BEYOND GREEN

If the first step toward creating a sustainable world is to build an ecologically sound building, then the next steps are to create a community of green buildings, then an eco-friendly township or city. In the previous edition of Beyond Green we discussed the benefits of mixed-use developments and provided an example. In this edition, we’re moving to a larger scale: centrally planned, high-density, sustainable neighborhoods.

One such community is Civano, a village in southeastern Tucson, AZ. Originally called Tucson Solar Village, Civano was built on undeveloped desert floor.

Sustainability has been a cornerstone of the project since its inception. The city of Tucson rezoned the land under the stipulation of intense resource conservation. For example, single-family dwellings must use 65 percent less energy than traditionally designed homes. Reduced water consumption was also mandated, and only non-potable water can be used for landscaping.

More than one-third of Civano’s land area is set aside for open spaces such as community orchards, parks, hiking and biking trails, and desert wild lands. An array of desert trees and other native plants allow the land to soak up the region’s scarce rainfall.

The community’s first neighborhood opened in 1999. The land now boasts 2,600 homes and one million square feet of commercial space.

For communities that are fortunate enough to exist near a creek or river, the cleanliness of the flowing water is a major health concern. Coffee Creek Center, a self-contained community in Chesterton, IN, was designed with the purpose of restoring the creek that runs through it.

Perforated pipes in specially constructed wetlands filter water before it enters the creek. In addition to cleaning the water, the wetlands also reduce runoff, control floods, and prevent riverbank erosion.

The ultimate goal of a sustainable urban center is to leave a net environmental footprint of zero, not only in terms of water management but also in energy consumption and air quality. Such a community would live within the rainfall budget of the site. Businesses and residents would only use as much energy as renewable resources could provide—such as the sun, the wind, or the geothermal earth. In order to maintain pristine air, an ideal community would enjoy as much tree cover as the virgin land that once spanned the site. The carbon output would be no more than the tree cover could absorb.

Lloyd Crossing Sustainable Urban Design Plan in Portland is one such community. Still in the design phase, Lloyd Crossing is on track to transform 35 square blocks into a sustainable urban neighborhood.

At present, more than 88 percent of all precipitation at Lloyd Crossing is lost due to runoff. The development plan will divert a large portion of the runoff to recharge the groundwater, just as the virgin land did before development. In addition, efficient household appliances and onsite wastewater treatment will reduce per-capita water consumption.

The sun provides and average of more than 18 megawatts of energy to the site. Converting the entirety of the sun’s energy into electricity is unfeasible because it would require every square foot of land to be covered by solar panels. Lloyd Crossing will be able to use about 13 percent of the sun’s energy for electricity, skylights and heating systems. The remaining electricity will be generated offsite by windmills.

The virgin land under Lloyd Crossing contained 90 percent tree cover, which is unattainable on land that is covered by buildings. In order to solve the tree cover problem, the developers will restore a 50-acre patch of conifer forest on adjacent riverfront property. When the restored forest and the developed land are considered together, the average tree cover will reach pre-development levels.

Although Lloyd Crossing will not eliminate its carbon footprint altogether, it will reduce its net emissions by more than 90 percent. The developers plan to offset the remaining emissions by purchasing carbon credits.

The American Institute of Architects recognized Lloyd Crossing Sustainable Urban Design Plan with a 2006 Honor Award for Regional & Urban Design. Lloyd Crossing is a massive undertaking that serves as a model for future citywide master plans, which will then spawn regional plans. By solving problems on a small scale and expanding the solutions to larger projects, developers are transforming our planet into a sustainable world, one community at a time.

Clifford Korman graduated from the University of Waterloo in 1976 where he received the Ontario Association of Architects’ silver medal for design excellence. In 1980, he established his first architectural firm which has evolved over the years to become Kirkor Urban Solutions, Inc. With involvement in more than 2,000 projects to date, he tirelessly strives to continue raising the level of quality and excellence that Kirkor has achieved, while providing the serviceable, creative strategies that his clients require for community, lifestyle, recreation and the environment, including developing sustainable architecture. Cliff can be reached by e-mailing him at: ck@kirkorarchitects.com