7 rules for sustainable communities

This entry by Henning Thomsen was originally posted on byensojne.com - a blog on cities, city space and city life.

Maybe it doesn’t have to be so difficult? Maybe it isn’t rocket science? I mean, creating more sustainable communities. But in our technology and expert obsessed time common sense and experience and straight forward, low-tech solutions aren’t always what will sell the tickets. In the book, “Seven Rules for Sustainable Communities” urban planning professor Patrick Condon gives his opinion on how it is possible, by following the seven rules, to create more sustainable cities and communities.

He has over 25 years’ experience in sustainable urban design; first as a professional city planner and then as a teacher and researcher. He started his academic career in 1985 at the University of Minnesota, moving to the University of British Columbia in 1992. He has lectured internationally and written articles and books on the subject and more recently he has helped produce the “100 Year Sustainability Vision”, a plan to make the City of North Vancouver a zero carbon community.

Professor Condons seven rules for sustainable communities are:

1.Restore the streetcar city
2.Design an interconnected street system
3.Locate commercial services, frequent transit and schools within a five-minute walk
4.Locate good jobs close to affordable homes
5.Provide a diversity of housing types
6.Create a linked system of natural areas and parks
7.Invest in lighter, greener, cheaper and smarter infrastructure
 - And the final rule: Love one rule, love them all. These principles represent the elements of a whole. Achieving one without the others – particularly if it is at the expense of the others – will be of limited value and could be counterproductive. Read more about the seven rules by clicking the individual headings.

Read Professor Patrick Condons own introduction to the seven rules

Check out Professor Condons suggestions for a concrete implementation of the seven rules