Community: The Future of Sustainability

[Ryan Sand]

While creating truly “sustainable” places, many design decisions are based on the context of economic support, ecological responsibility, artistic aesthetics, and communal interaction.  Great leaps have been made as we now consider housing markets, apply environmental responsibility tactics, strive to create beautiful experiences, throughout the design/development process.  With strong emphasis on analyzing/taking stock of all resources, people have been rediscovering what “community” really means, beyond public space.  Through historical precedence and contemporary application, we begin to see the challenge and the potential designers have, as they create spaces, policy, and activity to encourage the community/patron to willfully engage/develop their own environment, and just be good neighbors.

 

Do you have any favorite firms, projects, cities, personal experiences that exemplify this concept?

[toby]

You can’t have sustainable as long as somebody is able to bring in cheaper (in the short run) alternatives.  Try and legislate it and you’ll get calls for your head on the chopping block.

In an effort to get a lively response, I’ll go so far as to say ‘sustainable’ is impossible to achieve. 

 

[Jarrod Katzer]

Experiences (and completely successful examples) are few but growing in number. Most introductions of a socially and materially complex notions will come slowly. That being said we only serve to keep them slow when we over examine their components and manufacture contrast between those components. The practice of sustainability must be kept just that, a practice. Its not a means for valuation, its not a means of personal identity, and its not a religion. The social and cultural “pillars of design consideration” have the same supporting roles as any other .pillar. Every pillar requires the same maintenance. Insisting on regulation that is seemingly meant to take the place of a convincing argument will only place additional, needless nuance onto a topic that comes through the door complex. Leave the artery clogging pre-lecturing behind and let the installed analysis not just inform the mission but also evangelize that mission. Sorry to go off inquiry.

[Ryan Sand]

While it maybe impossible to achieve, several spaces are better than others to involve/invite the public to “own” the landscape.  According to Randolph Hester,”people seeking to design sociable neighborhoods must clarify the concept of “residents’ own” spaces, and then they must decide how to delineate those spaces. The word “own” refers to a collective, symbolic community ownership and can often apply to highly contested areas.”

What places do you see Designers being proactive in these landscapes, more than others, creating “neighbor” engaging landscapes?

[Ryan Sand]

You are fine, I reviewed my primary query and noticed a mis-communication (I have since edited my meaning).  

Most of the time designers simply note plaza with seating on the space and deem it worthy to support a community, or host a community involved charette.  This is good, but I believe is not the extent of public participation as a designer.  For real community, the neighbors should be re-united, and the creation of a new space is only the first step.  A public green or community garden (an installed example) is a great step towards getting neighbors outside to join in a common space.  As William Whyte deemed Triangulation as an example, we can utilize amenities to bring people together.  Should designers even take on the role of events planner with other organizations to manage and plan events (foodie nights, markets, concerts, etc.) within the space we design? What are other ways you have seen designers re-unite neighbors?  

[Zuzana Hudekova]

We have worked on one international project aiming on the creation of the sustainable liveable urban open spaces with the community involvement…some findings as well as best practices on the link  Methodology Plan for good planning and designing of urban open spaces ..

[Ryan Sand]

Great looking content, I got a little into it, excited to get deeper!

[Author]

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