MELBOURNE, Australia, July 1, 2020 (SEND2PRESS NEWSWIRE) — According to Dr Janis Birkeland, the originator of net-positive design, while sustainable \u2018green\u2019 buildings are making great strides, they still do more damage than no building at all.<\/p>\n
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\n\u201cEach green building increases the problem,\u201d she says. \u201cEven though there are numerous sustainable building initiatives and processes that purport to contribute to sustainability, the industry is still analyzing and assessing all the wrong things in the wrong ways. For example, there are dozens of things fundamentally wrong with green building rating tools.\u201d<\/p>\n
However, Birkeland also says that construction, which causes so much environmental destruction, could actually save nature and deliver social and environmental justice.<\/p>\n
\u201cTrue sustainability is possible and affordable, but not if we use the same strategies.\u201d<\/p>\n
Dr Birkeland\u2019s new book, \u201cNet-Positive Design and Sustainable Urban Development\u201d (ISBN 9780367258566), explains why current theories and practices are not effective. It systematically dissects these failings and reverses their underlying concepts.<\/p>\n
The book\u00a0builds on this critique to show how urban development can give back more than it takes over its lifecycle. It provides examples to show that development can increase – rather than just repair, restore or regenerate – overall social, ecological and economic sustainability.<\/p>\n
\u201cTechnically speaking, in a net-positive city, nature’s \u2018positive\u2019 ecological footprint would exceed humanity’s \u2018negative\u2019 ecological footprint, relative to pre-urban conditions.<\/p>\n
\u201cPositive Development theory has led to new methods, strategies and tools that enable professionals and students to design (and assess) net-positive buildings and environments that increase the natural and social life support systems,\u201d said Dr Birkeland.<\/p>\n
Net-Positive Design presents game-changing sustainable planning analyses, a collaborative design process and a free STARfish computer app. The STARfish enables designers to go beyond zero (or recycling systems) to create designs that yield net-positive environments. It defines new criteria and benchmarks based on fixed, objective biophysical conditions, rather than relative to conventional (unsustainable) buildings or current conditions.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe new approach not only up-ends building assessment tools, it integrates assessment and measurement with design. It synthesises the \u2018hard\u2019 technical and \u2018soft\u2019 creative dimensions in planning, decision making and design.\u201d<\/p>\n
Creating and measuring \u2018beyond zero\u2019 cumulative impacts is no easy task but, thanks to Dr Birkeland\u2019s insights and dedication to sustainable development, it has now been done and is available around the world for educators and professionals alike.<\/p>\n
Learn more: https:\/\/netpositivedesign.org\/<\/a><\/p>\n Authoritative comments about Net-Positive Design:<\/strong><\/p>\n “From the author who developed Positive Development theory comes another tour de force – a delightful guide for those of us disappointed with the direction of conventional approaches to wicked problems.” – Mirek Dymitrow, Lund University and University of Gothenburg, Sweden.<\/p>\n “By re-engineering our approach to urban development, Birkeland reveals how cities could become our most powerful resource in reversing the trends associated with climate change\u2026Essential reading for all decision makers.” – Dr Kathi Holt, architect and strategic urban designer.<\/p>\n Book availability & links: <\/strong><\/p>\n Routledge Publishers. RRP from $A37 for eBook: Paperback: ISBN 9780367258566 https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Positive_Development<\/a><\/p>\n
\nhttps:\/\/www.routledge.com\/Net-Positive-Design-and-Sustainable-Urban-Development\/Birkeland\/p\/book\/9780367258566<\/a><\/p>\n
\nHardback: ISBN 9780367258559<\/p>\n
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