Low Carbon Development and Market TownsTom Bridges. Action for Market Towns Conference, 2nd October 2008.

Contents

1. Main Terms

2. The changing economies of rural areas

3. Policy challenges

4. Market towns offering the solution

5. Growing towns

6. ‘Have not’ market towns

7. Conclusions

Low carbon development and market towns

Warmer average daily temperatures.

Wetter winters, drier summers.

More extreme weather conditions

Rising sea levels

1. MAIN TERMS:Climate Change

Low carbon development and market towns

Mitigation•Taking action to decrease the emission of Greenhouse gases to reduce the impact of climate change.

•Such techniques can be built into the design of homes

Low carbon development and market towns

Low carbon development and market towns

Ensuring that sustainable communities and supporting infrastructure are resilient to the predicted impacts of climate change.

Adaptation

Carbon foot-prints A measurement of the impact of a project or community in terms of its carbon impacts. A carbon footprint has components which include the energy used to create the object in question, as well as the energy used in living in or operating that unit, including the energy used on transport, for example.

Low carbon development and market towns

2. The Changing Economies of Market Towns

• Increasingly skilled population migrating to rural areas

• New live-work patterns through improved technology

• Knowledge based rural economy dominated by manufacturing, retail and service sectors

• Developments have effected people and places differently, creating winners and losers

3. Policy Challenges and Implications

• Focusing economic growth in strategic locations

• Interdependence of rural and urban areas

• Housing Provision, a need to focus on a quality residential offer:– Type, size, tenure, quality

• Creating mutually supporting sustainable settlements

• The need to address climate change

Low Carbon Developments and Market towns

Low carbon development and market towns

• Creating sustainable settlements

• Economies of scale effect

• Integration of low carbon principles

• Adoption of a plan led approach to:

• Improve design quality

• Providing community facilities

• Community engagement

• Community governance

4.Market towns offering the solution

Renewable Energy Sources

• Wind

• Hydro

• Solar

• Biomass

• Waste to energy

Low carbon development and market towns

5. Growing Market Towns• ‘Rurbs’: Rural settlements that are

interlinked with urban areas.• Importance of optimum site

selection for development• High environmental standards can

be in keeping with the local vernacular.

• Plan-led approach and low carbon approach can help overcome opposition

• Encouraging connectivity and active transport methods

• Incorporation of renewable energy solutionsLow carbon development and market towns

6. ‘Have not’ market towns

• Simple solutions and retrofitting to reduce consumption, e.g. installation/upgrading insulation

• Radical solutions may transform the town from ‘have not’ to ‘have’

• 3 ‘A’s’ approach to low carbon settlements: – Availability of resources– Accessibility to all members of the community– Awareness of adaptation potential

7. Conclusions

• Growing / repositioning market towns supports delivery of sustainable housing and jobs growth in rural areas

• The scale of the market town makes low carbon, sustainable communities achievable goals

• Planning proactively for growth and change is vital to delivering these goals

• A low-carbon approach can help overcome resistance to change

• Importance of an appropriate place specific solution

Low carbon development and market towns

THANK YOU

Any Questions?

tom.bridges@arup.com

Low carbon development and market towns