Community
How can we build our homes and communities so that they co-exist harmoniously with Nature? What does it mean to create a sustainable house, a sustainable community, a sustainable city? For each additional day that we live, design and build unsustainably, we pull another fibre out of the fabric of Earth’s ecosystems.
 

Bamberton's Infrastructure - Summary

In the planning for Bamberton, the commitment was made to build a healthy, sustainable, community, using integrated, holistic approaches. This involved five interconnected levels of infrastructure planning :

A. THE CULTURAL INFRASTRUCTURE.

Encouraging community participation in the planning; establishing the guiding principles and values; writing the Bamberton Code.

B. THE ECOLOGICAL INFRASTRUCTURE

Full ecological inventory; protection of trees, sensitive areas and native species; tertiary sewage treatment; natural swales for storm water; energy and water efficiency; environmentally sound building materials.

C. THE COMMUNITY INFRASTRUCTURE

Urban design based on traditional neighbourhood development principles; narrow streets, small setbacks, back lanes, pedestrian emphasis, village centres; affordable housing initiatives; cohousing; attention to health care, schools, provision for children, elderly.

D. THE ECONOMIC INFRASTRUCTURE

Comprehensive planning for an effective local economy. Environmental technologies; building; retail; ecotourism; education; telecommuting; the arts; wood products; fibre optic telecommunications; community information systems; sustainable transportation strategies.

E. PHYSICAL INFRASTRUCTURE

Roads, sewers, storm drains, utilities, building envelope, site protection (etc) designed to be sensitive to the local ecosystem.