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Sustainability
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Addressing Sustainability at a Community Scale
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Addressing Sustainability at a Community Scale

A special issue of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 December 2021) | Viewed by 14319

Special Issue Editor

Prof. Dr. Lucelia Rodrigues

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Guest Editor
Department of Architecture and Built Environment, The University of Nottingham University Park, Nottingham NG7 2RD, UK
Interests: resilience; energy efficiency; architecture; sustainability

Special Issue Information

Dear colleagues,

In response to the climate crisis, much thought has been given to addressing sustainability at building and city scales. While this is of course commendable, it is not always feasible or the best approach. Buildings are restricted by many parameters such as plot size, orientation, setting, budget, aesthetic values, material availability and user preferences, and these often limit how far sustainability and carbon neutrality can be achieved. Cities are extremely complex entities, and although many have committed to becoming carbon neutral, the actual delivery mechanisms of meeting this goal without heavy reliance on carbon offsetting are unknown and often overlook other aspects of sustainability.

Could communities be a more manageable scale? What is the contribution of communities towards sustainability goals? What are the benefits of shared assets and carbon trading within a community?

In this Special Issue, I would like to cover the following topics:

  • Carbon neutrality design approaches that go beyond building scale
  • Addressing the nexus of mobility, energy and health
  • Meeting social, economic and environmental needs through collective means
  • Net zero carbon emissions and circular economy
  • Community initiatives that address the sustainability of key resources such as energy and water
  • Community engagement and their contribution to addressing sustainability issues
  • Smart technology and their contribution to addressing sustainability issues in a community
  • District and neighbourhood sustainable or carbon neutral design or retrofit
  • Standards and performance assessment for communities
  • Contribution of communities to the sustainability and resilience of cities

Prof. Dr. Lucelia Rodrigues
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Sustainability is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

21 pages, 2558 KiB  
Article
Socio-Economic Benefits in Community Energy Structures
by Lorna Kiamba, Lucelia Rodrigues, Julian Marsh, Eldar Naghiyev, Mark Sumner, Lee Empringham, Liliana De Lillo and Mark Gillott
Sustainability 2022, 14(3), 1890; https://doi.org/10.3390/su14031890 - 7 Feb 2022
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 3028
Abstract
In this paper, the authors examine how a community energy group in the Meadows area of Nottingham in the UK adopted a model of local energy generation and storage as a means of combatting climate change, improving energy efficiency, enhancing energy security, and [...] Read more.
In this paper, the authors examine how a community energy group in the Meadows area of Nottingham in the UK adopted a model of local energy generation and storage as a means of combatting climate change, improving energy efficiency, enhancing energy security, and reducing fuel poverty. By prioritising local needs and managing expectations, this approach was seen to unite community members in acting on energy challenges while increasing knowledge, understanding, and awareness of energy issues in general. The results of the survey indicated that the respondents had a significantly high level of climate awareness (94%) and support for community energy (90%). Furthermore, evidence of the impacts and efficiencies of community energy and subsequent socio-economic benefits were identified, including 89% of respondents reporting a reduction in energy costs and 67% of respondents increasing their self-consumption. Importantly, the barriers experienced when trying to maximise the identified socio-economic benefits are highlighted and general recommendations given. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Addressing Sustainability at a Community Scale)
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20 pages, 588 KiB  
Article
Planning Perspectives on Rural Connected, Autonomous and Electric Vehicle Implementation
by Joseph G. Walters, Stuart Marsh and Lucelia Rodrigues
Sustainability 2022, 14(3), 1477; https://doi.org/10.3390/su14031477 - 27 Jan 2022
Cited by 6 | Viewed by 2642
Abstract
Connected, autonomous and electric vehicles (CAEV) are a powerful combined transport technology looking to disrupt the automotive sector and drive the transition to safe, accessible, clean and sustainable transport systems. The trialling of private, public and shared CAEV technologies is occurring in cities [...] Read more.
Connected, autonomous and electric vehicles (CAEV) are a powerful combined transport technology looking to disrupt the automotive sector and drive the transition to safe, accessible, clean and sustainable transport systems. The trialling of private, public and shared CAEV technologies is occurring in cities around the world; however, historically isolated and transport-poor rural communities may have the most to gain from CAEV implementation. Despite the accessibility and transport safety needs of rural communities, rural CAEV trials are few in the UK. Therefore, this paper investigates the hypothesis that the lack of rural implementation research and trials means that rural transport planners are ill-informed and uncertain of both the potential of CAEVs and their implementation requirements to meet rural community transport needs. This investigation consists of consultations with UK-based transport planning professionals to establish their perspectives on CAEV technologies and their rural implementation potential. The findings show that 96% of transport planners lack sufficient understanding of CAEV technology and its implementation challenges. However, the findings also highlight a willingness, given the opportunity, for transport planners to engage with CAEV technologies and apply them to specifically rural scenarios. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Addressing Sustainability at a Community Scale)
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14 pages, 1785 KiB  
Article
The Role of Civil Society Sector in the Development of Art-Driven Regional Social Innovation: The Case of Benesse Art Site Naoshima and Art Setouchi
by Ken Aoo
Sustainability 2021, 13(24), 14061; https://doi.org/10.3390/su132414061 - 20 Dec 2021
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 3374
Abstract
Recently art is increasing its presence as an “creative industry” to sustain local communities, by generating socio-economic values. Still, whether art can be a tool for social innovation to regenerate communities, especially in rural areas in aging societies, is an unanswered question. In [...] Read more.
Recently art is increasing its presence as an “creative industry” to sustain local communities, by generating socio-economic values. Still, whether art can be a tool for social innovation to regenerate communities, especially in rural areas in aging societies, is an unanswered question. In this paper, we take the example of Benesse Art Site Naoshima and Art Setouchi in the island area of Western Japan, viewing how it transformed from a corporate-established museum to a regional initiative involving various stakeholders, including local residents and thus creating the process of dialogues and collaboration. By reconstructing the existing evidence with supplementary fieldwork and interviews and applying a tri-sectoral analysis of the processes, we present how the art sites developed to become a social innovation. We then illustrate the role of two key individuals, Soichiro Fukutake and Fram Kitagawa, and shed light on the different values and methodologies they brought into these art sites. We argue that such contributions from the civil society and philanthropy sector made a critical contribution to characterize BASN and Art Setouchi, in addition to the well-documented and recognized efforts from local government and business sectors. Finally, we propose that such values, methodologies, and persons who can embody and implement such values are crucial if other countries and areas are to replicate the model. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Addressing Sustainability at a Community Scale)
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26 pages, 10542 KiB  
Article
Bioclimatic and Regenerative Design Guidelines for a Circular University Campus in India
by Noemi Bakos and Rosa Schiano-Phan
Sustainability 2021, 13(15), 8238; https://doi.org/10.3390/su13158238 - 23 Jul 2021
Cited by 9 | Viewed by 4439
Abstract
To transform the negative impacts of buildings on the environment into a positive footprint, a radical shift from the current, linear ‘make-use-dispose’ practice to a closed-loop ‘make-use-return’ system, associated with a circular economy, is necessary. This research aims to demonstrate the possible shift [...] Read more.
To transform the negative impacts of buildings on the environment into a positive footprint, a radical shift from the current, linear ‘make-use-dispose’ practice to a closed-loop ‘make-use-return’ system, associated with a circular economy, is necessary. This research aims to demonstrate the possible shift to a circular construction industry by developing the first practical framework with tangible benchmarks for a ‘Circular University Campus’ based on an exemplary case study project, which is a real project development in India. As a first step, a thorough literature review was undertaken to demonstrate the social, environmental and economic benefits of a circular construction industry. As next step, the guideline for a ‘Circular University Campus’ was developed, and its applicability tested on the case study. As final step, the evolved principles were used to establish ‘Project Specific Circular Building Indicators’ for a student residential block and enhance the proposed design through bioclimatic and regenerative design strategies. The building’s performance was evaluated through computational simulations, whole-life carbon analysis and a circular building assessment tool. The results demonstrated the benefits and feasibility of bioclimatic, regenerative building and neighbourhood design and provided practical prototypical case study and guidelines which can be adapted by architects, planners and governmental institutions to other projects, thereby enabling the shift to a restorative, circular construction industry. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Addressing Sustainability at a Community Scale)
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