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Case StudiesTop 5 Hottest EcoCities
The Beddington Zero Energy Development, BedZed , is the UK's largest eco village with 82 homes and 2,500 cm2 of commercial space. Completed in 2002 this private city has met or exceed its goals in energy reduction. How? With the use of solar panels and a combination heating and electricty plant that uses the "waste" heat produced by buring scrap wood to generate electicty. The Envrionmental Technologies Action Plan teamed up with Peabody Trust, a London charitable housing trust, to create an award wining development were its residents use a mere 10% of a typical home's heating requirments. With beautiful original arichitecture by Bill Dunster this community is desgined to provide a complete eco life style package. It boasts a car sharing club, cyclying facilites and club, in home recyling built-ins, and is set up for electrical car use.
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The German city of Freiburg is leading the way in sustainable local development. Since the 1970s Freiburg has been know as an envrionmentally friendly city. With its green mayor, Dr.Dieter Salmon, the city has been expanding its sustainable practices which include 500 km of cycle lanes, an extensive tram network, and a city center ped-zone. The city has also introduced a flat-rate "Regional Environmental Card" which allows for ulimited use of public transport in the city and its surronding areas. With a statistic of 3 bikes per every 2 residents, 1,000 bike parking spaces, and extensive cyclits's facilites this city is well on its way to car-free. Freiburg is also well on its way to energy independence with the installation of subsidised solar panels on roofs of houses, schools, and buiness.
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How does a mid-sized, poor, and polluted city in Brazil transform into one of the most talked about ecocities in the world? With visionary leadership from a young architect who became the city's mayor. First they closed the shopping streets to cars creating a pedestrian mall with cobblestone streets and flowers. Add the world's best bus system and you will find a city that uses 25% less fuel then other Brazialian cities. A genius garbage equals food program keeps the slums clean and provides bags of food for those in need. Recycled buildings are another key to Curitiba's success. An old trolley station became a free babysitting center, city planning offices occupy an old furniture factory, and a glue plant is now a children's center. A creative use of federal funds for flood management created parks in the city and more then 150 square feet of green area per resident. However, this city's greatest achievement may not be the awards its won from the United Nations but the fact that ninty-nine percent of its residents say the are happy with their town.
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A community in the valley of northwestern Italy has managed to blend a healthy economy with envrionmental care and social well being. This clean, ecologially minded city of 2,350 residents integrates its strict respect for nature into all aspects of its economy. Ninty-five percent of the area is farmed organically, livestock is raised in a eco-freindly way, and sustianable tourism has re-invigorgated the city. In the last 14 years the city made its transition from tradtional to sustainable. During this time it has won "Best Rural Community of the Old Contient" and has recieved two European environmental certifications. The village has four wind turbines saving them 30,000 euros a year, solar panels producing 23,000 kilowatts, and a hydroelectric dam providing energy for 3,000 people. 140 new jobs have been created, tourism and trade have boomed, and waste production is 180 kg less per person then the average. Varese Ligure is a truly succesful eco citity considred one of the most advanced communities in Europe in terms of the environment.
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