By Claudia Hartley, Energy Institute Writer

“Sustainability starts with people and their needs, not technology,” said Steve Steinhoff while speaking at a Student Bus Advocates meeting on Thursday in the Memorial Union. Addressing an audience largely populated by Urban and Regional Planning graduate students, Steinhoff used his expertise as the Executive Director of the Neighborhood Design Center to lead an informed discussion of what is sustainable neighborhood design and how it can be applied to communities, including Madison.

Rather than focusing on cutting-edge, energy-saving technologies, Steinhoff emphasized that human needs for access, physical activity, housing, and social connections are the driving forces behind decisions that affect community sustainability. For example, the need for physical activity and recreation may motivate a person to relocate his or her home to the countryside or a suburb if they perceive a city as unable to meet their needs. However, that’s not to say transportation, building materials or the state of the environment aren’t important to neighborhood design, Steinhoff said.

One method that Steinhoff discussed and that the city of Madison has already adopted is The Natural Step (TNS), a science-based, comprehensive model for planning in complex systems. To help communities move toward a sustainable future, the requirements of TNS focus on increasing the capacity of residents to meet their needs and decreasing the concentrations of harmful substances like greenhouse gases. For example, TNS advocates for neighborhood development that is:

• Bikeable and walkable (car use increases greenhouse gas concentrations)
• Compact (higher density of housing and businesses)
• Transit-oriented (transit should be an integral part of the development planning process rather than an afterthought)
• Varied in use (both business and residential)
• Diverse in the housing options it provides

Steinhoff recommended that Madison learn from its sister city, Freiberg, Germany. A global leader in sustainable design, Freiberg has successfully integrated cutting edge energy-saving technologies with a human needs-focused community design to create a highly efficient and highly livable city.

To learn more about the steps Madison is taking to develop a shared vision of sustainability for the region, or to get ideas for your own neighborhood, please visit: http://www.neighborhooddesigncenter.org/.