1. Eco-Towns

2. What is an Eco-Town? A sustainable development
work towards “zero-carbon” status

3. Features of an ecotown:
environmental approaches to managing waste
green spaces to enhance biodiversity
construction practices that minimize waste
incorporates high efficiency and reuse for water

4. Features of an eco-town:
well designed, attractive places to work and live
utilize a well developed infrastructure

5. Features of an eco-town:
Have transit links, as well as standard roads, that connect them to surrounding cities
Have long term plans for sustainability and specific, achievable targets

6. Planning Example Housing Green Space Clean Industry
Vehicle parking Pedestrian Areas
Neighbourhood Centres

7. Eco-Towns: United Kingdom
New towns of 5-20,000 homes
Objective: provide affordable housing
At least 30-50% must be affordable housing

8. Eco-Towns: UK
All homes must be within a 10 minute walk of public transport
Emphasis on public transportation and HOV
Parks, playgrounds & gardens make up 40% of the town

9. Eco-Towns: UK Must have a wide range of local facilities
Must appoint a group to oversee and manage the town, as well as its development

10. Eco-Towns: UK Need to include plug-ins for electric vehicles
Must encourage work from home by building live/work units and local technological resource centres (e-centres)

11. What makes eco-towns in the UK CED?
Enable greater community ownership and management of assets
Encourage participation in cultural and recreational activities (as a town)
National government is making them largely self- governed, owned and operated

12. Why Eco-Towns? (UK)
Housing demand outstrips supply annually in Britain
Homes have become increasingly unaffordable
Government wants to utilize “brownfield” land

13. Why Eco-Towns? (UK) New towns can deliver affordable housing faster
More than ¼ of all British carbon dioxide emissions are produced by homes

14. Funding for UK Eco-Towns
Governments provides education, health care and social services
Government funds initial start-up and planning
Long term funding is expected to be almost entirely from the private sector

15. Management, Delivery & Planning
Government will establish a “stakeholder reference group” to bring together experts in sustainable development
Government wants to minimize planning delays and will expedite the process for those with a clear plan, funding and available sites

16. UK Examples: Northstowe
9500 homes built on an old army barracks
Intended to include: secondary school, 6 primary schools, a civic hub and a local business district
Local business district will provide 5000 jobs along with shopping and leisure facilities

17. UK Examples: Northstowe
Solar water heat, photovoltaic panels (solar) for micro-generation
£100 million in funding is from the government for a guided bus plan
£5 million in funding from the government for advanced infrastructure developments

18. UK Eco-Towns: Northstowe

19. Eco-Town Criticisms: UK
National government may usurp the power of local authorities, could lead to corruption
Initially not linked to surrounding developments, which increases vehicle dependency

20. Eco-Town Criticisms: UK
Opponents claim some sites are not eco-friendly
e located on pristine countryside, not brownfields

21. European Eco-Towns
Have long been in practice in the countries such as Sweden and Germany
Most started in the 1970’s with the dawn of environmental conservatorship

22. Eco-Town: Vauban, Germany
Founded in 1970’s on the ground of an old army barracks, by nuclear power protesters
5000 homes built and 600 jobs created
Nearby Freiburg is a University town
CED: local decision making and planning

23. Eco-Town: Vauban, Germany
Nearly 50% of households are car free, many belong to a €600 per year car share program
A parking spot costs €20,000 per year and is on the outskirts of town
Vauban is linked to Freiburg by a railway, tramline, main road and two bus routes

24. Eco-Town: Vauban, Germany
Houses are attached and are 4 stories (maximum)
Houses were built in housing blocks to maximize urban density

25. Eco-Town: Vauban, Germany
Most homes generate more power than they use, so power is sold back to the national grid
Homes are “passive”

26. Eco-Town: Vauban, Germany

27. Japanese Eco-Towns
To date, there are 19 eco-towns in Japan, with more approved for future

28. Eco-Town: Kitakyushu, Japan
Founded in 1987, Japan’s first eco-town project
It is a 2000 hectare industrial park , located on reclaimed land, which was previously a landfill and port

29. Eco-Town: Kitakyushu
Founded to help clean up the heavily polluted air and Dokai Bay
Once known as “the Gray City” and is now known as “the Green City”
Dokia Bay, 1960’s Dokai Bay, Present Day

30. Kitakyushu: Two Objectives
To stimulate the economy by nurturing the growth of environmental industries that take advantage of industrial capabilities
To create an integrated system in harmony with the environment and to involve industry, the public sector and consumers with the goal of creating a recycling-oriented region

31. Eco-Town: Kitakyushu The Industrial eco-town consists of 3 zones:
Comprehensive Industrial Complex
The Practical Research Area
The Hibiki Recycling Area

32. Eco-Town: Kitakyushu
With a focus on industrial recycling, corporations in the region have become the largest financial contributors
Corporations fund the construction of recycling plants specific to their industry
For example, the Nishi-Nippon PET bottle recycling plant, built by Nippon Steel and Mitsui & Co.

33. Eco-Town: Kitakyushu
The project is so successful it now has a large pool of resources to collect from
Demand for the products they produce is growing
The surrounding town enjoys the spillover effects from improved air, water and infrastructure

34. Eco-Towns: Conclusions
Must be planned and implemented with the involvement of surrounding communities
Should have a public-private partnership, with long- term funding primarily from private sources

35. Eco-Town: Conclusions
Should continually search for new technologies
innovative techniques to lower consumption
Should put energy back into the national grid
Independent environmental agencies should monitor eco-town’s use of energy over time to ensure standards are met

36. Eco-Towns: Conclusions
Should be located on a site in need of revitalizing and/or clean up
Must be based on environmentally sustainable, long-term town planning
They are a sustainable way forward for urban growth globally, both for residential and industrial communities

37. The End