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Case Studies |
Examples from Partners
Scotland
Ellon
 Affordable Housing in Ellon
The provision of affordable housing for is a key part of the local strategy. This development by Castlehill Housing Association addresses a key housing need in Ellon and was supported by Communities Scotland, Aberdeenshire Council and the local Strategy Group.
Sweden
Strömstad
Planned Programme for Housing Supply, Strömstad
 In Sweden, there was a general surplus of housing in the last decade as a result of the recession in 1992-1996. After some years, the demand for housing changed and the production of flats and houses started again - the process was initially rather slow, but quickly accelerated. In many cases, local planning had fallen behind and the time of delivery took years. In Stromstad, the problem became pronounced four years ago. It became very frustrating for the local politicians to have many companies wanting to set up business, or invest in local activities, and not be able to offer the employees a decent home. As a first step, the Local Council decided to set up a ‘Programme for Housing Supply’ in order to properly define the demand. How many flats have to be built? How big? Where are they to be located? What kind of performance? What kind of ownership is most appropriate? All the answers are now the base for political decisions but, of course, the building activities must run simultaneously according to previously planning and knowledge. Although in its early stages, this approach appears to be effective.
Poland
Hel
Military housing - hybrid heating system.
In Hel, 39 residential buildings belonging to the military, needed modernisation of their heating system and, in order to avoid the overuse of fossil fuels, it was decided to use a modern hybrid system. The general idea of this innovation was to combine following modern heating systems: thermal-electric power station with heat pumps connected with solar battery heating.
This modern heating system acquires energy from the earth (through heat pumps) and sun (through solar collectors). In addition, the buildings were thermally modernised and the old networks (pipes) were also upgraded to save as much energy as possible. Pollution levels of sulphur and carbon dioxide were significantly reduced as a result of this investment. The investment was unique in Poland and research was later conducted showing that thermal energy can be acquired from land on 80% of Polish area.
www.fundacjarozwoju.szczecin.pl/biuro/teksty2/Piotr%20Kubski.pdf
Lębork
Community funded housing
Lębork provides for social buildings, even though the general tendency in big cities is to gradually resign from communal housing in favour of selling land to private developers, which is more economically profitable for the city. The main idea of communal housing policy in Lębork is to provide small-area flats of good and high standard. This way, persons who cannot afford to buy the flats at market price, receive the good quality flats from municipality by lower price. Very often in return for these flats, the municipality acquires bigger, but older and lower-quality accommodations, from elder residents, often with no family, who do not need or have difficulties maintaining big apartments. The municipality can then offer the flats achieved this way to families with children, especially to those staying in difficult financial situation, or to newlyweds. This strategy raises the living standards of seniors and new families.
Examples from Elsewhere
Davidson, North Carolina USA (population 7,800)
Pioneering Smart Growth
Davidson, a small town in North Carolina is leading the way in the Smart Growth strategy in the USA. The principles of the Smart Growth movement are geared towards enhancing the overall ‘sense of place’ for residential areas. They focus on ensuring ‘walkable’ neighbourhoods and getting people actively moving about their streets. In 2001, the town implemented an award-winning Planning Ordinance which requires extensive public consultation for any new development. Developers must also take part in design meetings, or charettes, with the community before drawing up new plans. The ‘walkability’ of new residential areas must also be carefully planned. Traffic-calming measures and pedestrian access routes to be submitted for approval before any development is allowed to take place. To ensure the future housing needs of local residents are protected, the planning ordinance also legally requires that 12.5% of all new housing is affordable housing.
(www.smartgrowth.org/library/articles.asp?art=1816)
Sherwood Energy Village, near Ollerton and Boughton UK (population 10,500)
Exemplary Eco-village
Sherwood Energy Village, a sustainable village on a former colliery outside Ollerton and Boughton, has been a community-led initiative. This has allowed the community to identify with the new development. In addition, some innovative design techniques have been used to help maintain the overall sense of community. To avoid creating a ‘dormitory settlement’, the development is going to be mixed-use. It will include 185-200 new dwellings along with small business and light industry properties. The use of 11 different housing types ranging from traditional flats to earth-sheltered dwellings will ensure a vibrant streetscape. In addition, measures have been taken to ensure that new housing will be affordable to local residents. This includes a range of rental ownership opportunities and self-build options. The Society has also been involved in facilitating the creation of Green Commuter Plans for residents and employers. This ensures that commuters are given a wide range of transport options, helping to reduce car-dependency. Finally, design guidance has been put in place to ensure future integrity of the site. It gives prescriptions for density, layout, integration, materials and sustainable technology.
(www.newark-sherwooddc.gov.uk/ppimageupload/Image21537.PDF)
Donald, Victoria, Australia (population 1,800)
Thinking locally
In conjunction with the town council, the Donald Development Company (DDC) employed a number of innovative techniques for economic regeneration and town marketing. In a bid to attract new homebuyers to the area, they opened a new housing estate early on in the initiative. To support local tradespeople and businesses, officials offered $1,500 cashback for developers using local contractors. This has allowed the community to have ownership over new developments, and has created employment opportunities and apprenticeships within the building trade. In addition to this, there has been a strong focus on developing housing options for elderly members of the community. This has helped to release more affordable single-occupancy and family housing onto the market for younger residents. By doing so the town has invested in the future of the community by retaining a younger population. (www.rirdc.gov.au/reports/HCC/01-043.pdf)
Tübingen-Südstadt, Germany (population 87,000)
Cooperative Sustainable Design
In recent year, many small towns have suffered as a result of the withdrawal of a major industry. The closure of the French military base in 1990 left a 65ha gaping hole in the middle of Tübingen-Südstadt. Whilst it may be much larger than traditional small towns, the municipality devised an innovative technique for developing sustainable affordable housing that can be applied on a much smaller scale. Particularly where private investment may be difficult to find. The municipal authorities created a redevelopment agency. The agency bought the land from the French military at the reduced non-developed cost and installed the basic roads and infrastructure. They then sold plots of the site off to building co-operatives – groups of 5-30 people – who designed and built their own homes. Sales were dependent on the type of design presented to the agency for approval. The agency maintained control of the types of land uses and design of buildings employed on the site by issuing strict design guidance. This included basic design principles where all buildings must face streets, restrictions against on-street parking, and active ground-floor space. Each co-operative was responsible for finding a non-residential use for the ground floor. This has resulted in a strong mix of business, retail and community space along the street. Once the building phase was complete, the building co-operatives were disbanded and each member owned his or her property outright. The end result was affordable self-build type housing which employed high quality sustainability and urban design principles.
(www.cabe.org.uk)
Principal Contacts
Smart Growth Network, USA – www.smartgrowth.org
Sherwood Energy Village, UK - www.sev.org.uk
European Design for All e-Accessability Network (EDeAN)– www.education.edean.org
Sustainable Housing in Europe (SHE) - www.she.coop
Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment – www.cabe.org.uk
See examples in France and Germany - http://www.cabe.org.uk/default.aspx?contentitemid=1777&aspectid=11
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