Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Quezon City
Architecture & Drafting Technology Department
AR413A PLANNING 2
ASSIGNMENT #6
"Conservation Development and Green Urbanism "
Submitted by:
Coronado, Nerinel M.
AR41FA1
Submitted to:
Arch. Lawrence Dolores II
Instructor
Submitted on:
July 31, 2014 (Thursday)
are destroyed and worst become extinct because of this incautious action.
Another solution is Green urbanism, the practice of creating communities beneficial to humans and
the environment. This is also essential and we should apply this concept/philosophy in our cities
today because we badly need it, for us to have a healthy liveable environment/surrounding.
The study made me aware of the possible solutions to lessen pollution and extinction of
species which are effects of development in terms of buildings/architecture. Someday I want to be
part of these solutions, I'll be an advocate of Conservation Development and Green Urbanism, I'll
follow the principles about it so that there will be sustainable development in our country.
References:
http://www.philstar.com/modern-living/614693/green-urban-design
Conservation Development
Definitions
is an approach to the design, construction, and stewardship of a development that achieves functional protection of
natural resources, while also providing social and economic benefits to human communities. CD includes a wide
range of project types, ranging from rural ranches, to suburban conservation subdivisions, to large master-planned
communities.
also known as conservation design, is a controlled-growth land use development that adopts the principle for
allowing limited sustainable development while protecting the area's natural environmental features in perpetuity,
including preserving open space landscape and vista, protecting farmland or natural habitats for wildlife, and
maintaining the character of rural communities. A conservation development is usually defined as a project that
dedicates a minimum of 50 percent of the total development parcel as open space.
This type of planning is becoming increasingly more relevant as "land conversion for housing development is a leading
cause of habitat loss and fragmentation". With a loss or fragmentation of a species' habitat, it results in the endangerment of
a species and pushes them towards premature extinction. Land conversion also contributes to the reduction of agriculturally
productive land, already shrinking due to climate change.
Effective conservation of biological diversity on private lands will require changes in land-use policy and development
practice. Conservation development (CD) is an alternative form of residential development in which homes are built on
smaller lots and clustered together and the remainder of the property is permanently protected for conservation purposes.
Conservation development seeks to protect a variety of ecological resources and services such as biodiversity, productive
farmland, ecosystem services, scenic landscapes and historic and cultural resources. This is achieved by identifying the
ecologically sensitive and valuable areas. The protected lands can be under an easement to prevent development on it.
Housing is then built around the protected areas. Density, lots sizes, types of housing and amount of protected area is
dependent on the type of conservation development.
- a land trust buys the property and places the ecologically important areas under a conservation easement. They then
resell the land, including the easement, to a conservation buyer. The buyer cannot build on the easement, but may do so on
the remaining, unprotected portion. This technique usually results in a few houses being built on the piece of land, resulting
in a low density.
They are often carried out by land trusts, and occasionally by conservation-minded developers or landowners. Real estate
is developed for sale on an open market, and the profit is used to finance conservation of the nearly land.
Conservation Subdivisions
- are the third and best-known type of conservation development. This is a development that "sets aside a major portion of
the site as conservation land" and clusters housing on the remaining portion. The houses are built on lots smaller than
usual, meaning the density of the development nears the maximum allowed by zoning. Unlike conservation and limited
development projects, a homeowners' association manages the protected land. These associations may lack knowledge
and have different goals regarding the lands' management, which may result in a less than ideally managed conservation.
These are large-scale development projects found in suburban and exurban areas. The scale of the projects means large
tracts of land can be protected. They typically have densities nearing the zoned maximum and feature of a mix of housing
types and land uses.
Advantages
it can protect species and ecosystems, preventing further habitat fragmentation and loss. By surveying the land and
identifying the primary conservation areas where ecosystems are most at risk, communities are created without
huge disruption to the environment.
provides for secondary conservation areas, which provide corridors for animals to hunt, mate and travel through.
Wildlife friendly native species could be introduced, while invasive species are monitored and controlled.
Storm water management systems are also used to "promote natural flow patterns and infiltration"
Economic Advantages
With the smaller lots that accompany these houses, homeowners are likely to move into public green space and
engage with their neighbours. Community events such as picnics or parties are more common. The protected green
space also provides excellent recreational activities, such as hiking, jogging, or simply observing nature. It's hopeful
that with this experience, people can reconnect with nature and develop a land ethic.
Disadvantages
Implications
This type of planning is becoming increasingly more relevant as "land conversion for housing development is a leading
cause of habitat loss and fragmentation". With a loss or fragmentation of a species' habitat, it results in the endangerment of
a species and pushes them towards premature extinction. Without biodiversity, we lose the many benefits we derive from it,
including economic and ecological services, genetic information, and recreational pleasure, just to name a few. Land
conversion also contributes to the reduction of agriculturally productive land, already shrinking due to climate change.
Green Urbanism
Green urbanism is the practice of creating communities beneficial to humans and the environment. Applied, green urbanism
focuses on identifying small-to medium scale catalytic interventions that can be applied to urbanized locations to connect
urban and nature processes, which in aggregate can lead to an overall shift towards sustainable neighbourhoods, districts,
and regions.
To elaborate on what the vision of green urbanism, there are several important design qualities or characteristics. Cities that
exemplify green urbanism are :
Cities that strive to live within their ecological limits, fundamentally reduce their ecological footprints, and
acknowledge their connections with and impacts on other cities and communities and the larger planet.
Cities that are green and that are designed for and function in ways analogous to nature.
Cities that strive to achieve a circular rather than a linear metabolism, which nurtures and develops positive
symbiotic relationships with and between its hinterland (whether that be regional, national, or international).
Cities that strive toward local and regional self-sufficiency and take full advantage of and nurture local/regional food
production, economy, power production, and many other activities that sustain and support their populations.
Cities that emphasize a high quality of life and the creation of highly liveable neighbourhoods and communities.