Design Economics for the Built Environment: Impact of Sustainability on Project Evaluation

Chapter 14Achieving Zero Carbon in Sustainable Communities

Malgorzata Jacewicz and Herbert Robinson

14.1 Introduction

Contemporary urban lifestyle emphasises green living and encourages people to reduce their carbon footprint. Carbon footprint of users and their demand for energy should be measured to explore scenarios for the design of buildings to create sustainable communities. Sustainable communities promote sustainable living, contribute to a high quality of life and recognise the value of living and working to reduce the impact of the environment to the community. The UK Government defines ‘sustainable community’ as places where people want to work and live, now and in the future. Such communities should be economically, environmentally and socially viable, healthy and resilient but success depends on commitment, good citizenship, leadership in creating a responsible and caring environment (Institute for Sustainable Communities, 2014). A good example of a sustainable community is BedZED, an environmentally friendly housing development in Hackbridge, London using only energy generated from renewable sources on site (Bioregional Solutions for Sustainability, 2014).

This chapter presents an alternative approach for developing sustainable communities using activity-based design principles based on the quantification of the energy demand per activity performed by members of various communities. It starts with an overview of key concepts and principles for developing of sustainable ...