ABSTRACT
What qualities are necessary or desirable to make a neighbourhood sustainable, in all of its social, environmental and economic facets? But first, what is a neighbourhood? According to the Hachette dictionary, it is, “Part of a town presenting distinctive traits in terms of its functions, attendance and population’’. For eco-design, this is our definition: “A delimited area offering a range of activity opportunities to inhabitants in a proximity relationship’’. It is therefore an area characterized by (1) demarcation vis-à-vis the exterior and proximity on the inside, (2) the human presence of users and the performance of activities, (3) a functional composition of diverse types of activities, offering a potential for local activity combinations by the same user. Ecodesigning a neighbourhood means designing its composition, organization and operation while respecting the environment, society and the economy.
