CONSCIOUS URBANISM

CONSCIOUS URBANISM

DYNAMICS OF GREEN DESIGN IN MACRO SCALE – A QUESTION OF SUSTAINABILITY

Nilanjan Bhowal

Arunima Chatterjee

Any discussion of urban design which does not address environmental issues has little meaning at a time of declining natural resources, ozone layer destruction, increasing pollution & it’s far reaching impacts on the pattern of living in the urban fabric.

• IS THERE AN ENVIRONMENTAL CRISIS ?

• WHAT IS THE NATURE & EXTENT OF URBAN ENVIRONMENTAL DEGRADATION ?

• WHAT ARE THE UNDERLYING CAUSES ?

• WHAT ARE THE OPTIONS TO IMPROVE URBAN ENVIRONMENT?

POLLUTION CONTROL IN CITIES

BIKE PATHS & PEDESTRIAN TRAFFIC IMPORTANCE

USABLE PUBLIC SPACES

GREEN POCKETS TO REDUCE URBAN HEAT ISLAND EFFECT

ARCHITECTURAL SOLUTIONS

INTEGRATED APPROACH

URBAN ENVIRONMENTALISM

• Ethics and respect for the individual.• Participation and democratization.• Structuring through networks.• A return to the natural world and sensory experience.• Controlled urban density and mixed development. • Respect for the genius loci , or spirit of place.• Ecology and economy.• International co-operation.

ENVIRONMENTAL HUMANISM

• Equilibrium between the built & open

spaces• Preservation• Urban diversity.• Social & community mixes.• Traffic control• Protection of water & air quality.• Waste management• Conservation of urban heritage.

Experiments in Community level…..

……. Township design

CIVANO : An experimental community development in American Southwest The Problems

– Sprawl– Predominance of the

automobile– Lack of community– Destruction of

ecosystems, green spacesTechniques

– Considering energy in Planning

– New Urbanism – Transit-Oriented

Development– Conservation Subdivision

Design– Smart Growth

Sustainability goals include:• Reducing potable water

consumption by 65 %• Reducing home energy

consumption by 50%• Reducing internal vehicle miles

by 40%• Creating one job onsite for

every two residences• Reducing landfill-destined solid

waste• Providing 20 percent

"affordable housing“• Developing a cooperative city

Civano site plan : neighborhood growths

- Pedestrian streets within community

& parks /natural green spaces

- Peripheral vehicular movements

• Distinct separation of vehicular & pedestrian movement.

• Green buffers.

Principle 1: Manage Congestion

Principle 2: Balanced/Active Streets

Principle 3: Streets as Places

Principle 4: Interactive Streets

Principle 5: Pride of Place

Principle 6: Public Art to enhance

community integration

Functional open space

Natural open space

Existing multi-use trailEnhanced side-walkDivided urban pathwaysProposed multi-use trailsPedestrian connections

Main roadway Arterial roadway

MASTER PLAN & ROAD NETWORK

MICRO & MACRO GREEN STRATEGIES

SOLAR POWER GENERATION IN COMMUNITY LEVEL DESIGN

GARAGES AS BUFFER ZONE WITH PV CELLS AS GREEN ENERGY DESIGN

WATER CONSERVATION/RAIN WATER HARVESTING & PASSIVE SOLAR DESIGN

XERISCAPE & INDEGENIOUS PLANT LANDSCAPING IN COMMUNITY LEVEL TO CONSERVE WATER

ARCHITECTURAL VENTURES – Low Energy, passive design

MATERIALS

CONSTRUCTION

DESIGN

PLANNING

STRAWBALE ADOBE RAMMED EARTH PRE-FAB CONSTRUCTION

AUROVILLE : An experimental township in South India

Centrifugal plan with Spiritual foci.

Lines of force separating different zones surrounded by a natural green belt.

EVOLUTION OF THE URBAN FORM

Four-part master plan idea by Mirra Alfassa, "the Mother“ of Auroville.

1966 Nebula

1967 Emerging Galaxy

1967 Galaxy Master Plan

Roger Anger:"Mother had given a couple of parameters: the division of the city into four areas, or zones, and the number of people for whom the city is envisaged (50.000). The division into those four zones (industrial, residential, international and cultural) is unique, and has no precedent in town planning.

• Auroville is an attempt to develop a utopian city with an ideal community and self sustenance were the driving force would be to realize human unity in diversity.

• This concept reflects in the city planning which integrates the new age metropolis as a mean to exercise ecological sustenance in living.

• The Green Belt is a fertile zone for applied research.

• The resulting innovative methods can be applied/extended in both rural and urban areas everywhere.

PRINCIPLES

CENTRAL ZONE GREEN BELT

RESIDENTIAL ZONE INTERNATIONAL ZONE

Spiritual center

Visitor’s activity zone

Experimental architecture

Apartments & single dwellings

International Pavilions

Exploring global parameters

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INDUSTRIAL ZONE

CULTURAL ZONE

research facilities, factories

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Social Development

Cultural Development

Human Development

Environmental Development

Climatically responsive, energy efficient architecture

Low energy content building materials

GREEN ARCHITECTURE & PLANNING STRATEGIES

COMMUNITY WITHOUT BOUNDARIES

STREET SCALE & TRAFFIC SEGREGATION

PUBLIC CONVENIENCES IN VARIOUS SECTORS

RAMMED EARTH STRUCTURE

RECHARGE RESERVOIR

THATCH, WATTLE & DAUB, ADOBE & ORGANIC STRUCTURES

Civano was designed to protect the environment and, every home at Civano is certified by the US Government to reduce the energy costs for heating and cooling by at least 50%.

Civano is a direct implementation of a new development pattern allowing people to meet economic needs while maintaining social values and ecological harmony.  Civano's master plan anticipates construction of about 2,000 homes and apartments using significantly lower natural sources than conventional homes within a broad price range.

Harvested and reclaimed water is promoted. Extensive walking and biking paths reduce auto usage for internal circulation and create a livable community.

TWO GEOGRAPHICALLY DIFFERENT URBAN EXPERIMENTS WITH SUSTAINABLE GOALS Conscious Urbanism in Auroville

addresses issues – from organic food generation to water, energy, architecture, construction materials, technology, waste management, pollution, traffic and even self – governance.

Although originally intended to house 50,000, the actual population today is 1,829

Vehicular traffic (quantity, movement) needs to be planned and controlled (Civano is a good example for pedestrian and vehicular traffic segregation)

Low-energy building materials and sustainable techniques adopted at the micro scale. (rammed-earth, compressed earth blocks, ferro cement, funicular shells etc. have been extensively tried at Auroville by various architects)

THE FINAL QUESTION

EXPERIMENTAL TOWNSHIPS vs EXISTING CITY DYNAMICS : BALANCE?

LESSONS?

TIME?