Conference 2007

International Conference on Whole Life Urban Sustainability and its Assessment

Sustainability is arguably the challenge of our time. There is growing recognition that our current development path is now threatening the natural systems upon which our civilisation ultimately depends. Sustainable urban development requires a new way of doing things — a way which reduces environmental impact while at the same time promoting widespread economic and social progress. The buildings and supporting infrastructure of our towns and cities contribute positively to people’s quality of life but often use materials, produce waste and release CO ₂ significantly in excess of that which our land, water and climate can continue to accommodate. Many urban centres are still blighted by crime and poverty: poorly designed developments have negative effects on the health, welfare and economic prospects of communities.

Throughout the world urban decision-makers need robust and comprehensive metrics, models and tools to help them assess the extent to which their choices are leading to urban developments that address these issues and contribute positively to sustainable development.

Conference Aims

The conference brought together international leading researchers, professionals, tool developers, policy makers and other stakeholders who are involved in the ﬁeld of urban sustainability assessment to exchange ideas and knowledge on how to meet the assessment needs of urban decision-makers.

Conference Themes

The conference had five main themes:

Planning, Regeneration and Infrastructure — Covering issues of sustainability, its assessment and associated tools and practices in relation to urban planning and design, urban regeneration and transformation, place-making, infrastructure, transport and utilities.

Sustainable buildings: design, performance and assessment — Covering issues of sustainability, its assessment and associated tools and practices in relation to the design, construction and performance of buildings, including whole-life costing and life-cycle analysis.

Stakeholders, Participation and Values — Covering issues of stakeholder values, culture, knowledge, and participation in relation to the planning and realisation of sustainable built environments and their sustainability assessment.

Sustainable Communities — Covering issues related to urban communities and the assessment of their sustainability, their transitions to sustainability, social capital and environmental justice.

Integration and complexity — Cross cutting issues of integrated sustainability assessment theory and process, smulti-criteria decision-making, composite indices, and the assessment tool landscape and its integration.