CREATING A
LIVING CITY
CREATING A
LIVING CITY A CASE STUDY IN ECO-DISTRICT PLANNING
Communities across the rust belt have been transformed as capital moves but people cannot. This has led to massive disinvestment in cities as they cope to support infrastructure with a reduced economic base and social capacity. This post-industrial city is an opportunity to
reimagine resilient cities and neighborhoods where making place is a community building act.
In many ways, environmental sustainability is less a technological issue than a result of community formation. Working together to solve energy, water, food and other environmental issues becomes a way to redefine how we form community bonds. It opens up new opportunities for designers to engage communities in both placemaking and in relationship
building. In making communities resilient, the race is really the prize. This case study examines sustainability through physical placemaking, as well as the social and cultural infrastructure. Through work with community groups, nonprofits and the Urban Redevelopment Authority in the neighborhoods of Larimer and Homewood, the concept of an ecodistrict has evolved beyond environmental performance to be both a physical and a social strategy. While parts of these projects will likely be implemented, this study suggests that community resiliency can be created when built environ-
ment improvements are coupled with civic engagement.
The Post-Industrial City :: Larimer
1940
population 13,350
residential :: commercial park transit
COMMUNITY PROGRAM SITE PROGRAM INFRASTRUCTURE
The Post-Industrial City :: Larimer
1975
population 6,000
residential :: commercial park transit
COMMUNITY PROGRAM SITE PROGRAM INFRASTRUCTURE
The Post-Industrial City :: Larimer
1995
population 3,000
residential :: commercial park transit
COMMUNITY PROGRAM SITE PROGRAM INFRASTRUCTURE
The Post-Industrial City :: Larimer
2011
population 2,000
residential :: commercial park transit
COMMUNITY PROGRAM SITE PROGRAM INFRASTRUCTURE
How does a post-industrial neighborhood transform itself into a living community?
The Living City :: Larimer
2011
stabilize CONSOLIDATE RESOURCES AGGREGATE OPEN SPACE DENSIFY DEVELOPMENT
population 2,000
PRESERVE EQUITY
the PIVOT
residential :: commercial park transit
COMMUNITY PROGRAM SITE PROGRAM INFRASTRUCTURE
The Living City :: Larimer
2015
stabilize CONSOLIDATE RESOURCES AGGREGATE OPEN SPACE DENSIFY DEVELOPMENT
population 2,000
PRESERVE EQUITY
grow ECONOMIC SECURITY TRANSIT ORIENTED DEVELOPMENT INVITE REGION WITH SPORTS ANCHOR ENHANCE CONNECTIVITY
residential :: commercial urban farm :: park energy :: water :: transit
COMMUNITY PROGRAM SITE PROGRAM INFRASTRUCTURE
The Living City :: Larimer
2030
stabilize CONSOLIDATE RESOURCES AGGREGATE OPEN SPACE DENSIFY DEVELOPMENT
population 5,000
PRESERVE EQUITY
grow ECONOMIC SECURITY TRANSIT ORIENTED DEVELOPMENT INVITE REGION WITH SPORTS ANCHOR ENHANCE CONNECTIVITY
diversify INCREASE RESILIENCY VARY HOUSING TYPES INCREASE COMMERCIAL
OPPORTUNITIES
IMPROVE ECOLOGICAL INTEGRITY
residential :: commercial urban farm :: park energy :: water :: transit
COMMUNITY PROGRAM SITE PROGRAM INFRASTRUCTURE
The Living City :: Larimer
2035
The Post-Industrial City :: Larimer
stabilize CONSOLIDATE RESOURCES AGGREGATE OPEN SPACE
1940
DENSIFY DEVELOPMENT
population 6,500
PRESERVE EQUITY
grow
population 13,350
ECONOMIC SECURITY TRANSIT ORIENTED DEVELOPMENT INVITE REGION WITH SPORTS ANCHOR ENHANCE CONNECTIVITY
diversify INCREASE RESILIENCY VARY HOUSING TYPES INCREASE COMMERCIAL
OPPORTUNITIES
IMPROVE ECOLOGICAL INTEGRITY
sustain MAINTAIN VIBRANCY CONTINUE INFILL DEVELOPMENT IMPLEMENT RENEWABLE ENERGY
SOURCES
INNOVATE SUSTAINABLE LIVING
residential :: commercial urban farm :: park energy :: water :: transit
COMMUNITY PROGRAM SITE PROGRAM INFRASTRUCTURE
commercial :: residential park transit
A living city plans around environmental systems and the social infrastructure that supports it.
Urban design goals typically include the creation of diverse, mixed use, walkable communities, the identification of economic drivers, and improved connectivity.
open space & recreation economic driver mixed use residential mixed use commercial connectivity / TOD economic driver
ECO-DISTRICTS waste processing
storm/sewage infrastructure improvement
wetlands
LEED multi unit
geothermal
DEVELOPMENT
community gardens block-by-block rain barrels
blackwater waste
vacant lot farming LEED single unit
living building single unit waste processing
garden
solar panels
INDIVIDUAL
INFRASTRUCTURAL lightbulbs
SHORT TERM
house for a house
ENERGY
rainbarrels
INFRASTRUCTURAL
TMTEMNETN S T CSACLAEL E
COMMITTMENT SCALE
INFRASTRUCTURAL
Urban design goals typically include the creation of ecovillage diverse, mixed use, walkable communities, the identification cities of economic drivers,living and food forest improved connectivity. S ES N Ecodistricts extend these ideas E V urban to environmental performance. I district T Ecodistrict planning farming quantifies EC F district F heating/ assigns E system performance, cooling value single to unit ecological processes, geothermal and promotes social equity and scalar economies.
rain garden
LEED multi unit
waste GENERATION & DIST. processing ENERGY COOPS economic driverfood forest
ecovillage ecovillage
WATER
S LONG TERM ES WATER & SEWER E NE S S V DISTRICTS TI EN economic driver C geothermal E IV F T geothermal EF EC F URBAN AGRICULTURE single unit EF economic driver geothermal food forest
wetlands
R E Q U I R ELEED D ACTION
wetlands
multi unit
FOOD DEVELOPMENT DEVELOPMENT
community gardens block-by-block rain barrels
community gardens
single unit geothermal
s
sto in im
dis hea coo dist heat coo
ECO-DISTRICTS
waste processing
Ecodistricts connect individual properties through social and physical infrastructure to ecovillage improve performance.
[
INFRASTRUCTURAL
Technological innovation living cities creates new opportunties for storm/sewage sustainableS communities. infrastructure
COMMUNITY CAPACITY
INFRASTRUCTURE SCALE
DEVELOPMENT SCALE
COMMITTMENT SCALE
food forest
ecovillage
waste processing
wetlands
LEED multi unit food forest
living cities
wetlands
LEED multi unit
geothermal
DEVELOPMENT
E
block-by-block rain barrels
community gardens
E FF
CT
E IV
N
district community gardensheating/ cooling
urban district farming
blackwater waste
vacant lot farming
LEED single unit
single unit geothermal
LEED single unit
E Urban environmental N E performance needs to be urban IV district quantified to understand limits T C farming E Fand opportunities. district
garden
living building single unit
garden
heating/ E F Community formation cooling
[
Community capacity needs to be increased for larger and more effective strategies to be house for successfully implemented. a house living
house for a house
building single unit waste processing
ENERGY
INFRASTRUCTURAL solar panels
INDIVIDUAL SHORT TERM
solar panels
INFRASTRUCTURAL rain garden
TMTEMNETN S T CSACLAEL E
lightbulbs
]
creates new opportunities for single unit geothermal sustainable communities.
rainbarrels
rainbarrels
INDIVIDUAL SCALE
improvement
blackwater waste
vacant lot farming
block-by-block rain barrels
MORE CAPACITY IN: decision making mechanisms organizational learning legal structure financial resources
storm/sewage infrastructure geothermal improvement
S ES
S
]
lightbulbs
rainTERM garden LONG
TIME REQUIRED TO IMPLEMENT SHORT TERM
LEED multi unit
block-by-block rain barrels
ecovillag
WATER
S ES WATER & SEWER E NE S S V DISTRICTS I economic driver C T E N geothermal E IV F T geothermal EF EC F URBAN AGRICULTURE single unit EF food forest
wetlands
wetlands REQUIRED ACTIO N
LEED Urban sustainability planning, investment, and policy needs to focus on multi unit both enabling technologies as well as community capacity. Increasing a community’s capacity will enable them to implement more effective strategies and technologies. Both urban system performance and civic engagement represent new design opportunitiesDEVELOPMENT and are the next step in effective ecodistrict planning. DEVELOPMENT
waste GENERATION & DIST. processing ENERGY COOPS economic driverfood forest
ecovilla
LONG TERM
FOOD community gardens community gardens
economic driver
geothermal
single unit geothermal
BIKE PATH NATURAL SHADING URBAN FARM
COHOUSING UNITS
LARIMER SPORTS HIGH SCHOOL SOLAR PANELS
COMMUNITY GARDENS
WATER LTRATION LANDSCAPE
ENERGY CAR PAVILION RECYLCING STATION REUSED MATERIALS COMMUNITY COMPOSTING
INDIVIDUAL HOUSE
RENOVATED HOUSING
...how can energy independence make a community more 40 resilient?
RESIDENTIAL
acres pv
COMMERCIAL
63
acres pv
2011 131 kBTU/sf total energy use 44% of total energy is electric 57.64 kBTU/sf electrical energy use
2011 55.9 kBTU/sf total energy use 65% of total energy is electric 36.3 kBTU/sf electrical energy use 2035 (50% better efficiency) 18.2 kBTU/sf electrical energy
2035 2011
2035 (50% better efficiency) 30.2 kBTU/sf electrical energy use
2035
2011
As design alternatives were developed, the team calculated the total energy use required for each area or building type to anticipate the energy technologies needed to reach net zero energy. A layered system of technologies were developed and “spark� projects were identified.
low income households spend 1/3 of their budgets on energy
GOAL
net zero energy and equitable energy creation and use. SPARK PROJECT Leverage public infrastructure improvements
SPARK PROJECT
new houses
a
ng a ve
westinghouse hs
Aggregate residential systems
n la
bldg renovation
nm urtl and st
extended geothermal
S Incentivize individual action with energy districts
district geothermal
S
S
new houses
S
S S S
fran
ksto wn a
ve
ENERGYstrategies | LEVERAGE PUBLIC INFRASTRUCTURE IMPROVEMENTS Leverage large scale public investment with energy infrastructure such as geothermal under fields and solar infrastructure shading devices over parking or structures. | AGGREGATE RESIDENTIAL SYSTEMS Blocks of residential development (new or renovated) create opportunities for development based geothermal or renewable systems.
PARK & AGRICULTURAL STRUCTURES BUILDING
AREA OF SOLAR PANELS REQUIRED FOR RESIDENTIAL ENERGY BALANCE
LOW RISE RESIDENTIAL
HOUSING BLOCK
| ENCOURAGE GREEN COMMERCIAL DEVELOPMENTS Commercial and institutional developments integrate building and site based energy technologies and renewable and use building rating systems for construction and renovation. Aggregate multiple sites for larger and more efficient systems. | INCENTIVIZE INDIVIDUAL ACTION WITH ENERGY DISTRICTS Energy districts are created with infrastructure improvements and programs that incentivize individual action.
ECO INDUSTRIAL & COMMERCIAL ZONE NEIGHBORHOOD
AREA OF SOLAR PANELS REQUIRED FOR COMMERCIAL ENERGY BALANCE
COGENERATION UNIT ELECTRIC BUS DEPOT
REGIONAL
ide
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TO RA TAL 26 INFAANN mil LL UA L cf
ide
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av usee. ho 15,3 in o useh 30 ne y old ga ls/ ear yr
mil
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Tragically during this project, four people died in a flash flood downstream from these neighborhoods. A performancebased systems approach could have prevented this with designs that are both performative and beautiful.
po
As design alternatives were developed, the stormwater profile and capacity were estimated to help the community understand solutions that would provide real engineering benefit and create neighborhood amenities.
20
00
res
do
...how can a community improve the region’s water cycle?
TO RA TAL 26 INFAANN mil LL UA L cf
rebuilding the city’s sewers may cost as much as 50 billion dollars
GOAL
net zero water and improved ecological water flows. SPARK PROJECT Reestablish natural systems
SPARK PROJECT
wetland
Target net zero water for new developments urtl and
st
phase 1
Connect systems with public infrastructure
noff surfa ce ru
localized collection at stadium potentially for neighborhood
ark
localized collection
n la
new houses
storage
Incentivize individual action
ng a ve
westinghouse hs
rain drop p
phase 2
nm
wetland
localized collection
new houses
reengineering at new + conveyance
Aggregate sites for greater impact Incentivize individual action
majo
r con
veya nce fran
ksto w
n av e
WATER strategies | REESTABLISH NATURAL SYSTEMS Target major investment in locations where the reestablishment of wetlands and recharge zones can lessen stormwater impact on public infrastructure. | CONNECT SYSTEMS WITH PUBLIC INFRASTRUCTURE Linear raindrop parks can be community amenities and working landscapes that infiltrate, clean and convey water. They can be connected to larger investments in natural systems infrastructure. | USE WATER FOR STRONG PLACEMAKING Commercial and institutional developments integrate building and site based energy technologies and renewable and use building rating systems for construction and renovation. Aggregate multiple sites for larger and more efficient systems.
BLUE NECKLACE
BELOW GRADE STORAGE
BELOW GRADE CONVEYANCE
WATER STREETS
GREENWAY LINEAR BIOSWALE WITH SIDEWALKS
ABOVE GRADE STORAGE AND INFILTRATION
| TARGET NET ZERO WATER FOR NEW DEVELOPMENTS New commercial or multifamily residential sites can use localized collection and building systems that capture stormwater for on site reuse. | MATCH SOURCES & USES Inventory and align sources and uses based on water quality, quantity and availability. Shorten physical distances between source and use gravity to avoid energy penalty to move water. Aggregate sites for greater effectiveness. | INCENTIVIZE INDIVIDUAL ACTION Watershed districts create supportive networks for financial, legislative, and informational support to encourage individual action.
BUILDING RESERVOIRS STRUCTURED STORAGE
...how can food & waste be seen as part of the same cycle? Nutrient cycles were calculated to understand what capacity the neighborhood has to deliver food to the community and how waste loops might be closed and lessen the burden on municipal systems. Knowing the site capacity enabled the team to develop business models for economic development and community empowerment throughout the different stages of neighborhood transformation.
1.05 FAR
15
percent per LCC requirement community garden
14ac total development
urban farm
215acres
18ac
YIELDS
1400 tons/year 2/lbs/sf
only 44 percent of county residents have access to affordable whole food
GOAL
close the loops of food and waste with a high productive landscape. Harvest from residual & under-utilized spaces
ng a
ve
westinghouse hs
nm
urtl
and
st
food forest
Optimize for localized administration units
ark
Harvest from residual & under-utilized spaces
rain drop p
waste processing
n la
new houses
waste processing
new houses
edib
le/n ative
plan ting
private gardens
Incentivize individual action multi-unit gardens
fran
ksto w
n av e
NUTRIENTS strategies | HARVEST FROM RESIDUAL & UNDER-UTILIZED SPACES Look for under-utilized or under maintained spaces for opportunities to insert food growing plants and communities. | OPTIMIZE FOR LOCALIZED ADMINISTRATION UNITS The type and scale of urban agriculture is determined by the scale of the administrative x unit. It may range in scale from an urban farm M (aggregated properties with single administration), public green space (larger scale with public administration), vacant lots (smaller scale with individual administration) to edge condition or residual space (smaller scale with little or unidentified administration).
- URBAN FOREST EDIBLE PARK LOOP
M
N GARDEN TYPE 1
+ GARDEN TYPE 2 M C P
x EDIBLE STREETSCAPE & BIKE LOOP
| ENCOURAGE GREEN COMMERCIAL DEVELOPMENTS Commercial and institutional developments integrate building and site based energy technologies and renewable and use building rating systems for construction and renovation. Aggregate multiple sites for larger and more efficient systems.
M BARN
| MATCH SOURCES & USES Inventory and align sources and uses based on immediate neighborhood and local demand for fresh produce. Determine a partner for the produced goods whether it is a neighborhood market, local restaurant or grocer who can consistently support the supply.
NUTRIENT RECYCLING HUMAN SEWAGE ORGANIC MATERIALS
+ BUILDING RENEWABLES - FOREST x FRUIT & NUT TREES
| INCENTIVIZE INDIVIDUAL ACTION Large scale urban agriculture provides a base infrastructure to support individual efforts in proximity to the resources and knowledge of large scale efforts. Encourage administration of large scale agriculture to provide community education support services.
GARDEN / FARM TYPES N NUTRIENT C CALORIC URBAN AGRICULTURAL COMPLEX
P PROTEINS M MEAT
CREATING A
LIVING CITY
CREATING A
LIVING CITY Post-industrial cities are an opportunity to reimagine resilient cities and neighborhoods where making place is a community-building act.