is gained in the initials stages of licensing as well as to utilize the land to have sustainable developments (Town and Country Planning Association, 12). In terms of the wellbeing and health of the population, eco-towns are also attractive in regards to fostering healthy communities. The decoration of homes and gardens in eco-towns would also be within standards that promote environmental protection and sustainability. The choice of beautification must be meet zero carbon standards. In this respect, artificial ornamentation that use, for instance, electricity would be discouraged. Moreover, such aspects as paintings including the colour of paints and the types of paints themselves would have to be environmentally friendly. That is, they should not promote global warming and should be decomposable. Horticulture should form the main part of decoration in homes and gardens. Despite enhancing the environmental status of the eco-towns horticulture has some other environmental and economic advantages. These horticultural beatifications should be applied to both public domains and in individuals homes as well as parks and businesses arenas; that is it should cut across the eco-towns. Life in an eco-town would be of high quality. In environmental perspective, it is definite that air and water quality are according to acceptable standards for a healthy environmental. Also, of importance are the economic and social aspects which are well managed and aim at sustainability in all aspects. Therefore, all the three aspects brought together ensure that there is a high quality of life in eco-towns. That is the towns are an enhancement of ordinary towns considering all aspects of settlements. However, in terms of facilities the eco-towns might lack some necessary facilities, a phenomenon that characterizes initial stages of urban developments. Therefore, this might limit the fulfilment of life in certain aspects which mostly are considered leisure. The eco-town would also be characterized by a unique lifestyle where people are inclined to environmental protection. The eco-town cannot be singled out from ordinary social occurrences. However, instances of crime, for example, could be reduced due to availability of employment and sound management of resources. I would choose to live in an eco-town basing on two factors. One is the level of implementation of the eco-towns; thus the translation of the eco-town concept should much the theoretical expectations to avoid compromising the expected quality of life in an eco-town. Secondly is the political factor that would dictate the viability and sustainability of the eco-towns. That is, the uniqueness of the eco-towns and the fact that it is a new and developing idea might attract opposition to the extent that the expectations are compromised. Generally, I would prefer the eco-towns to the ordinary towns since they promote environmental sustainability. The environment is more important to most aspects of life in the sense that it provides a base for other elements of life to function. Simply put, life is not possible in a poisoned environment. Conclusion In this document, the discussions of the criteria under which eco-towns are established answer the questions how eco-towns might look like, and explain the kind of life that people would lead in them. Moreover, the document point to question of how the homes and gardens within the eco-towns would be decorated. The concept of eco-town has existed in different context. The Brown’s proposed concept of eco-town is still under research and development and description of these communities relies on the criteria under which they should be developed. The three criteria (environmental, social and economic) have been discussed in this document as the basis for the foundation of sustainability in various aspects of eco-towns. The Community and Local Government as well as the Town and Community Planning Association, which are arms of the British government, were commissioned by the government to merely offer guidelines to development of the eco-towns. Therefore, the people communities themselves are responsible in developing and implementing eco-towns proposals. The eco-town concept is a workable concept which if implemented successfully in the United Kingdom would bring immense benefits to the individuals, community and the country in general. References Communities and Local Government. Building a Greener Future: Consultation, 2006. Town and Country Planning Association and David Lock. Eco-towns: scoping report, 2007. Schaltegger, Stefan; Bennett, Martin; Burnitt, Roger. Sustainability Accounting and Revenue. Springer, 2006 Read More