Katie Williams

The compact city : a sustainable urban form?

Part One: Compact city theory. The compact city debate. Claims and counter-claims addressing implications for environmental, economic and social sustainability. Part Two: Environment and resources. Research associated with environment, sustainability and urban form, including transport, energy, pollution and urban ecology. Part Three: Economic and social issues. Economic and market feasibility of the compact city. Social acceptability. Part Four: Measuring and monitoring. Research on quantification. Predictions of future development. Impact assessment and quantification. Urban capacity studies and urban modelling. Part Five: Implementation. Examples of achieving sustainable urban form and good practice - including policy and implementation, design and urban management. Index.

The Accessibility of Public Spaces for People with Dementia: A new priority for the 'open city'

The social model of disability de-medicalises disability and politicises it as an issue of universal rights. However, the rights of people with dementia have been less strongly advocated than those of people with physical disabilities. This is particularly the case with environmental planning and design. The needs of people with dementia are now informing the design of residential homes and day centres, but the issue of accessibility to public spaces and amenities has been almost completely neglected. Many outdoor environments such as shopping centres or parks may be inhospitable for people with dementia because they are disorientating, difficult to interpret and navigate, threatening or distressing. The article reviews the literature on indoor design for dementia, reports on research investigating the accessibility of outdoor environments, and describes a new approach using virtual reality technology to enable people with dementia to identify and test outdoor design and planning improvements themselves.

Urban intensification policies in England: problems and contradictions

Abstract This paper is a review of the problems and contradictions inherent in land use policies aimed at delivering urban intensification in England. Urban intensification is seen in land use planning as a way of delivering sustainable development: it optimises the use of previously developed land, reduces travel demand and revitalises and repopulates cities. However, by drawing on existing research and data some contradictions and complexities within both the content of intensification policies and their means of implementation are revealed. The paper reviews the origins of, and theory behind, compact city policies. It then illustrates how urban intensification policies have been included in planning policy in England, and reflects on the divergence between theory and practice. The aim of the paper, in revealing weaknesses in intensification policies, is not to discredit the compact city idea, but to draw attention to potential policy failures in order to identify issues which need to be addressed by policy-makers, implementers and researchers.

Sustainable cities: research and practice challenges

This paper presents a concepualisation of the research and practice challenges facing those of us working towards sustainable cities. I argue that these challenges are quite fundamental and centre around our ‘vision’ of the sustainable city and the processes required to bring about sustainable urban development. I draw on my own experience and the work of others to suggest that within the sustainable cities discourse there are a number of competing ‘visions’ of sustainable urbanism, and that it is important that we understand and value this multiplicity of socially-constructed potential futures, rather than adopt a ‘one model fits all’ appraoch. In terms of sustainable urban development processes, I suggest that research, practise and expertise tend to coalesce around either scientific and technological advances or around social change (largely couched in terms of behaviour, economic or governance shifts). Yet we need to move past this dualistic thinking towards a far deeper understanding of the interplay between social and technical solutions if we are make real progress. I hope this new journal provides a forum to explore different ‘visions’ and to share knowledge on the ‘mulitple-pathways’ that sustainable urban development may take.

A framework for assessing the sustainability of brownfield developments

Abstract In England, the development of urban brownfield sites is a significant planning policy aimed at supporting urban regeneration and protecting the countryside. Brownfield sites are required, in policy, to be developed in a sustainable way. However, determining what this means in practice is unclear. This paper presents a framework for assessing the sustainability of brownfield developments, devised to clarify the stakeholders in land reuse and establish how sustainability can be achieved on reused sites. The framework has been used in research investigating the sustainability of five brownfield developments in England. The performance of the framework in this research is assessed and its potential practical use outlined.

Making the outside world dementia-friendly: design issues and considerations

Design guidelines for dementia care homes have, in recent years, acknowledged the important role the internal environment plays in influencing the functional capabilities and emotional well-being of people with dementia. However, although the majority of people with dementia live in the community, similar guidance does not exist in relation to the outdoor environment. To identify aspects of design that should be considered in making the outside world dementia-friendly an analysis of the literature on the needs of older people with dementia and on current knowledge of best practice for internal environments was carried out. By drawing parallels with the outside environment this paper demonstrates that design solutions do potentially exist which would enable older people with dementia to continue to negotiate and use their local neighbourhoods. Familiarity, legibility, distinctiveness, accessibility, comfort, and safety all appear to have a major influence. Small street blocks with direct, connected routes and good visual access, varied urban form, and architectural features, and distinctive, unambiguous environmental cues could enhance successful orientation and wayfinding. Services and facilities within walking distance with adequate seating, lighting, shelter, and well-maintained, smooth, level, plain paving would ameliorate attending problems of physical frailty. The authors are now empirically testing these initial findings.

Brownfield Development: Are We Using the Right Targets? Evidence from England and Germany

Abstract Urban brownfield sites are a major planning concern across Europe, and most European countries have strategies to reuse them. In England and Germany, quantified targets for brownfield development have been set at the national level, with the twin objectives of furthering urban regeneration and reducing greenfield development. This paper explores the implications of these quantified targets, particularly with respect to their ability to contribute to meeting these twin objectives. It explores their shortcomings and highlights implementation problems.

Sustainable land reuse: the influence of different stakeholders in achieving sustainable brownfield developments in England

The UK government has made the sustainable reuse of land a strong policy aim in its sustainable development and planning strategies. However, in this paper we present research into recent urban brownfield redevelopments in England that shows that many aspects of sustainability are currently not being considered in practice. To explain this, we focus on the role of different stakeholders involved in brownfield development and critically examine their actions and decisions. We establish which stakeholder types (for example, architects, planners, councillors, developers, investors) are more likely to attempt to introduce sustainability into development projects and which are more successful in meeting their agendas. We conclude by identifying five reasons for variation in the achievement of sustainability in brownfield development.

Neighbourhood Design and Sustainable Lifestyles

This chapter attempts to answer a seemingly simple question: do residents of new housing developments, built according to sustainability principles, behave any more sustainably than the population in general? The research takes thirteen ‘sustainable’ housing (or predominantly housing with some other uses) schemes in the UK and investigates how sustainably their residents behave. We are only interested in sustainable behaviours that are argued, in planning and urban design theory or policy, to be supported or enabled by the physical design of the schemes. We address this task by comparing our findings with those taken from national surveys and the ‘core’ case study neighbourhoods’ survey. We also give evidence from our study (for ease, termed the ’sustainable behaviours’ [SB] study) on residents’ self-reported links between their behaviours and the design of their developments.

Cooling the UK housing stock post-2050s

This paper investigates the risk of projected post-2050s overheating in existing, retrofitted and new-build dwellings in the United Kingdom. As shown in the previous research, passive measures may not be sufficient in mitigating overheating risk. Therefore, mechanical cooling technologies that may be deployed to ‘adapt’ to a warming climate are tested for energy and CO2 implications. For retrofits, heating demand is projected to remain dominant, whereas in post-2016 new-build, greater cooling system efficiency will be important. Thermal mass is shown to reduce future cooling load. The heat recovery element of mechanical ventilation with heat recovery may be rendered unnecessary in super-efficient homes. Ceiling fans coupled with natural ventilation may be sufficient in providing thermal comfort in the north of England. Ultimately, not planning for future overheating and cooling systems could create a new performance gap in design, construction and occupant behaviour. Practical application : Overheating, already experienced in dwellings throughout the United Kingdom and projected to increase in occurrence, should be considered in all new design and retrofit. Dwellings designed to meet thermal comfort performance targets may be at risk of non-compliance as a result of a warming climate. Furthermore, dwellings designed to meet energy performance targets may be at risk of non-compliance as a result of potential need for cooling systems. The findings have implications for policy-making in relation to decarbonisation of the electricity grid, implementation of the Green Deal and upgrading building regulations to future-proof new and existing housing against a warming climate.