The Sustainable Urban Design Handbook

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The Sustainable Urban Design Handbook gathers the best sustainability practices and latest research from the fields of architecture, landscape architecture, planning, development, ecology, and environmental engineering and presents them in a graphically rich and accessible format that can help guide urban design decisions in cities of all sizes.

The book presents a comprehensive framework that organizes more than 50 elements of sustainable urban design under five main topics–Energy Use & Greenhouse Gas, Water, Ecology & Habitat, Energy Use & Production, and Equity & Health–and relative to four project scales: Region & City, District & Neighborhood, Block & Street, and Project & Parcel. Each element chapter includes a summary of importance and background, compares typical practices and recommended approaches, explains connections to other elements, and concludes with urban design guidelines that can be used to directly inform projects and decisions.

Easy to use and reference, The Sustainable Urban Design Handbook provides both an in-depth introduction to topics across sustainable urban design and serves as an on-going reference for anyone involved in the creation of sustainable urban environments. This resource will be useful to design and planning professionals, community members, students, and elected officials in guiding decisions about our sustainable future.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ix

A NOTE FROM THE AUTHORS xi

INTRODUCTION xiii

KEY SUSTAINABLE URBAN DESIGN OUTCOMES xix

HOW TO USE THIS BOOK xxi

SUSTAINABLE URBAN DESIGN FRAMEWORK xxiv

1.0 ENERGY USE & GREENHOUSE GAS

1.0 Introduction 1

Region & City
1.10 Compact Development 7
(for Density & Proximity)
1.11 Robust Transit Networks 19
1.12 Robust Bicycle Networks 29
1.13 Balanced Vehicular Networks 39
1.14 Regional Land Use Mix 49

District & Neighborhood
1.20 Robust Pedestrian Networks Overview 57
1.201 Small & Defined Blocks 61
1.202 Street Network Connectivity 67
1.21 High-Density Zoning & Platting 73
1.22 District-Scale Parking Management & Design 81
1.23 High District Land Use Mix 91

Block & Street
1.30 Multimodal Street Design Overview 99
1.301 Pedestrian-Friendly Streets 103
1.302 Bicycle-Friendly Streets 115
1.303 Transit-Friendly Streets 123
1.304 Limiting Motor Vehicle Impact 133
1.31 Dense & Street-Activating Buildings 147
1.32 Site-Scale Parking Design 157

Project & Parcel
1.40 Active Street Edges 165
1.41 High Internal Connectivity 171
1.31 Dense & Street-Activating Buildings 147
1.32 Site-Scale Parking Design 157

2.0 WATER

2.0 Introduction 177

Region & City
2.10 Compact Development 7
(for Limited Impact on Natural Systems)
2.11 Avoid Flood Prone Areas 183

District & Neighborhood
2.20 Robust Stormwater Networks 189
2.21 Daylight & Restore Waterways 195

Block & Street
2.30 High Surface Permeability 203
2.31 Robust Urban Forest 211
2.32 Green Stormwater Infrastructure 225

Project & Parcel
2.40 Rainwater Capture & Re-use 235
2.30 High Surface Permeability 203
2.31 Robust Urban Forest 211
2.32 Green Stormwater Infrastructure 225

3.0 ECOLOGY & HABITAT

3.0 Introduction 243

Region & City
3.10 Compact Development 7
(for Limited Impact on Natural Systems)
3.11 Avoid Ecologically Sensitive Areas 249
3.12 Robust Ecological Networks 255

District & Neighborhood
3.20 Ecological Corridors & Patches 263
3.21 Daylight & Restore Waterways 195
3.11 Avoid Ecologically Sensitive Areas 249

Block & Street
3.30 High Surface Permeability 203
3.31 Robust Urban Forest 211
3.32 Microhabitat Creation Overview 271
3.321 High Vertical Complexity 275
3.322 Native Vegetation 281
3.33 Wildlife Crossings 289
3.34 Robust Ecological Area Buffers 297
3.35 Limited Light Pollution 307

Project & Parcel
3.30 High Surface Permeability 203
3.31 Robust Urban Forest 211
3.32 Microhabitat Creation Overview 271
3.321 High Vertical Complexity 275
3.322 Native Vegetation 281
3.33 Wildlife Crossings 289
3.34 Robust Ecological Area Buffers 297
3.35 Limited Light Pollution 307

4.0 ENERGY USE & PRODUCTION

4.0 Introduction 313

Region & City
4.10 Compact Development 7
(for Limited Embodied Energy in Infrastructure)

District & Neighborhood
4.20 Street & Block Orientation 319
4.21 High-Density Zoning & Platting 73

Block & Street
4.30 Dense & Energy-Efficient Building Types 327
4.31 Urban Microclimates Overview 335
4.311 Cool & Green Surfaces 339
4.312 Robust Urban Forest 211
4.313 Street Height-to-Width Ratio 345

Project & Parcel
4.40 Infill Development 351
4.30 Dense & Energy-Efficient Building Types 327

5.0 EQUITY & HEALTH

5.0 Introduction 359
Maximize Accessibility & Safety 367

Region & City
5.10 Compact Development 7
(for Proximity, Access & Reduced Infrastructure Costs)
5.11 Equitable Distribution of Uses & Services 371

District & Neighborhood
5.20 Small & Defined Blocks 61
5.21 High-Density Zoning & Platting 73
5.22 Limited Location of Point Source Pollution 379
5.23 Mix of Housing Unit Types 385
5.11 Equitable Distribution of Uses & Services 371

Block & Street
5.30 Active & Attractive Open Space 391
5.31 Robust Urban Forest 211
5.32 Affordable Housing Strategies 399
5.33 Site Design for Community Safety & Inclusion 409
5.23 Mix of Housing Unit Types 385

Project & Parcel
5.40 Infill Development 351
5.23 Mix of Housing Unit Types 385
5.30 Active & Attractive Open Space 390
5.32 Affordable Housing Strategies 399
5.31 Site Design for Community Safety & Inclusion 409

GLOSSARY 417
AUTHOR BIOS 432

• ISBN

  1138945692

• Title

  The Sustainable Urban Design Handbook

• Author

  Nico Larco, AIA and Kaarin Knudson, AIA

• Publisher

  Routledge

• Publication year

  2024

• Binding

  Paperback

• Language

  English