ABSTRACT

Janis Birkeland presents the innovative new paradigm of 'Positive Development' in which the built environment provides greater life quality, health, amenity and safety for all without sacrificing resources or money. With a different form of design, development itself can become a 'sustainability solution'. A cornerstone of this new paradigm is the eco-retrofitting of the vast urban fabric we already inhabit. The author presents a revolutionary new tool called SmartMode to achieve this end. This book challenges everyone working in or studying the areas of sustainable development, planning, architecture or the built environment to rethink their current ideas and practices.

part A|59 pages

Redefining The Problem and Goals

chapter 1|20 pages

Design for Eco-services

From design for sterility to design for fertility

chapter 2|20 pages

The Case for Eco-retrofitting

From impact mitigation to net positive impacts

chapter 3|18 pages

Sustainable Urban Form

From spatial minimization to spatial amplification

part B|53 pages

Critique of Methods, Tools and Processes in Building Design

chapter 4|20 pages

Development Standards and Criteria

From ‘designed waste' to zero waste

chapter 5|14 pages

Building Rating Tools

From best practice to a sustainability standard

chapter 6|18 pages

Design Methods

From eco-efficient to eco-productive buildings

part C|47 pages

Critique of Methods, Tools and Processes in Environmental Management

chapter 7|14 pages

Urban Sustainability Assessment

From predicting negative impacts to adding value

chapter 8|16 pages

Regional Sustainability Audits

From invisible to transparent resource transfers

chapter 9|16 pages

Sustainability Reporting

From environmental accounting to management accountability

part D|53 pages

Critique of Trends, in Strategies, Incentives and Planning

chapter 10|16 pages

Futures Thinking Tools

From predicting the unpredictable to expanding future options

chapter 11|20 pages

Eco-service Trading Schemes

From emissions tradeoffs to eco-service credits

chapter 12|16 pages

Bioregional Planning

From choosing among current options to designing futures

part E|57 pages

A framework for Eco-Governance and Management

chapter 13|16 pages

Constitution for Eco-governance

From interest balancing to ethical frameworks

chapter 14|16 pages

Reversing Resource Transfers

From pyramidal to positive resource distribution

chapter 15|24 pages

The SmartMode Process

From technocratic to integrated planning and design

part F|67 pages

Boxes