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CAR-FREE HOUSING DEVELOPMENT - THE PHOENIX RISES ? The proposed Phoenix Quarter, a mixed-use development in central Lewes, with 800 housing units, shops, cafes, cinema and riverside access, will radically alter the character of Lewes. Potentially, with an imaginative vision backed by local residents, interest groups and local and national government it could enhance, not destroy, the special character of Lewes. Already there have been proposals to incorporate ‘green’ technologies such as solar, biomass, wind and rainwater into the infrastructure. However welcome these are, they do not address what residents perceive as the central problem with the development; the introduction of 800 new cars into an already over-clogged historic town. Most observers would agree that the town cannot cope with this increase in traffic, no matter how the planners tinker with traffic flow. Moreover it seems irresponsible to be encouraging increased car use at a time when the global environment is at a dangerous tipping point. The Phoenix Development is a unique opportunity to develop a pocket of car-free housing, at a time when such developments need to approach their own tipping point and gain widespread support. The car-free development is the development of the future. Lewes in the run-up to 2010 is an ideal time and place to implement it. The first car-free development was, of course, all development before the era of mass motorisation, roughly pre-1945. We sometimes forget that it is only in the last decades that we have allowed our lives to be so profoundly shaped by the needs of the car. Pockets of car-free development began to spring up in Europe in the 1990s and they have caught on best in Germany, the Netherlands and Austria, countries with a high level of environmental awareness. There is also a car-free development in Slateford Green in Edinburgh and this report will examine this scheme as well as one in Freiburg, Germany as case studies to investigate the feasibility of establishing the Phoenix Quarter as a car-free housing development in Lewes. Slateford Green – Car Free Development in Edinburgh. Slateford Green was opened in June 2000, in the Gorgy area of Edinburgh, a brownfield site near Haymarket. It was developed by Canmore Housing Association, Malcolm Homes Ltd, and the national housing agency, Scottish Homes, at a cost of £9.5 million, just over £4 million of which came from a government grant. Pat Greenhill from Scottish Homes: "This project has transformed a derelict industrial site to provide very high quality homes for rent, shared ownership and sale, to suit the needs of a wide range of local people. The innovative design, energy-saving features and car-free layout will mean lower fuel bills and a higher quality of life for residents."
Figure 1 Car-Free Development in Edinburgh The development comprises 120 housing units, and was the result of a design competition. The architecture is derived from the traditional Edinburgh tenement block. No vehicles enter the area and minimal parking is available for people with disabilities and essential visitors. Areas normally dedicated to car-parking are used instead for gardens, allotments and play areas. The homes are laid out around a landscaped courtyard containing reed-beds and ponds which treat surface and storm water. Other ecological features include conservatories providing passive solar gain to living spaces orientated into the south-facing courtyard, very thick insulation using recycled newspapers, passive stack ventilation, rainwater collection, and the use of low maintenance and recyclable construction materials. Of the 120 units, 69 are rented, and 25 are affordable housing, on a scheme which allows people on modest incomes to part-buy and part-rent their home at a price they can afford. The remaining 26 homes are owner-occupied at the market price. Complementary to the development is the City Car Club, a joint venture by Edinburgh City Council and Budget Car Rental. For an annual fee, members of the club have access to a fleet of vehicles which can be hired locally, at reasonable prices, by the hour. The Sustainable Housing Design Guide for Scotland in its study of Slateford Green concluded that the development ‘not only provides a socially balanced community but also demonstrates the financial viability of housing for sale that is car-free.’ The proposed development in the Phoenix site is of course, substantially bigger, and differs from the Edinburgh development in other respects. This report will now go on to consider the case of Vauban in Freiburg. Vauban – Car Free Development in Freiburg, Germany In the early 1990s, a disused former military base in Freiburg, 3 km from the city centre, was made available for redevelopment as a model sustainable mixed use urban district, creating car-free housing for 5,000 inhabitants and 600 permanent jobs.
Figure 2 Vauban: Car free Development in Freiburg The aims of the planning process were these:
The overall target is to develop a residential area for 5,000 people and to create 600 jobs located in an area measuring 38 hectares. The project is now a much sought-after area, tranquil yet vibrant, with a strong sense of community and an excellent quality of life. All houses are built to a low energy consumption standard, with 100 units designed to use only passive heating. Other buildings are heated by a combined heat and power station burning wood chips, and by solar collectors. The ‘solar district’ of Shlierberg has 210 plus-energy houses, meaning they produce excess electricity from photovoltaic systems feeding into the grid. There is also rainwater collection, on-site greywater treatment and on-site composting facilities. 90% of households have an independent income, with 50% doing some or all of their gainful work at home. Between 75-80% are homeowners and there is some provision for low-cost housing. Non-residential uses are slowly growing in line with the original vision for a mixed-use development. Vauban is connected to the town centre by a tram line. Car use in the development is regulated like this: 60% of residents are voluntarily non car-owners. The remaining 40% are required to purchase a parking space in a four-storey structure at the perimeter, with photovoltaics on the roof, known as the Solargarage. Cars may enter the residential streets, at a speed limit of 5km per hour, only for loading and unloading purposes. Visitors are also expected to park their car in the Solargarage and pay accordingly. There is a car-sharing association which has negotiated a package deal with the regional transit operators and German Rail. Members signing up for car-sharing will, for a reasonable, one-off, half refundable fee, qualify for a free annual public transport pass, and a free Bahncard, which entititles its holder to nationwide half-price train travel. Jan Sheurer’s report, Car Free Housing in European Cities includes some interesting comments on Vauban. He notes that families with children ‘jump at the opportunity’ to move to Vauban, and comments on how ‘ the first thing to notice is the sheer number of young children roaming around and making the place their home. Every car free housing development…is a haven for kids and attracts households with kids.’ Of course, Vauban has provision for these children; playgrounds, activity groups, and a primary school, something planners need to also take into consideration. Space precludes descriptions of more examples of car free developments, each of which has its unique character and has met the challenge and opportunity of car free design in its own way. The bibliography and links appended will hopefully point interested parties in the right direction. A Glasgow City Council development report on car free development notes the ideal conditions for car free development and recommendations for their implementation. This is also appended. What is striking is how appropriate the site at Phoenix is to the feasibility criteria the Council mention. This is truly a crossroads for Lewes. In five years time we could be a beacon of car-free sustainable development, with a vibrant Phoenix Quarter where people are living as a community within a community, contributing to the town’s economy and social life, and positively trying to make a difference. Or we could be sitting in traffic cursing our own timidity, inaction, and lack of vision. Which will it be? Bibliography and Links Car-Free Housing in European Cities Car-Free Housing Developments: Towards Sustainable Smart Growth CarFree Cities by J.H Crawford Sustainable Housing Design Guide for Scotland http://www.worldcarfree.net/ Appendix: Glasgow City Council Report on Car Free Housing Aug.2003 Car free housing is a comparatively new concept and provides a design solution which is especially applicable in the City Centre or Inner Urban Area where the space for development is limited and access to services, such as public transport and shops, is good. It is a sustainable form of housing that reduces car dependency and traffic growth. The reduction in road space and parking infrastructure within the development gives the opportunity for higher space standards and additional landscaping which will provide a safer and more attractive environment for residents. Residents of car free housing schemes would be self-selecting and aspire generally to live without a car. The title deeds/tenant's agreement to such property would restrict car parking. This policy provides the criteria which should be taken into account in any car free housing development. It does not apply to small infill developments where there is no space available to provide on-site parking due to the limitations of site size. POLICY 1. SITE CRITERIA Sites must also have: 2. PARKING/SERVICING PROVISION 3. PARKING CONTROL/MANAGEMENT 4. SITE LAYOUT AND DESIGN Notes: Dea Campbell 2006 |
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