SUSTAINABLE COMMUNITIES -- THE POTENTIAL FOR ECO-NEIGHBOURHOODS.Edited by Hugh Barton Sir Hugh David MacEwen Barton (born 1911 in Ireland) is a former Chairman and Managing Director of Jardine, Matheson & Co. from 1953 to 1963. Having joined Jardines in 1933 as a tea taster and climbing the ranks to become Tai-pan in 1953 just at 42 years old. , London: Earthscan Publications. 2000. [pounds]17.95 Fostering community, once believed possible and then later discredited dis·cred·it tr.v. dis·cred·it·ed, dis·cred·it·ing, dis·cred·its 1. To damage in reputation; disgrace. 2. To cause to be doubted or distrusted. 3. To refuse to believe. n. , may be back in fashion in the new clothes of sustainability. As Hugh Barton says in this absorbing book, 'planning neighbourhoods is a suspect activity'. Nevertheless, he and his colleagues at the University of the West of England “UWE” redirects here. For the director Uwe Boll, see Uwe Boll. The University of the West of England (abbrev. UWE, often pronounced "you-we") is a university based in the English city of Bristol. proceed to indulge in·dulge v. in·dulged, in·dulg·ing, in·dulg·es v.tr. 1. To yield to the desires and whims of, especially to an excessive degree; humor. 2. a. in it: by trying to define more clearly what we mean by community and neighbourhood, by weighing up whether 'communities of place' are still valid in a world where place means less and less, and by concluding that they are, and indeed must be if we are to take sustainability seriously. The book is not just a polemic po·lem·ic n. 1. A controversial argument, especially one refuting or attacking a specific opinion or doctrine. 2. A person engaged in or inclined to controversy, argument, or refutation. adj. . It examines the practical application of these ideas to the many conflicting facets of everyday life whether we live in the city or in the back of beyond -- how we let ourselves be governed (when we should govern ourselves in smaller more governable communities), how we rely on the car quite needlessly (but would not need to if working/living/social patterns were different), how we expect to be supplied with endless energy (when we could use less and even generate it ourselves), how we use supermarkets to supply us with food from all across the world (when we could be growing it ourselves). Other issues discussed are optimum densities in cities, the physical attributes of neighbourhoods, local movement systems, the neighbourhood as ecosystem, to list but a few. There is also a very full bibliography and a list of eco-neighbourhoods world-wide, with brief descriptions, contact names, website addresses and so on. All very useful. The shifting of hearts and minds is the big problem, of course. If transport-related energy consumption is the real guzzler guz·zle v. guz·zled, guz·zling, guz·zles v.tr. 1. To drink greedily or habitually: guzzle beer. 2. , what will curb our use of the car? Hugh Barton suggests that promoting sustainability under the banner of health would give the issue better emotive e·mo·tive adj. 1. Of or relating to emotion: the emotive aspect of symbols. 2. Characterized by, expressing, or exciting emotion: appeal. Maybe, but I fear our individual and collective health has to get far worse before we lose our dependence on our cars. |
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