Sustainable Development

Off ON the GRID • Frames for thinking about sustainable development

• Values of historic patterns of building and development

• Threats to historic patterns of building and development

• Policies to conserve our existing patterns of development

Presentation Outline

RMLUI 2009 ConferenceJim Lindberg

Frame: Technology will solve it

www.PreservationNation.org/green

Sources of CO-2 Emissions

Buildings 48%

percentage of emissions

All Other Carbon Emissions in the World 90%

U.S. CO-2 Emissions

World CO-2 emissions

Transport 27% Other 25%

U.S.Bldgs 10%

Source: Architecture 2030, American Institute of Architects

Projected Building TrendsSq

uare

feet

Existing Buildings

2005 2030

100 B

200 B

300 B

400 B

Demo82

Remodel150

New230

300 B

427 B

Rehab ?82

New ?148

Source: Brookings Institution

Frame: Technology will solve it

Frame: Technology is the solution

“gadget green”

“the assumption of consumption”

Frame: Technology is the solution

.

Frame: back to nature

Frame: back to nature

How did I get here?

Frame: back to nature

Frame: back to nature

Frame: conserving what we have

“When we throw awayone two-story, 125 x 50 ft Main Street building…

We are un-doing the environmental benefits of recycling 1,345,000aluminum cans.”

Donovan Rypkema

Demolition Waste

The greenest building is…one that already exists

Existing Historic

New “green” construction

Life - Cycle Energy Use: New vs. Historic

dem

30 yr

Energy Use

15 yr

Assumptions:

• Both houses are same size

• New house uses half of annual energy used by existing

Life-cycle use remains lessEfficientHistoric

BIGNEW

“GREEN”

construction

Life-Cycle Energy Use: New vs. Historic

Annual Energy Use

Annual Energy Use

dem

Energy Use

25 yr

Assumptions:

• New house TWICE as large as existing

• Old house upgraded to be more energy efficient

upgr

Value: Traditional Building Practice

Value: Traditional Building Practice

• site location and orientation to maximize light and passive solar

• planting of trees to protect from sun/wind

• natural ventilation from operable windows, transoms and high ceilings

• eaves, shutters, porches and awnings

• courtyards, window wells, skylights, large exterior windows to maximize natural light

• use of masonry to create thermal mass to modulate heating and cooling

• human proportions and scale and efficient use of space

Pre-1920

40,000

50,000

60,000

70,000

80,000

90,000

100,000

Average annual energy consumption(Btu/sf commercial buildings, non-malls)

1920-1945

1946-1959

1960-1969

1970-1979

1980-1989

1990-1999

2000-2003

Source: General Services Admin

Value:Adaptability

LEED Silver Certified Federal Office Building, Ogden, UT

LEED Certified Senior Housihg, Salina, KS

LEED certified projects

Rehab Tax Credit

certified projects

5,000

10,000

15,000

20,000

25,000

30,000

35,000

3,000

34,000

LEED and Rehab Tax Credit projects completed in U.S.

?

CombinedTax Credit

& LEED projects

< 100

Cincinnati

Value: Pedestrian scale

Value: Pedestrian scale

Value: Public investments

Value: Public investments

Value: Mixed use development

Value: Transit-oriented development

1900

Transit Ridership: 1900 - 2007

1950

1950

1930 1960 1990 2020

Trip

s pe

r yea

r

30 B

10 B

20 B

Source: US Census

1946

1972

Threats to historic buildings and patterns of development

Boston, MA

Denver, CO

Teardown: the practice of purchasing an older house, demolishing it, and replacing it with a much larger structure

Teardowns in over 400 Communities

983 sf

1950

2,521 sf

2007

• Average household size decreased 22%

• Average area per person increased 188% to 840 sf

• Number of 1-person households up from 9% to 27%

• Average single family lot = 16,864 square feet in 2007

Changes in House Size: 1950 - 2007

Source: US Census

Many neighborhoods are “over-zoned”

Policies to conserve historic neighborhoods and communities

Percentage of structures protected by landmark ordinance in major US cities

Total number of structures in city and % protected

Chicago 500,000 1% landmarked

New York 1,000,000

Denver

2%

240,000 4%

Chicago

A Form Based Code (FBC) moves the emphasis of zoning from use to form

FBC’s are based on an analysis of existing context

Policies: Form Based Codes

Type A1

Type D1

Policies: changes to development standards

Los Angeles recently passed an ordinance changing the FAR standards for more than 300,000 properties across the city

Policies: remove barriers

• Reducing off-street parking requirements

•

• Allowing Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs)

Policies: provide incentives

Policies: direct development to places where it fits

Chicago

1950

Population Densities of U.S Cities: 1950 - 1990

1950

1950

1950

1950

Indy Denver Columbus K.C.

Pers

ons

per s

quar

e m

ile

1990

15,000

10,000

5,000

1990

1950

1990 1990

1990

1950

Source: US Census

What will be the places we will want

to sustain in the future?

Jim LindbergNational Trust for Historic Preservation

Mountains/Plains Office, Denver

james_lindberg@nthp.org

Thank You.

www.PreservationNation.org

U.S.

20.0 sf

Shopping Center Space Per Person

3.3 sf2.5 sf 2.3 sf

1.1 sf

Sweden U.K. France Italy

Squa

re fe

et p

er p

erso

n

Walmart

Total retail area in U.S. doubled, from 19 square feet per person in 1990, to 38 square feet per person in 2005.

6,000 chain outlets to close in 2009 250 vacant Walmarts 1.2 Billion SF of vacant retail space

Source: Shopping Center Today