
ReNew Town
Adaptive Urbanism and the Low Carbon Community
Routledge (Publisher)
1st Edition
Published on 14. October 2011
Book
Paperback/Softback
288 pages
978-0-415-67899-5 (ISBN)
Description
ReNew Town puts forth an innovative vision of performative design and planning for low-carbon sustainable development, and illustrates practicable strategies for balancing environmental systems with urban infrastructure and new housing prototypes.
To date, much of the discourse on the design of sustainable communities and 'eco-cities' has been premised on using previously undeveloped land. In contrast, this book and the project it showcases focus on the retrofitting and adaptation of an existing environment - a more common problem, given the extent of the world's already-built infrastructure.
Employing a 'research through design' model of inquiry, the book focuses on large-scale housing developments - especially those built around the world between the 1960s and the early 1980s - with the aim of understanding how best to reinvent them. At the center of the book is Tama New Town, a planned community outside Tokyo that faces a range of challenges, such as an aging population, the deterioration of homes and buildings, and economic stagnation.
The book begins by outlining a series of principles that structure the ecological and energy goals for the community. It then develops prototypical solutions for designing, building and retrofitting neighborhoods. The intent is that these prototypes could be applied to similar urban conditions around the world.
ReNew Town is the product of a collaborative design research project at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) School of Architecture and Planning, and Japan's Sekisui House LTD.
To date, much of the discourse on the design of sustainable communities and 'eco-cities' has been premised on using previously undeveloped land. In contrast, this book and the project it showcases focus on the retrofitting and adaptation of an existing environment - a more common problem, given the extent of the world's already-built infrastructure.
Employing a 'research through design' model of inquiry, the book focuses on large-scale housing developments - especially those built around the world between the 1960s and the early 1980s - with the aim of understanding how best to reinvent them. At the center of the book is Tama New Town, a planned community outside Tokyo that faces a range of challenges, such as an aging population, the deterioration of homes and buildings, and economic stagnation.
The book begins by outlining a series of principles that structure the ecological and energy goals for the community. It then develops prototypical solutions for designing, building and retrofitting neighborhoods. The intent is that these prototypes could be applied to similar urban conditions around the world.
ReNew Town is the product of a collaborative design research project at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) School of Architecture and Planning, and Japan's Sekisui House LTD.
Reviews / Votes
"The book begins by outlining a series of principles that structure the ecological and energy goals for the community. It then develops prototypical solutions for designing, building and retrofitting neighborhoods. It is a useful text book and urban design reference for architects, strategic decision makers, scholars, urban designers, city planners and those concerned with social and housing studies."- Lonaard, Issue 13, Volume 3, January 2013More details
Language
English
Place of publication
London
United Kingdom
Publishing group
Taylor & Francis Ltd
Target group
College/higher education
Professional and scholarly
Postgraduate, Professional, Professional Practice & Development, and Undergraduate
Illustrations
190 Farbfotos bzw. farbige Rasterbilder
190 Halftones, color
Dimensions
Height: 246 mm
Width: 189 mm
Weight
793 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-415-67899-5 (9780415678995)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions

E-Book
02/2013
1st Edition
Routledge
€64.49
Available for download

E-Book
02/2013
1st Edition
Routledge
€64.49
Available for download

Book
11/2011
Routledge
€155.99
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Persons
Andrew Scott is an international Architect, Professor, and Director of the Professional Program in Architecture at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Eran Ben-Joseph is a Landscape Architect, Professor, and Head of the Joint Program in City Design and Development at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Eran Ben-Joseph is a Landscape Architect, Professor, and Head of the Joint Program in City Design and Development at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Content
Part 1: Sustainable Initiatives 1. Research in Context 2. Assumptions Part 2: Concepts 3. Tama New Town 4. Initial Survey + Preliminary Propositions 5. Abstractions + Typologies Part 3: Applied Prototypes 6. Measuring Performance: Infrastructures 7. Site Concepts 8. Low Density Prototypes 9. Medium Density Prototypes 10. High Density Prototypes 11. Future Directions Appendix: Carbon Calculations