Prioritizing Sustainability Criteria in Urban Planning Processes: Methodology Application
Publication: Journal of Urban Planning and Development
Volume 137, Issue 1
Abstract
Since the beginning of the sustainability debate approximately 20 years ago, all parties involved in the urban planning process have been expected to devise sustainable solutions to meet the challenges of the 21st century. Potential to include sustainability criteria is present in the strategic planning stage and during the initial studies of a project. However, instruments available at these early stages are rare and show numerous weaknesses. The present study intends to close this gap by developing an instrument for the prioritization of sustainability criteria in urban planning processes. It is based on the Sustainable Building Tool 07 (SBTool 07), a comprehensive and well-established tool for the assessment of sustainability of construction projects, key issues pertaining to the initial planning stages are identified via a materiality matrix—a method established for corporate sustainability reporting. The resulting method has been tested in a competition in the Icelandic city of Reykjavík. Results include a materiality matrix on stakeholder priorities and the relevance of criteria to sustainability across the life cycle as well as a core set of 19 criteria to be addressed in Reykjavík.
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Acknowledgments
We would like to express our thanks to all of the partners who were involved in the administration of the competition, especially Klaus E. Krauss of Cologne, Lützow7 Landschaftsarchitekten of Berlin and Verkehrsplanung Link of Stuttgart. Our thanks also go to the anonymous reviewers of this manuscript, whose suggestions helped us improve it substantially. Further, we thank the City of Reykjavík for the permission to publish Fig. 1. The assistance of Liliana Wild, Brigitte Cuperus and Nathan Barnhart in the preparation of the manuscript is greatly appreciated.
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Information
Published In
Journal of Urban Planning and Development
Volume 137 • Issue 1 • March 2011
Pages: 20 - 28
Copyright
© 2011 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Mar 27, 2009
Accepted: Apr 12, 2010
Published online: May 7, 2010
Published in print: Mar 1, 2011
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