Eco-Towns
What is an Eco-Town?

A sustainable development
 work
towards “zero-carbon” status
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

Features of an eco-town:

well designed, attractive places to work and live

utilize a well developed infrastructure
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
Planning Example
Housing
Vehicle parking
Neighbourhood Centres
Green Space
Pedestrian Areas
Clean Industry
Eco-Towns: United Kingdom

New towns of 5-20,000 homes

Objective: provide affordable housing
 At
least 30-50% must be affordable housing
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
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
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)
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 selfgoverned, owned and operated
Why Eco-Towns? (UK)

Housing demand outstrips supply annually in Britain

Homes have become increasingly unaffordable

Government wants to utilize “brownfield” land
Why Eco-Towns? (UK)


New towns can deliver affordable housing faster
More than ¼ of all British carbon dioxide emissions
are produced by homes
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
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
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
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
UK Eco-Towns: Northstowe
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
Eco-Town Criticisms: UK

Opponents claim some sites are not eco-friendly
e
located on pristine countryside, not brownfields
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
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
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
Eco-Town: Vauban, Germany


Houses are attached and are 4 stories (maximum)
Houses were built in housing blocks to maximize
urban density
Eco-Town: Vauban, Germany


Most homes generate more power than they use, so
power is sold back to the national grid
Homes are “passive”
Eco-Town: Vauban, Germany
Japanese Eco-Towns

To date, there are 19 eco-towns in Japan, with
more approved for future
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
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
Kitakyushu: Two Objectives
1)
2)
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
Eco-Town: Kitakyushu

The Industrial eco-town consists of 3 zones:
1)
2)
3)
Comprehensive Industrial Complex
The Practical Research Area
The Hibiki Recycling Area
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.
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
Eco-Towns: Conclusions


Must be planned and implemented with the
involvement of surrounding communities
Should have a public-private partnership, with longterm funding primarily from private sources
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
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
The End