because of the ‘saved’ land, the foreshortened run of utility lines, and the increased
density of dwellings. Such a socially appropriate outcome has the added advan-
tage of achieving ongoing occupancy and maintenance economies.
Energy savings, when projected through the lives of a succession of residential
occupants, are also congruent with the ‘sustainable in intent’ ideal. Installations
designed to maximize solar gain, warmth retention through insulation, less water
consumption, harvested storm-water run-off, reduced sewage disposal volumes,
and fewer shopping trips are all significant and continuing energy-cost reductions.
Some occur at the construction stage, with really significant savings continuing
throughout the ongoing occupation of residential buildings.A sustainable-in-intent set of economies of the ‘impact savings’ kind are asso-
ciated with raw land urbanization over four phases of sequestration:
1 From the time of raw land purchase up to the time when productive agricul-
ture is abandoned;
2 When a raw land site becomes a road-and-utilities location;
3 When the site becomes a building and construction location; and finally
4 When it becomes a building construction site.At all four phases there can be significant and everlasting softenings of
impact. These may preserve some features of the cultural heritage (phases 1 and
2), conserve the flora and fauna natural heritage (phases 1, 2 and 3), restrain the
run-off and end-disposal impacts of storm-water and waste disposal (phase 3),
and also enhance the overall ambience (phase 4). However, as noted by Rydin
(1992):There are two pressures working against successful implementation of [sustainable
residential development] policies. First... the need to balance the claims of envi-
ronmental policies against those for economic development and social equity...
Second[that] the power of the planning system in controlling individual projects is
essentially a responsive one.There are other means by which local planners and
administrators can influence the creation of better-
balanced social and physical arrangements. Some
of these are summarized and presented later in this
chapter as instruments for planned change (box 5.6
Planning in action: the delivery of outcome).Public open space provisioning. The greening of sub-
urbia was the focus of my first paper, a 1960s article
headed ‘Open Space Requirements for Urban Areas’.
It established criteria for urban open space provis-
ioning under ‘amenity’ (aesthetic embellishment,
and nature-wildlife retention), ‘passive’ (relaxing-
recreational), and ‘active’ (participation-sport) crite-234 Practice
The benefits of tree-foil.