Sustainable Design
Good design can help to deliver places which are socially, environmentally and economically sustainable. How well designed a place is will impact on
- How easy it is to get around
- Whether there are shops and facilities nearby
- How safe it feels
- Its environmental impact
- How well managed it is.
It can however be difficult to set policies which ensure this is delivered as not all aspects of sustainability are easy to measure. Some aspects such as energy use are easy to measure and therefore targets are being developed as our understanding of this area improves.
Other areas such as design quality and management are harder to measure and it can be difficult to set targets for them. This does not mean they should be dismissed.
Where good standards exist, such as Building for Life, Secured by Design, Lifetime Homes, these should be used as a condition for funding from public sector bodies (as English Partnerships and the Housing Corporation currently do) and into local planning policy requirements.
Sustainability checklists can support the use of targets and help ensure projects address the wider sustainability agenda.