People and their lives in Brisbane

2012

The city’s transport system is coming under increasing pressure as more people choose to live and work in Brisbane.

2020

For some workers, particularly those in small business or self-employment, telecommuting provides an alternative to physical travel.

2022 

By 2025, Brisbane roads will be extremely congested if no new road, public transport or walking and cycling initiatives are implemented now.

2025

Attitudes of concern for the quality of life and the environment are required to motivate people to develop the skills necessary for fi nding out about the environment and to take the necessary actions for environmental and econimic problem-solving.

 Sustainable Future

 

Urban resilience

C?B statutory plans strike a balance between providing necessary certainty for the development industry and the community, while being adequately flexible to allow buildings and uses to  hange over time as the needs of the city

change.

Poster

Project One Statement

C?D

Can we change?

 

 

Concepts and principles of CBD for a sustainable future.

Humans are an inseparable part of the environment and we are part of a system that connects individuals, their culture and their natural surroundings. Variation and variety can take several forms—biological, cultural, social and economic. We need to understand the importance and value of each of these forms of diversity to the quality of human life.

Socio-cultural : 

The cultural environment comprises all the tangible and intangible evidence of human activity, including buildings, traditions and beliefs. Signifi cant elements of the environment have cultural and historic values that may require protection from unplanned or unwise human activity.

Values and lifestyle choices : 

The balance of natural ecosystems and cultural heritage can be affected by unplanned or unwise human use of resources. Sometimes the resulting problems are so severe that changes in management practices and human lifestyles are necessary to protect the cultural environment or to allow ecosystems to, if possible, rebuild their ecological balance. Poor choices may affect the wellbeing and lifestyle of future generations.

We should understand that there is a limit to the way in which the world, particularly the richer countries, can develop, and that the consequences of unmanaged and unsustainable growth are increased poverty and hardship and the degradation of the environment, to

the disadvantage of us all.

Sustanable future :
 The relationships of mutual dependence between all elements and life forms (including humans) within natural systems, and the connections and links between all aspects of human lives and those of other people and places at a local and global level. It means that decisions taken in one place will affect what happens elsewhere.

The idea of our mission is that a whole is greater than the sum of its parts in an ordered grouping. When applied to environmental thinking, it means that all factors—biophysical, social, political, geological and spiritual—should be considered when making a decision.

Week 5 - Architectural Possibility

Future

image:archdaily.com

Focusing on the relationship between tall buildings and sustainability

Due to urbanization and land being a fixed commodity, metropolitan areas become denser and can only respond with the typology of tall buildings to satisfy the demand for space. However, with respect to the provision of infrastructure, use of energy, shortage of resources and the demand for ecological compatibility there is the inevitable need to design green and sustainable cities. This seemingly contradicts the typology of tall buildings. The aim of the symposium, hosted by the Institute for Lightweight Structures and Conceptual Design at the university, is to evaluate and investigate in detail the green and sustainable credentials of tall buildings regarding their economy, ecology and functionality. More information on the event after the break.

As a case study, the KfW Westarkade in Frankfurt, Germany (CTBUH Annual Awards: 2011 Best Tall Building Overall & Europe) will be presented and discussed by the architects and engineers involved in the project.

source:http://www.archdaily.com

Week 4 People and lifestyles

Choice of living

image:informationisbeautiful.net

In terms of sociology, lifestyle is the way a person lives.  A lifestyle typically reflects an individuals's attitudes, values or world view. Moreover, in theory, the choice os sustainability is an ethical reflection on the relation between people, the environment and other living beings. Nowadays, more and more people are of the opinion that it is immoral and selfish to improve one's welfare but sacrifice other's chances to do so. Sustainable development requires that we take into consideration the need of thers now, as well as future generations, and other living beings, too.

In practice, the path towards building a sustainable city is about making choices between existing undesirable practices and more sustainable alternatives. The solutions available for turning Brisbane into a sustainable city involve the following considerations.

• A shift from non-renewable to renewable resources
• A shift from remote resources to local ones
• A shift from production of disposable goods to production of reusable or recyclable goods
• Protect natural resources from destruction by urban sprawl

Week 3 Can Brisbane be developed into a sustainable city?

The life cycle of a plastic bag

- 5 trillion bags are produced each year -

image:http://sustainablecitiescollective.com/60906/life-cycle-plastic-bag

Problems caused by urban development

A city system is made up of a number human and natural sub-system. These systems support urban activities by providing resources from the natural environment. People use these resources to produce goods and services. However, cities also produce waste at the same time, such as sewage, rubbish and air pollutants.  As the natural environment is self-regulating (this means it is able to adjust itself in order to maintain a balance), the whole city system will, in general, keep on functioning in a normal way. However, if human activities exceed the carrying capacity of the natural system, the environment will begin to deference.

image:http://sustainablecitiescollective.com/60906/life-cycle-plastic-bag

Week 3 - How to measure sustainability

Blue Marble

image:NASA

Lecture - what I have learnt today

Sustainability is the capacity to endure. Towards the end of the 1980s, the concept of sustainable development was introduced in urban development. Sustainable development reflects the hope of improving the quality of life while living within the earth's carrying capacities. So, sustainable development refers to the mode of development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.

Indeed, a sustainable city is a city which applies the concept of sustainable development. In a sustainable city, we have to meet the demands of present-day:

• economic needs
• social, cultural and health needs, and 
• political needs (including freedom of all participation by all people)

without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.

How to measure sustainability

In order to develop a sustainable city, we need to set some sustainability indicators. These indicators have been adopted by different countries and regions. They show how sustainable a city is. They also help governments to carry out better planning in order to achive sustainable development in cities.

Week 2 Urban Theme

Urban Theme - The Big Idea

Buildings and change : Permanence and Transformation

The history of the buildings that the human race has created over thousands of years is one of the constant change. Political, religious and economic regimes rise and fail; buildings, more often than not, outlast civilisations.  Today, office and buildings of the 1950s and 1960s are being recast for domestic and 'leisure' use - for the simple reason that conversion is a cheaper and less complicated process than new build. Given that the function of business buildings in the centre district will no longer be business use. Reusing existing building is, first and foremost, a matter of common-sense economics and it is a process which has gone on throughout history. Building conversion often took place. The driving force behind reuse was, in other words, functional and financial.

source:Architecture Reborn

There are a few steps to take before we start the conversion and reconstruction of old buildings.

Strategy

• Understand The Modern Movement and After
• The Politics of Preservation
• The Roots of Transformation
• Saving The City
• Transformation and the New Architecture
•  The City Reborn
•  Architecture Transformed