Workshop on Practice & Research in

Urban Sustainability Assessment

August 17-18, 2016 TokyoInternational Assn for Impact Assessment Japan Branch

Global Carbon Project Tsukuba International Office

Japan Society of Urban & Regional Planners

Eliot Allen, Principal, AICP, LEED AP-ND

Criterion PlannersPortland Oregon USA

eliot@crit.com

Japan - Portland Relationship

• Sapporo & Portland – sister cities for 57 years

• Japan Future City Initiative delegation to Portland – February 2016

Shared Risks & Knowledge Sharing

Who Is In the Room?

• Professions

• Familiarity with urban sustainability rating tools

Presentation Questions

• Informal questions any time during presentation

• 9 group questions

Group Question 1:

If you could rate the sustainability of the neighborhood

where you live, what characteristic would you use?

Presentation Modules

• Module 1 – Overview of urban sustainability

appraisal tools

• Module 2 – North American tools for communities

& existing neighborhoods; other notable tools; tool

trends & future prospects

Learning Objectives

• Understand the value of urban sustainability appraisal

• Recognize the qualities of an appraisal tool

• Be aware of U.S. tools for communities & existing

neighborhoods

• Know how U.S. tools may be adaptable to Japan

Learning Objectives

• Understand the value of urban sustainability appraisal

• Recognize the qualities of an appraisal tool

• Be aware of U.S. tools for communities & existing

neighborhoods

• Know how U.S. tools may be adaptable to Ja

• Others?

Conclusion: Taking Appraisal Tools Into the Future

• People-centered - relevant to daily life

• Simple, affordable, efficient

• Dynamic, sensor-based

• Transactional – benefits accounting

Questions Before Module 1?

Overview of

Urban Sustainability Appraisal Tools

Module 1

Overview of Appraisal Tools

• Appraisal tool definition

• The world of appraisal tools

• Why sustainability is worth appraising

• Who is using tools and how

• Qualities for comparing tools

What Is An Urban Sustainability Appraisal Tool?

Tool Definition

Dense built

environment

Well-being

for future

generations

Quantitative

assessment or

rating

Publicly available

nationally or

internationally

urban sustainability appraisal tool

Appraisal: Assessment or Assessment & Rating

Assessment:

quantitative

measurement, e.g.

82 liters

water/day/capita

Assessment & Rating:

assessment on a

relative scale, e.g. 82

liters/day = excellent

or 4 stars

appraisal

Underlying Premises

• Measure to manage

• Continuous improvement

The World of Tools

TransformativeTools.org

The World of Rating Tools

Cities

Planned Neighborhoods

Existing Neighborhoods

All Neighborhoods

Landscapes and Parks

Transportation and Infrastructure

Special Purposes

7

21

2

3

4

12

5

Global Tool Families

Family Heritage

Primary Topics

Module 2 Tool Topics

STAR

Community

Living

Community

Challenge

EcoDistrict

Protocol

Built environment Place Equity

Climate & energy Water Resilience

Economy & jobs Energy Climate protection

Education & community Health & happiness Place

Equity & empowerment Materials Prosperity

Health & safety Equity Health & wellbeing

Natural systems Beauty Connectivity

Innovation Living infrastructure

Tool Providers

Educational Institutions - 4%

Civil Engineering Groups - 8%

Housing & Environmental Groups - 12%

Urban Planning Groups - 10%

Organizations Dedicated to Specific Tools - 16%

Government Agencies - 24%

Green Building Organizations - 26%

Why is Sustainability Worth Appraising?

Why Urban Sustainability Appraisal?

• Over half of the world’s population now lives in cities

• Built environment decisions last for decades/centuries

• Impacts of choices can be assessed before committing

• Performance can be evaluated for continuous improvement

Why Sustainability Appraisal in Japan?

• People – changing demographics

• Places – low-carbon urban design

• Disaster resilience

• Neighborhood regeneration

Regenerative Planning

Across Generations

Energy Consequences of Urban Design & Transportation

Source: Rose, 2011

Optimizing Change With Appraisal Tools

• Tap into expert knowledge and frameworks

• Improve objectivity, consistency of decision-making

• Enable progress monitoring, learning & improvement

• Foster collaboration, accelerate sustainability

Capturing Appraisal Benefits

Norman, ASCE, 2006

CO2e savings

available in

neighborhood

location/design

/Cap

ita

Low Density Single Use

Neighborhood

High Density Mixed Use

Neighborhood

Appraisal Benefits Over Time

Assessment Trends for 23 Minnesota Cities

www.regionalindicatorsmn.com

Appraisal as Inclusion & Collaboration

12 Prerequisites 100 Credit Points

LEED Neighborhood Development

Group Question 2:

What Are Other Motivations for Sustainability

Appraisal?

Who Is Using Tools and How?

Users

• Planners & designers

• Developers

• Local, state, federal governments

• Sustainability advocates & civic organizations

Planners & Designers

• Best practices

• New professional opportunities, broader interdisciplinary palettes

• Recognition of excellence, innovation, leadership

Developers

• Market differentiation, competitive advantage

• Attract investment

• Lower life-cycle costs

• Strengthen corporate responsibility commitments

• Partner in achieving community goals

Business Benefits

Local Governments

• Derived, adapted policies and standards

• Incentives for developer participation, e.g. green tape

• Equivalency documentation for new development

• Direct participation with government property, required of new

development

Miami Beach, Florida

• All buildings over 650 sq meters - 5% of construction cost to Sustainability Fund

Uses of Sustainability Fund

State/Federal Governments

• Illinois and New York – financial incentives

• U.S. Dept. of Housing & Urban Development – assistance priority

• U.S. General Services Administration – requirement

Sustainability Advocates & Civic Organizations

• Demonstration projects – rating design & performance

• Public education – instructional framework & content

• Legislative proposals – derived policies & standards

A Continuum of Community Engagement

A Continuum of Tool Engagement

Tool Qualities

Qualities for Comparing Tools

• Scope, scale & type of appraisal

• Appraisal procedure & criteria

• Overall usefulness

Scope & Scale

• Topical scope – environmental, economic, social

• Physical scale – entire city, neighborhood, component system

• Temporal scale – past/present/future & static/recurring

• Built environment - planned or existing

Summative or Formative

• Summative – outcome-oriented

• Formative – process-oriented

Prescriptive or Adaptive

• Prescriptive - top-down expert-driven, outcome-oriented, rigid

• Adaptive - bottom-up stakeholder-driven, process-oriented, flexible

Appraisal Purpose & Setting

• Goal-setting in public or private processes

• Technical feedback during design of alternatives

• Frequent regulatory reviews

• Periodic monitoring of policy implementation

Comprehensiveness

• Holistic – environmental, social, economic, governance

• Single topic, e.g. transportation or water

Appraisal Procedure

• Self-assessment by user - 1st party

• Completed by tool provider - 2nd party

• Completed by independent reviewer – 3rd party

Appraisal Criteria

• Mandatory or elective

• Prescriptive or performance

• Scoring method, weighting rationale

• Criteria formulation process – who, transparent, accessible

• Regularly updated

Transect of Energy-Efficiency Criteria

APA

Sustain

Places

EcoDist

Protocol

LEED-ND

STAR 2030

Dist

Envision

SITES

EnterpriseLiving

Comm

Challenge

ASPIRATIONALCONVENTIONAL

Urban Compactness & Connectivity Criteria

Select Planned Neighborhood ToolsMinimums

Land-Use Density Intersection Density

BREEAM Communities --- ---

CASBEE Urban Development --- ---

DGNB Urban Districts --- ---

Enterprise Communities 10 DU/acre ---

GreenStar Communities --- ---

HQE Urban Planning --- ---

LEED-ND 7-12 DU/acre; 0.5-0.8 FAR 90/sq. mi.

Living Community Challenge 0.5 FAR 200/sq. mi.

Pearl Community --- ---

Appraisal Timeframe

- Minutes H+T Affordability Index

- Hours Enterprise Green Communities

- Weeks Sustaining Places

- Months SITES

- Years Living Community Challenge

Costs

• Tool provider fees

• Reference materials & training expenses

• Labor & materials to complete process & documentation

• Ongoing labor & materials to maintain rating

Tool Provider Background & User Support

• Type of organization, history with tools

• Technical reference documents

• Training

• Tool-related credential

• Staff & other support services

Tool Maturity & Market Impact

• Length of operation and current tool generation

• Number of assessments & ratings completed

• Verified performance of projects

Overall Usefulness

• Alignment of tool reputation & output with user organization goals & objectives

• Value-add proposition

• Tool efficiency = benefit / effort

Group Question 3:

What Are Other Important Tool Qualities

to Consider?

Technical Resources

Technical Resources for Users

• Knowledge hubs

• International standards

• Technical literature

iisd.org

iisd.org

DataForCities.org

International Standards

• International Standards Organization (ISO) standards

- 14001 – Environmental mgmt. systems

- 17065 – Certifying bodies

- 37101/37120 – Sustainable communities

• Sustainability Assessment and Measurement Principles (Bellagio

STAMP)

Module 1 Summary

Introduction to Urban Sustainability Appraisal Tools

• Global presence

• Multi-sector uses

• Measuring critical issues

• Wide variety of tool qualities

• Collaboration platforms & sustainability accelerators

• Particularly relevant to Japan

Sustainability Appraisal in Japan

• People – changing demographics

• Places – low-carbon urban design

• Disaster resilience

• Regenerated neighborhoods

Regenerative Planning

Across Generations

Age-Friendly Neighborhood Appraisal

• Multi-modal transportation

• Housing diversity

• Accessible daily needs

• Outdoor/nature connections

• Communications

• Community & health services

• Disaster preparedness

Group Question 4:

What are favorable points in Japanese community

planning and development process for appraisal?

Module 1 Questions & Discussion