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With increasing urban expansion and rising global demand for food production, integrating aquaponics within the urban contexts can be considered an alternative sustainable solution to enrich the local production and self-sufficiency. In this research, we aim to study the aquaponics system and provide a design guide for implementing the urban version of the system in the city of Malmo. The design guide will be also practically tested in a form of an architectural proposal at the end of the research. To reach the results, various case studies and academic research were investigated. In addition to other qualitative and quantitative methodologies, such as interviews, questionnaire, and ethnographic studies that contributed to making progress during the research’s different phases. The analysis of data was to generate sustainable bases for urban aquaponics that go in line with the city’s conditions and citizens’ aspirations. Accordingly, several methods and techniques were deducted to be used for the sustainable integration of the aquaponics system within the urban context of Malmo. Nevertheless, the integration process can contribute to including other operations with the aim of increasing aquaponics sustainability and solving urban issues within the context. However, the design guide produced in this paper is mainly for the city of Malmo, but it can be adjusted to other social and geographical contexts.

In brownfield regeneration models, extraction sites are often left out of the question because of degradation, severe contamination, or economic viability and are usually abandoned, after the minimal remediations. These exhaustions not only impact the environment and economy in spatial relations but also influence the growth of the communities cultured by them. With millions of abandoned sites around the globe, there is a demand for building a vision that develops - the ideas of emergence and diversification over time and space, as a base framework for similar towns and communities before they disappear. Underpinning the urgent need and evolving theme of ecologies, 'Reclaiming Kiruna' is an investigation of a vision for a post-exhaustion site of Kiruna mine, which is the world's largest underground mine, by developing landscape ecologies in the present framework that builds and adapts with time and space before the mine gets exhausted. The project reveals the concept of landscape as an amalgamation of production and recreation ecologies, synergizing with the existing potentials of nature, resources, and society. The work focuses on translating the knowns and unknowns of three time periods, synced with proposed plans of the New Kiruna settlement area, through programs of care and thinking that involve, engage, and encourage people (of Kiruna) in redefining the image of Kiruna beyond just a mine. The project unfolds new prospects offered by planned urban transformations, mining systems, and changing climate, which are integrated into building new economies and relations. The project is limited by the uncertainty of the future but attempts to initiate a dialogue in finding new positions as urban designers to contest with the present frameworks in building alternatives of change and novelty, for a sustainable future.

In the last decades the population living in cities has substantially increased. According to the United Nations, by 2050 two thirds of the world population will be living in urban areas. Demographic pressure, through influx of residents or internal growth results in expansion and densification of urban areas and goes hand in hand with increased imperviousness, putting pressure on the provision of urban green. Urban green offers a range of direct and indirect benefits to the urban ecosystem. Green in the city reduces rainwater runoff and flooding risk while improving water quality; it improves air quality, provides natural cooling and contributes to reducing the urban heat island effect. Being the main source of contact with nature, urban green has also been shown to contribute to the physical and psychological wellbeing of urban citizens. The environmental concern for urban nature and re-naturing of cities are thus at the heart of developing more «ecological approaches to sustainable urban design and planning». In the framework of this research, it implies: understanding the (spatial) distribution of green space in relation to the built-up area of the city at different scale levels – the benefits they provide, their quality and proximity for urban residents – and; how to develop diagnostic, analytical and projective capabilities aimed at improving their (urban green) provision to address a host of sustainability challenges related to climate change, demographic growth and densification of the urban area. The research focuses on the development of evidence-based frameworks for planning that incorporate citizens’ needs and that are built on an interdisciplinary foundation. With this scope and focus, this study contributes to the development of a more ecological framework for sustainable urban design and planning aimed at integrating nature in the city more effectively and in an evidence-based way. The first part of the research focuses on the development of a spatially explicit tool for green space quality and proximity assessment reflecting user’s perception. Application of the model in the Brussels context reveals that user’s perception of qualities of urban green spaces such as naturalness and spaciousness can be linked to green space characteristics as described by available GIS-based data. As such GIS-based modelling allows for an extrapolation of questionnaire-based quality assessments for a selection of parks to other public green spaces. Analysis of the proximity of urban green spaces based on user’s perception shows spatial inequalities in green space provision, with less than 50% of Brussels’ citizens having good access to small (residential and play green) and to large green spaces (city and metropolitan green). By coupling multi-scale proximity assessment with quality assessment of green spaces, it is demonstrated that nearly two third of the Brussels population has no access to high quality public green spaces. Through collaborative research by design workshops involving different stakeholders, indicators produced by the quality-proximity model are used to indicate and tackle problem areas. Three alternative scenarios for public green space development are defined. The scenario analysis demonstrates that actions to provide low-income neighborhoods with a good accessibility to public green spaces will require creative solutions, dealing with complex property and management issues, and levels of investment that go well beyond the cost of regular green space development. The second part of the study presents a GIS- and design-based approach to assess potential land cover change for the Brussels-Capital Region anticipating expected population growth. The methodology proposed can be used to assess the impact of spatial policies and the implementation of building codes on future urban land cover. By studying the everyday processes for parcel infill and densification, and by defining a densification process based on the principles of sustainable urban design (e.g. walkable and high-density urban areas near mobility hubs, compact building typologies, preserving valuable natural areas, creative approaches to increasing the provision of urban green (green roofs, bioswales, etc.) space for water and floodscapes, etc.), two land use evolution scenarios are formulated; a business-as-usual and a sustainable scenario. One of the main conclusions of the case study on the Brussels-Capital Region is that densification can be deployed as a vehicle for positive land cover change and greening of the city. / Doctorat en Art de bâtir et urbanisme (Architecture) / info:eu-repo/semantics/nonPublished

Gävle beräknas inom de kommande åren växa med cirka 500 invånare per år, vilket måste avspeglas i satsningar på bostäder, arbete och service. Fastigheten Skeppsbyggaren, mer känd som Philipsontomten, bär anor från svunna industriepoker och har sedan mitten av 1990-talet stått oexploaterad. Genom att närma sig vattnet med en alltmer publik verksamhet och bostäder kan kvarteret Skeppsbyggaren medföra en förtätning samt utvidgning av de centrala delarna i Gävle. Vidare kan fastigheten bli ett bidrag till en redan värdefull kulturmiljö, något som bör ligga i både invånarnas, kommunens och ägaren CA Fastigheters intresse. Vårt arbete har gått ut på att projektera ett miljöcertifierat gestaltningsförslag för Skeppsbyggaren som bidrar till en hållbar stadsutveckling och en positiv exponering av Gävle som stad. Att miljöcertifiera byggnader är något som vunnit mark de senaste åren, men vid projektering av hela bostadsområden finns ett värde i att ta ett ytterligare steg och behandla hållbarhetsfrågor rörande hela stadsdelen. Den problembild som varit knuten till fastigheten är den intilliggande industriverksamheten, områdets ansträngda trafiksituation och att gator i anslutning till fastigheten upplevs som otrygga och därmed oattraktiva att beträda. Även den höga risken för markföroreningar associerade till tidigare verksamheter har varit en central fråga. Med stöd av Gehls och Jacobs teorier om en stadsdelsplanering som lockar till möten, aktiviteter och trygghet har vi med människan i centrum tagit fram vårt gestaltningsförslag. Området utgörs huvudsakligen av flera sammanhängande byggnader som tillsammans skapar en bullerdämpande barriär mot Södra Skeppsbron och Brodingatan. Denna bebyggelse kompletteras med ett punkthus samt en lågbebyggelse i form av radhuskroppar på innergården. Målet har varit att med huskropparnas placering och dess arkitektoniska utformning skapa ett varierat och inbjudande område som uttrycker sitt århundrade med god arkitektur. Resultatet innefattar bland annat ett underjordiskt garage, förslag till systemlösningar, egen elproduktion och brukarrelaterade lösningar för en mindre miljöpåverkan såsom bilpool, urban odling och individuell mätning av elförbrukning med mera. Förslaget uppnår betyget VERY GOOD vid vår certifiering med miljöcertifieringsverktyget BREEAM Communities. / Gävle is expected to increase its population with approximately 500 inhabitants per year in the foreseeable future, which should be reflected in the development of housing, work and services. The building plot Skeppsbyggaren, also known as Philipsontomten (the Philipson plot), dates back to an old industrial epoch and has since the mid-1990s, remained undeveloped. By approaching the water with an increasingly public business and residential district Skeppsbyggaren can lead to a densification and extension of the central parts of Gävle. The site could furthermore contribute to an already valuable cultural environment, which should be of interest for the inhabitants, the society and the owner CA Fastigheter. Our aim has been to design an eco-certified housing project proposal for Skeppsbyggaren, which contributes to a sustainable urban development and a positive exposure of Gävle. In recent years, the certification of building is something that gained ground, but during the development of entire neighborhoods is worthwhile consider sustainability issues at a larger scale, throughout the district. The problems associated with the property have been the adjacent industrial activity, the area’s strained traffic and that the nearby streets are perceived as unsafe and therefore unattractive to use. The high risk of contaminated land linked to past activities was also a central issue. We have developed a design proposal with a people-centered focus supported by Gehl’s and Jacob’s theories of planning a high functional neighborhood that attract human encounters, social activities and security. The area mainly consists of several connected buildings, which together create a noise-reducing barrier against the adjacent streets. This development is complemented by tower blocks and low buildings in the form of townhouses, located in the courtyard. Our aim regarding the positions of the buildings and its architectural designs has been to create a diverse and inviting neighborhood that expresses good architecture out of its own century. The final result includes an underground garage, selection of systems such as ventilation and heating, a local production of electricity and user-related suggestions for a smaller environmental impact such as carpools, urban gardening and individual metering of the consumption of electricity, and so on. Our proposal achieves the grade VERY GOOD in our certification using BREEAM Communities.

The development of the human built environment is an essential component to achieving and maintaining a sustainable society. Much has been done to develop tools, techniques and approaches for creating ‘green’ or ‘sustainable’ neighbourhoods yet they rarely demonstrate the capacity to address the wider socio-ecological requirements for achieving success. This paper studies the current approaches to green design and planning, proposes a new approach called Needs Based Design (NBD), and identifies the gaps that exist between the two. Results indicate that NBD is based on a firm foundation, is widely applicable, and can support and spur regional sustainable development initiatives and positive behaviour change within communities. It fills three major gaps identified in current green design by utilising systems thinking and a shared language and framework, and focusing on the needs of individuals within communities. Concerns exist, however, about its reliance on broad community participation and ongoing education. In theory, NBD allows project teams to implement their work within the context of a strategic sustainable development perspective. Recommended now is practical application and testing. / Both a Master's thesis and an introductory guide, as a supplement to the thesis, are included. / <p>Natalie Haltrich 144 1st Boulevard Terrasse-Vaudreuil Quebec J7V 5T1 Canada</p>

This is a supplement to the thesis entitled &quot;Co-creating community with a Needs Based approach to design and planning&quot;, by the same authors. It is meant as an introduction to Needs Based Design, for practical application my developers, designers, planners, architects, municipal governments and all others planning the development of a community.

Doctor of Philosophy / Department of Environmental Design & Planning Program / Lee R. Skabelund / The Restorative Urban Design (RUD) calls for a new urban design and planning approach targeting environmentally responsible re/development of urbanized areas through ecologically responsive impact mitigations. If implemented in a systematic manner, such re/developments can help move urban areas toward the successful restoration of the natural environment of which they are an inseparable part. The RUD model advocates more rigorous assessment and mitigation of urban impacts by carefully evaluating the environmental performance of urban re/developments within five primary dimensions: Atmosphere (emissions, pollutants, ozone depletion); Hydrosphere (stormwater, domestic water, wastewater); Lithosphere (land use, land cover, food and wastes); Ecology (habitat resilience, biodiversity, population and resources); and Energy (renewability, reduction and efficiency, transportation). The model relies on a scenario-comparison process in order to evaluate and optimize the performance of urban re/development projections through four critical scenarios, which are respectively: 1) Natural Baseline (NBASE); 2) Historic Progression (HPROG); 3) Trajectory Forecast (TFORE); and 4) Restorative Projection (RPROJ). The RUD Case Study illustrates how the principles and strategies of Restorative Urban Design can be applied specifically to a typical (densely developed) urban area, namely River North District in Chicago Metropolitan Area. The case study focuses exclusively on mitigation of a single critical human impact on the natural environment: Anthropogenic CO₂ Emissions. The case study focuses on the design assumptions by which the restorative urban re/development scenarios might exceed beyond the full mitigation of emissions into the global remediation by 2040. The restorative projections illustrate that only a certain portion of emissions can be effectively mitigated onsite (5 to 55%), and that the remainder of projected emissions (45 to 95%) need to be mitigated offsite in order to achieve the necessary sequestration and storage. The restorative research suggests that the mitigation of major human impacts on the natural environment – not only CO₂ emissions but also other major impacts – are likely to require significant urban transformations. Moving beyond the strategies of preservation and/or conservation, the restorative approach asserts that comprehensive environmental restoration is achievable if urban impacts are adequately estimated and then entirely mitigated onsite as well as offsite through a systematic process of urban re/development.