Crossing disciplines: do architecture and planning course leaders see value in a Public Health Practitioner in Residence programme?

Highlights• We study a public health residency in a university architecture and planning department.• We assess the benefits of the residency from the perspective of the teaching staff.• The residency was successful at introducing public health issues and concepts to students.• There appeared to be a gap in the staff's understanding of public health concerns

Space per person in the UK: A review of densities, trends, experiences and optimum levels

This paper reviews the issue of 'space per person' in the UK. It uses relevant literature and data to identify various means of measuring living space. In particular, it sets out differences in measures of density such as 'population', 'residential' and 'household'. It then establishes the current UK experience of space per person, measured using these various concepts, and offers a spatial analysis by country and region. It finds that the UK is inhabited at 257 people/km2, and is one of the most densely populated countries in Europe. The paper then reviews trends in personal space over time, assessing whether the UK is getting more or less 'crowded'. It finds that although new homes are smaller and built at higher densities than the existing stock, the population is living less intensively than previously, occupying more space per person on average. This is due to decreasing average household sizes. The paper then sets out some social, economic and policy drivers that have affected these trends, and looks at how people perceive space. The issue of 'optimum space' is explored, in relation to population and to dwelling densities and sizes. The paper concludes with some thoughts on how and why amounts of space per person may change in the future. © 2009 Queen's Printer and Controller of HMSO

What is stopping sustainable building in England? Barriers experienced by stakeholders in delivering sustainable developments

In England there is both top-down and bottom-up pressure to deliver a sustainable built environment. However, most new projects display few sustainability features. This paper presents 12 barriers to achieving sustainability in development schemes, drawn from qualitative research on five recently completed projects in England. The barriers that were identified by the stakeholders in the schemes include a lack of consideration of sustainability measures, real and perceived costs and inadequate expertise and powers. The paper concludes by suggesting some ways in which these barriers might be overcome. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment.

A framework of sustainable behaviours tha can be enabled through the design of neighbourhood-scale developments

The purpose of this paper is to present, and explain, the development of a framework of sustainable behaviours that can, potentially, be enabled through the design of neighbourhood-scale developments. To be sustainable, such developments need to be technically sustainable (i.e. in terms of materials, construction methods and so on) and to support behavioural sustainability by their residents. This paper focuses on the latter. Drawn from a literature review, the paper presents eight sustainable behaviours that are argued to be enabled by specific design features of neighbourhood developments. These are the following: use less energy in the home; use less water in the home; recycle waste; maintain and encourage biodiversity and ecologically important habitats; make fewer and shorter journeys by fuel inefficient modes of transport; make essential journeys by fuel efficient modes of transport; take part in local community groups, local decision making and local formal and informal social activities and use local services, amenities and businesses. Both theory and empirical evidence underpinning the claimed relationships between the design features and the eight behaviours are presented. The framework, and accompanying explanations, are offered as tools for further research, and as references for practitioners such as urban designers, architects and planners seeking some clarity on designing for behavioural sustainability at the neighbourhood scale. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment