Sustainable Community Development

Sustainable community development is an approach to urban planning and development that ensures current better quality of life for all; and promises the same for future generations, achieved by protecting, enhancing and living adequately within the earth's resources.

A sustainable community must have access to quality education, jobs, services, housing and leisure within walk-able and cycling distances; provide toxic free living environment which is healthy, resilient and stable now and into the future; Offer livelihood sources to residents within of the community; Democratic, just, engaged, diverse, responsible, supportive and vibrant; Child, woman, men, disabled and elderly friendly; and a community which ensures personal fulfilment, healthy and resources to enjoy life. A community designed and developed to use available opportunities to prevent environmental negative impacts, or minimise them as a last remedy.

Sustainable Community Development follows principles of the 1987 World Commission on Environment and Development definition of Sustainable Development as 'development which meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs'. 

Consumed Symposium

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/488524/Sponsorship%20Pack.pdf

Ash Amin Presentation

I liked Ash Amin presentation today @cities Manchester but the facilitator couldnt see my hand....the main issue I had and still have is that we are focusing on 'fire fighting' than 'fire prevention'...much as recognising  rights and slum upgrading are  good for the current slums but we are missing the underlaying issue as to how our cities would plan inadvance for new settlers of all economic backgrounds. Most cities are determined to work comprehensively for the very few elite...negleting huge volumes of city migrants.
It is sad that we have good reports and projections on slum growth but we are doing nothing to prevent the challenge.

Earth is the Promising Material for Constructing Present and Future Urban Housing

RAMMED EARTH

It is a form of unbaked earthen construction used primarily to build walls.
The wall is  constructed by compacting moist subsoil inside temporary formwork. Loose and moist qualified subsoil is placed in layers of 100-150 mm deep in a formwork and compacted using a rammer.

OBJECTIVES

·         Make earth a conventional building material in urban areas

·         Reduce the impact of building and explore more sustainable and natural building methods

·         Improve the built environment by providing descent affordable housing hence a drastic reduction in blooming of slums and informal settlements.

Advantages of Rammed earth.

1.      Lower embodied carbon dioxide and energy than conventional manufactured building materials

2.      Reduced toxic chemical content and fewer emissions from industrial processes.

3.      Sub-soils without binder stabilization can also be readily be re-used, recycled or disposed of without risk of contamination to the environment.

4.      Raw materials for rammed earth are non-replenish-able and they may in a wider context it is inexhaustible.

5.      Construction can be done by relatively inexperienced labour force.

6.      Earth building is well suited for community based low cost housing schemes in both economically developed and developing countries as well as to the broader owner-builder market

Bibligraphy

Rammed Earth Design and Construction Guidelines by Peter Walker, Rowland Keable, Joe Martin and Vasilios Maniatidis