One Planet Communities: A Real Life Guide to Sustainable Living Paperback – 20 Nov 2009

From the Author

Can we take deep green concepts about building sustainable communities to the heart of our economic mainstream? From practical experience, we know we can - and do it in a way which can be cost-effective, delivers higher levels of health and happiness and, as a property developer myself, a better product to offer the customer.

I write this from my home in the BedZED eco-village in South London, completed in 2002. We are in another cold spell - yet our home remains warm with minimal heating. Two car club cars are parked outside which means I don't own a car for everyday use. I feel insulated against rises in oil prices and safe because of the strong community spirit. My neighbours are ordinary people, not necessarily green fanatics. Not everything has worked yet it is, truly, a great place to live.

It has been an amazing journey. We have monitored everything from greenhouse gases to financial costs and social indicators. We have learned some hard lessons. Our most important lesson perhaps is that to truly create communities we must look at our whole ecological footprint and to think as much about green lifestyles as green buildings - the software of sustainability as well as the hardware. Communication is as important as measuring carbon, and success will depend on how all aspects of sustainability are brought together coherently.

This book describes BedZED and the next step in our journey, working with leading developers and municipal authorities around the world to apply the One Planet Living framework. The book is both a story and, hopefully, a guide. I am grateful for the opportunity to share our learning and that of our partners.

Pooran Desai, February 2010

From the Inside Flap

John Wiley & Sons publishes a wide selection of architectural titles from the UK, covering subjects ranging from architectural history, the environment, interior design, landscape architecture, urban design and new technologies. It is the publisher of the prestigious international journal Architectural Design, which is published bi–monthly in book form and is available on subscription. It also produces other high–quality, illustrated architecture books. For a further selection see www.wiley.com

Architectural Design:

Territory: Architecture beyond Environment Guest–edited by David Gissen ISBN: 978–0–470–72165–0

Other John Wiley & Sons titles include: The Urban Housing Handbook Eric Firley and Caroline Stahl ISBN: 978–0–470–51275–3

Design through Dialogue: A Guide for Architects and Clients – Karen A Franck and Teresa von Sommaruga Howard ISBN: 978–0470–72190–2, 978–0470–87071–6