Sustainable urban districts: European environmental showcase models

Abstract

Starting from the 90s, the design of new districts having strong environmental and energy sustainable profiles has gained attention among public administrations and project teams. These co-operations have brought new lines of research oriented towards the definition of different energy strategies at the urban and local scales. This paper analyzes the importance of local polices to create sustainable districts: main European case-studies; The research has been conducted on main European ecological showcase models; Compact city, solar and wind design, mobility and car free development, environment, biodiversity, green and water infrastructures, role of the inhabitants (public participation processes) are the focus areas in which the districts can be allocated. Common aspect of the different projects is the compact city concept, which joins the nowadays debate around dense urban areas. Several conclusions can be drawn related with the sustainable design of new settlements. In general the high density and compact city concepts are applied in the entire analyzed projects, which recognize the positive effects related with the installation of DER systems, public transport, and public services in accordance with principles of effectiveness and efficiency. The compact city is linked with the increase of functional mix and that has positive effects on reducing energy demand peaks.

Keywords

• european eco cities
• sustainability
• new districts
• compact cities
• environment
• energy efficiency
• resilience