In his contribution to Sir Terry Farrell’s independent Review of Architecture and the Built Environment, Jonathan Smales discusses sustainability in the built environment.
The headlines:
- Sustainable built environments in cities are better for us and better for the economy; they are radically affordable and will drive remarkable innovation; they should be at the heart of politics and business
- Cities are the principal human habitat – improving cities and delegating powers to cities is one of the quickest ways to a dynamic low carbon economy
- Education and training in cities, urbanism and strategic sustainability is woeful and must be improved
- City streets and suburban transport networks need a bold overhaul for healthy, low carbon movement – it will save £billions and greatly improve the quality of most people’s lives
- Urgent need to enhance city government borrowing and tax raising powers so that they can invest and innovate for the good of their economies and citizens, but need to work through public/private partnerships
- Smart grids connected to big regional and national grids in cities not local renewables
- Carbon taxes are both essential and will improve our global competitiveness
- City neighbourhoods must be intensified and the suburbs re-purposed with more and higher building (still human scale) mixed-use centres, local energy generation and food production
Read Jonathan’s full submission here.
