Workshop on Practice & Research in Urban Sustainability Assessment August 17-18, 2016 Tokyo International Assn for Impact Assessment Japan Branch Global Carbon Project Tsukuba International Office Japan Society of Urban & Regional Planners Eliot Allen, Principal, AICP, LEED AP-ND Criterion Planners Portland Oregon USA eliot@crit.com
Japan - Portland Relationship Sapporo & Portland sister cities for 57 years Japan Future City Initiative delegation to Portland February 2016
Shared Risks & Knowledge Sharing
Who Is In the Room? Professions Familiarity with urban sustainability rating tools
Presentation Questions Informal questions any time during presentation 9 group questions
Group Question 1: If you could rate the sustainability of the neighborhood where you live, what characteristic would you use?
Presentation Modules Module 1 Overview of urban sustainability appraisal tools Module 2 North American tools for communities & existing neighborhoods; other notable tools; tool trends & future prospects
Learning Objectives Understand the value of urban sustainability appraisal Recognize the qualities of an appraisal tool Be aware of U.S. tools for communities & existing neighborhoods Know how U.S. tools may be adaptable to Japan
Learning Objectives Understand the value of urban sustainability appraisal Recognize the qualities of an appraisal tool Be aware of U.S. tools for communities & existing neighborhoods Know how U.S. tools may be adaptable to Ja Others?
Conclusion: Taking Appraisal Tools Into the Future People-centered - relevant to daily life Simple, affordable, efficient Dynamic, sensor-based Transactional benefits accounting
Questions Before Module 1?
Module 1 Overview of Urban Sustainability Appraisal Tools
Overview of Appraisal Tools Appraisal tool definition The world of appraisal tools Why sustainability is worth appraising Who is using tools and how Qualities for comparing tools
What Is An Urban Sustainability Appraisal Tool?
Tool Definition urban sustainability appraisal tool Dense built environment Well-being for future generations Quantitative assessment or rating Publicly available nationally or internationally
Appraisal: Assessment or Assessment & Rating appraisal Assessment: quantitative measurement, e.g. 82 liters water/day/capita Assessment & Rating: assessment on a relative scale, e.g. 82 liters/day = excellent or 4 stars
Underlying Premises Measure to manage Continuous improvement
The World of Tools
TransformativeTools.org
The World of Rating Tools
Global Tool Families Cities 7 Planned Neighborhoods 21 Existing Neighborhoods All Neighborhoods Landscapes and Parks 2 3 4 Transportation and Infrastructure 12 Special Purposes 5
Family Heritage
Primary Topics
Module 2 Tool Topics STAR Community Living Community Challenge EcoDistrict Protocol Built environment Place Equity Climate & energy Water Resilience Economy & jobs Energy Climate protection Education & community Health & happiness Place Equity & empowerment Materials Prosperity Health & safety Equity Health & wellbeing Natural systems Beauty Connectivity Innovation Living infrastructure
Tool Providers Green Building Organizations - 26% Educational Institutions - 4% Civil Engineering Groups - 8% Urban Planning Groups - 10% Housing & Environmental Groups - 12% Organizations Dedicated to Specific Tools - 16% Government Agencies - 24%
Why is Sustainability Worth Appraising?
Why Urban Sustainability Appraisal? Over half of the world s population now lives in cities Built environment decisions last for decades/centuries Impacts of choices can be assessed before committing Performance can be evaluated for continuous improvement
Why Sustainability Appraisal in Japan? People changing demographics Places low-carbon urban design Disaster resilience Neighborhood regeneration Regenerative Planning Across Generations
Energy Consequences of Urban Design & Transportation Source: Rose, 2011
Optimizing Change With Appraisal Tools Tap into expert knowledge and frameworks Improve objectivity, consistency of decision-making Enable progress monitoring, learning & improvement Foster collaboration, accelerate sustainability
/Capita Capturing Appraisal Benefits CO 2 e savings available in neighborhood location/design Low Density Single Use Neighborhood High Density Mixed Use Neighborhood Norman, ASCE, 2006
Appraisal Benefits Over Time Assessment Trends for 23 Minnesota Cities www.regionalindicatorsmn.com
Appraisal as Inclusion & Collaboration LEED Neighborhood Development 12 Prerequisites 100 Credit Points
Group Question 2: What Are Other Motivations for Sustainability Appraisal?
Who Is Using Tools and How?
Users Planners & designers Developers Local, state, federal governments Sustainability advocates & civic organizations
Planners & Designers Best practices New professional opportunities, broader interdisciplinary palettes Recognition of excellence, innovation, leadership
Developers Market differentiation, competitive advantage Attract investment Lower life-cycle costs Strengthen corporate responsibility commitments Partner in achieving community goals
Business Benefits
Local Governments Derived, adapted policies and standards Incentives for developer participation, e.g. green tape Equivalency documentation for new development Direct participation with government property, required of new development
Miami Beach, Florida All buildings over 650 sq meters - 5% of construction cost to Sustainability Fund Uses of Sustainability Fund
State/Federal Governments Illinois and New York financial incentives U.S. Dept. of Housing & Urban Development assistance priority U.S. General Services Administration requirement
Sustainability Advocates & Civic Organizations Demonstration projects rating design & performance Public education instructional framework & content Legislative proposals derived policies & standards
A Continuum of Community Engagement
A Continuum of Tool Engagement
Tool Qualities
Qualities for Comparing Tools Scope, scale & type of appraisal Appraisal procedure & criteria Overall usefulness
Scope & Scale Topical scope environmental, economic, social Physical scale entire city, neighborhood, component system Temporal scale past/present/future & static/recurring Built environment - planned or existing
Summative or Formative Summative outcome-oriented Formative process-oriented
Prescriptive or Adaptive Prescriptive - top-down expert-driven, outcome-oriented, rigid Adaptive - bottom-up stakeholder-driven, process-oriented, flexible
Appraisal Purpose & Setting Goal-setting in public or private processes Technical feedback during design of alternatives Frequent regulatory reviews Periodic monitoring of policy implementation
Comprehensiveness Holistic environmental, social, economic, governance Single topic, e.g. transportation or water
Appraisal Procedure Self-assessment by user - 1 st party Completed by tool provider - 2 nd party Completed by independent reviewer 3 rd party
Appraisal Criteria Mandatory or elective Prescriptive or performance Scoring method, weighting rationale Criteria formulation process who, transparent, accessible Regularly updated
Transect of Energy-Efficiency Criteria APA Sustain Places EcoDist Protocol LEED-ND STAR 2030 Dist Envision SITES Enterprise Living Comm Challenge CONVENTIONAL ASPIRATIONAL
Urban Compactness & Connectivity Criteria Select Planned Neighborhood Tools Minimums Land-Use Density Intersection Density BREEAM Communities --- --- CASBEE Urban Development --- --- DGNB Urban Districts --- --- Enterprise Communities 10 DU/acre --- GreenStar Communities --- --- HQE Urban Planning --- --- LEED-ND 7-12 DU/acre; 0.5-0.8 FAR 90/sq. mi. Living Community Challenge 0.5 FAR 200/sq. mi. Pearl Community --- ---
Appraisal Timeframe - Minutes H+T Affordability Index - Hours Enterprise Green Communities - Weeks Sustaining Places - Months SITES - Years Living Community Challenge
Costs Tool provider fees Reference materials & training expenses Labor & materials to complete process & documentation Ongoing labor & materials to maintain rating
Tool Provider Background & User Support Type of organization, history with tools Technical reference documents Training Tool-related credential Staff & other support services
Tool Maturity & Market Impact Length of operation and current tool generation Number of assessments & ratings completed Verified performance of projects
Overall Usefulness Alignment of tool reputation & output with user organization goals & objectives Value-add proposition Tool efficiency = benefit / effort
Group Question 3: What Are Other Important Tool Qualities to Consider?
Technical Resources
Technical Resources for Users Knowledge hubs International standards Technical literature
iisd.org
iisd.org
DataForCities.org
International Standards International Standards Organization (ISO) standards - 14001 Environmental mgmt. systems - 17065 Certifying bodies - 37101/37120 Sustainable communities Sustainability Assessment and Measurement Principles (Bellagio STAMP)
Module 1 Summary
Introduction to Urban Sustainability Appraisal Tools Global presence Multi-sector uses Measuring critical issues Wide variety of tool qualities Collaboration platforms & sustainability accelerators Particularly relevant to Japan
Sustainability Appraisal in Japan People changing demographics Places low-carbon urban design Disaster resilience Regenerated neighborhoods Regenerative Planning Across Generations
Age-Friendly Neighborhood Appraisal Multi-modal transportation Housing diversity Accessible daily needs Outdoor/nature connections Communications Community & health services Disaster preparedness
Group Question 4: What are favorable points in Japanese community planning and development process for appraisal?
Module 1 Questions & Discussion