Interdisciplinary Study on Sustainable Community (2011/04/03)

Interdisciplinary Study on Sustainable Community 

Hågaby, Uppsala

And

Hammarby Sjöstad, Stockholm

By

Jeongmuk Kang

Interdisciplinary Method

MX0062

Spring 2011

Uppsala University / Swedish University of Agricultural Science

 

Abstract

This paper is aiming to critically review two sustainable communities in Sweden and ultimately seeking the better way of pursuing sustainability in a community. PEBOSCA framework is applied for estimating the sustainability of each community and one of the resources was picked and presented as a weakness of each community: the Economic resource for Hågaby and social resource for Hammarby Sjöstad. Constructing sustainable city or town is not such an easy process due to the unpredictability. We should critically review existing communities which is pursuing sustainability and constantly try to modify its methods and even theories of the sustainable community.

Contents

1 Introduction    2

2 Method    3

Field trips and literature review    3

Interdisciplinary analysis based on PEBOSCA framework    3

3 Research    3

3.1 Hågaby: Weakness on Economic resources    3

3.2 Hammarby Sjöstad: The limitation of social activities    5

4 Discussion    5

References    6

Table list

Table 1 Basic concept of PEBOSCA framework    4

1 Introduction

As we all know, Earth is unique and resources on Earth is not endless. However, human has used those resources as if it would be provided as much as we want, and expected that human life would be as better as we develop without caring nature and its service. It is not that long ago when people start to think about nature and harmonization with it. People start to research and design their habitat within the sense of sustainability in which human try to minimize damage to nature and to human themselves as well. Since 'sustainable habitat' is quite newly established concept and has not tested enough, there is no correct answer yet. The things what we should do now is to monitor how the concept is working in reality and to complement its weak points consistently.

Before talking about sustainable community, the general definition of sustainable development and sustainable community (or sustainable habitat) should be addressed. There are several definitions of sustainable development, including this representative statement from the report 'Our Common Future' which is contrived by World Commission on Environment and Development in 1987:

"Sustainable Development is Development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs."

Then the interdisciplinary definition of sustainable community must be proposed. Berg (2010) states major two conclusions according to the Habitat conference that was held in Istanbul 1996:

I. Sustainable habitation not only deals with physical aspects of sustainable development like energy, waste and water, but also includes biological, social, organizational, economic, cultural and aesthetic dimensions.

II. Sustainable habitation can only be achieved if the inhabitants of communities freely wish to work for that in their local context.

The aim of this paper is to review two ready built sustainable communities in Sweden based on interdisciplinary definition of sustainable community in a critical sense of view. And the ultimate purpose is to propose a better way of designing sustainable communities through reflecting and discussing the weakness of existing two communities pursuing sustainability. Since designing proper sustainable community is still on process and it would probably be everlasting process with a lot of trials, fails, and modification, reviewing ready built sustainable community is crucial for better sustainable community in the future than it is now.

2 Method

Field trips and literature review

This paper is based on the information and personal experience possessed from field trips to Hågaby in Uppsala and Hammarby Sjöstad in Stockholm. The scheduled excursions were taken place on 2^nd of March to Hågaby and 21^st of March to Hammarby Sjöstad. Most of the practical information about sustainable community was gathered through those excursions, and theoretical information was gathered through reviewing related books and articles.

Interdisciplinary analysis based on PEBOSCA framework

In order to define the sustainable community, seven categories of PEBOSCA framework devised from the Habitat agenda (UNCHS, 1996) were used in this study. Even though there are several other frameworks which are proposed for sake of systemically approaching to sustainable community or eco-city, PEBOSCA is chosen for this study due to the fact that PEBOSCA framework is most up-to-date framework and widely used in similar projects in European cities recently.

3 Research

Even though definition of sustainable community has already presented, basic concepts of each resources should be explained in order to concern about the objective community under concept of each resources. Concisely summarized concepts are presented in Table 1. Since two objective communities are designed under the sense of sustainability, there are a lot of features of sustainability which has been significantly improved in every part of resources than other existing cities. As mentioned before, however, this study is focusing on shortcomings of each community rather than introducing paradigmatic cases.

 

3.1 Hågaby: Weakness on Economic resources

Hågaby is one of the role model areas for sustainable community development in Western Uppsala, Sweden. Around 350 people consist of 114 households, and several different educational institutions such as Montessori inspired and the largest Waldorf playschool are located within the town. Since there are also a local organic shop, restaurant, café, cultural center and musical stage in centre of the town, dwellers can be provided with essential quality organic groceries and cultural activities within the town.

Table 1 Basic concept of PEBOSCA framework

Sustainability Resources	Basic concept
Physical	Global change and its link to human development / The renewable energy transition / Recycling and cascade diversion of physical resources / Factor five flows physical resources
Economic	Reconciling markets, the state and the local commons / Reconciling global and local markets in cities and citylands / Towards sustainable economic construction and maintenance systems / Mobilize the informal economics potential in local communities
Biological	Preservation and development of functional diversity in rurban green areas / Reinventing the relation between town and country / Make four scale levels of green accessible in rurban areas / Develop a fractal boundary zone between built and green/blue structures
Organizational	Mixed-use planning / A balanced transport system / Create and maintain social generators in all parts of the city / Building the sustainable city form the inside / Envisioning the long-term sustainable city
Social	Maintaining community relations / An appropriate turnover in the community / A mix of ages, apartment sizes and tenureships / Creating preparedness to act and acceptance of a new lifestyle / Neighborhoods security and safety / A balanced social control
Cultural	Unraveling the histories of the community / Displaying the fine arts in the community Nurturing community ceremonies and traditions / Developing and maintaining a community sprit / Make futures images of communities
Aesthetic	From visual to intersensory planning / Restorative gardens, stimulating sensory walks and laboratories / Towards intersensory mobility

Source: Per G Berg, Timeless Cityland

Hågaby is involving sense of sustainability in most of its resources and on its process to enhance its sustainability. Nevertheless there are some points which should be concerned in order for Hågaby to be a better model of sustainable community. According to the experience of field trip, the weakest point of Hågaby is come up from economic resource. Hågaby is an example of a modern local community where most of its economic activity occurs in the outside world (Berg, 2002). The number of dwellers, 350 inhabitants, shows the scale of the village. Under perspective of scale economics, Hågaby is too small to create enough economic activities and ensuing profits within its dwellers. Since economic activities and cash flow taken place inside the village are very limited, majority of inhabitants in the village have their job in the outside the village. Several educational institutions, restaurant and organic grocery store are those of few economic entities which create jobs and mobilize cash within the village.

Basically, Hågaby is designed as a resident area not commercial area. Therefore too much expectation on active economic within the village would seem to be greedy. In my opinion, however, more economically experimental attempts should be taken place in Hågaby in order to present the attractive model of sustainable community.

Organic agriculture should be promoted in the village with its own brand positioning on sustainable organic food. A variety of agricultural products would be sold to market outside the village and supplied to the restaurant and grocery shop in the center of the village as well. Cost of production can be reduced by using common properties such as agricultural tools and equipments. By the way, common property part-system which is applied in common laundry cottages and car-sharing is a good example of informal economy in the village, and it actually contributes to reduce dweller's living cost. Promoting agricultural industry in the village would enhance its social interconnection among inhabitants as well as economic independency.

3.2 Hammarby Sjöstad: The limitation of social activities

Hammarby Sjöstad is usually mentioned as one of the world's highest profile examples of Sustainable City Development due to its eco-friendly design, efficient energy and waste facilities. The first impression toward Hammarby Sjöstad was the quite common image of city which is very well planned and organized in geographically proper location. However, I was not able to find significant differences from newly built cities in my home country, South Korea, most of which also facilitated energy efficiency and efficient waste management from its designing stage. Of course there must be differences in accomplishment in terms of energy efficiency and utilization of waste according to applied technologies and participation of people, but the concepts of energy and waste flow applied to Hammarby Sjöstad is quite common in newly designed and constructed cities recently.

The things that sustainable community model in urban area should especially involve are the features which can improve the interrelation and minimize the gap among people within the community. Our human needs, projects and lives are based on a continuous flow of practical, social interactions with other humans (Berg, 2010). For example, Cultural center in which people can meet their individual desire on certain field and get along with others who have common interests would help improve inhabitants' interconnection.

4 Discussion

Each community we have visited has significant strengths in certain resources which can't easily be found in other cities or communities. After the field trips, the thing which came to my mind was that sustainable community model should provide solutions of sustainability not only to people who look forward to having better living condition in urban area, but also to people who seek for more stabilized economic condition in rural area. Creating a sustainable community which reflects all the needs of sustainability on every single resource at once is almost impossible due to the unpredictability of people's behavior and natural digester. However, Rydén (2008) state that to work with the whole city is the ultimate challenge for the sustainability manager and the challenge is to see the city as a whole. What we are doing now is constantly trying to find out predictable indicators out of something unpredictable and to be prepared to minimize the damage to nature under sense of sustainability.

References

Berg, P. (2010) Timeless Cityland - An Interdisciplinary Approach to Building the Sustainable Human Habitat. SLU Uppsala.

Berg, P. (2002) Demonstrating sustainability in human habitats, Hågaby, Uppsala.

Rydén, L. (2008) An overview of how to work for sustainable development in your municipality, Tools for Integrated Sustainability Management in cities and towns, Baltic University Press.

World Commission on Environment and Development (1987) Our Common Future: Report of the World Commission on Environment and Development, UN documents.