Sustainable Communities - A New Design Synthesis for Cities, Suburbs and Towns [Paperback]

Sim Van der Ryn (Author), Peter Calthorpe (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 13, 1991

This classic text is a practical vision of how different types of communities can make the transition to a sustainable way of life that balances production and consumption, reduces resource waste and produces long-term social and ecological health. Our old patterns of growth are built on isolation—an isolation from the environment, an isolation between activities and ultimately an isolation between individuals. Whether city or suburb, these qualities of isolation are the same. Buildings ignore climate and place, uses are zoned into separate areas, and individuals are isolated by a lack of convivial public places. Sustainable patterns break down the separations; buildings respond to the climate rather than overpowering it, mixed uses draw activities and people together, and shared spaces reestablish community. -from Sustainable Communities

--This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Architects, community planners, ecologists and biologists contribute ideas for developing largely self-reliant communities, drastically cutting the use of fossil fuels and putting regional economies in balance. "While it has the disconnected feel of a volume of symposium proceedings, this book offers innovative solutions," said PW. Illustrated.
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

Addressing what the authors identify as a societal conflict between "long-term social and economic health" and "short-term gain," this book offers examples, real and proposed, of sound environmental planning for communities. Three case studiesSunnyvale, California; Golden, Colorado; Philadelphiaand a group of essays on the "Context for Sustainable Design" are included. The vision of the contributors, many well known in the planning field, is that of a transition from fossil-fuel dependency to one of community reliance, enhancing the quality of life in the face of impersonal technology. Recommended for environmental studies and planning collections. Jim Heck el, Lewis & Clark Lib., Helena, Mont.
Copyright 1986 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Paperback: 238 pages
• Publisher: Sierra Club Books (August 13, 1991)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 087156629X
• ISBN-13: 978-0871566294
• Product Dimensions: 10.7 x 8.2 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,930,647 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Sim Van der Ryn has been a teacher, writer, researcher, and practitioner of design for forty years. A leading authority on ecologically sustainable architecture and design, he is Emeritus Professor of Architecture at the University of California, Berkeley, where he has taught since 1961. As California's State Architect in the 1970s, he initiated landmark programs in energy-efficient building and environmentally appropriate technologies. His innovative designs for homes, sustainable communities, retreat centers, schools, and commercial buildings have received many awards and been widely published.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars TWO LEADERS IN THE "NEW DESIGN" MOVEMENT IN ARCHITECTURE, January 12, 2010

By 

Steven H. Propp (Sacramento, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Sustainable Communities: A New Design Synthesis for Cities, Suburbs and Towns (Paperback)

Peter Calthorpe is one of the leaders of the "New Urbanism" movement, and Sim Van der Ryn is a leader in the "sustainable architecture" area. The original impetus for the book was a 1980 conference of 45 people for a week-long "Solar Cities Design Workshop."

This 1986 book was reissued in 1991 by the Sierra Club, and gathers ten essays (two by Calthorpe, one by Van der Ryn, and one by both) on subjects such as "The New Suburban Fabric," "Design as if People Mattered," "Local Self Reliance," "Metropolitan Food Systems and the Sustainable City, "Real Possibilities in the Transportation Myths," "A Short History of Twentieth Century New Towns," etc.

There are many interesting observations throughout the book, such as, "A 'village' is different from a suburb or a 'bedroom community' in that it brings together homeplace, workplace, and necessary services and amenities into a well-balanced, complete community. Thus, the integration of employment centers and convenience shopping and services is an important aspect of the solar village plan"; "With the exception of Village Homes in Davis, California, today's 'solar villages' or village-scale experiments are mostly intentional communities, drawing to them people who already have a value system that includes an ecological awareness and a desire to live by consuming less and sharing more."

In Calthorpe's concluding essay, he soberly notes, "it is important to note the failings and problems of the garden city concept. Though the garden cities succeeded in a real mix of housing, workplaces, and commerce, it was a mistake to believe they could be autonomous."

Although somewhat "dated," this book is still of interest to those interested in urban planning, the New Urbanism, ecovillages, intentional communities, etc.