The Leeds Sustainable Development Group seeks to promote the following objectives, which should be at the forefront of every responsible urban development project:

• conserve identity, strengthen neighbourhood and encourage cultural diversity and distinctiveness.
• expand the public transport system and its interconnection with existing and new developments.
• use resources wisely, minimise additional land-take and encourage moderate degrees of urban density.
• safeguard and interconnect green spaces and networks, work towards quality standards and conserve public spaces.
• assure social harmony and advance social and functional interaction.
• safeguard existing jobs and create new and innovative ones.
• advance a culture of discourse.
• create long-term partnerships between the community and the public and private sectors.
• participate in life-long learning processes to see urban life in its wider context.

The Leeds Sustainable Development Group believe that the economics, ecology, education, culture and structure of society need to be re-examined carefully in addressing these Key Objectives.

The early participation of the citizen and the integration of regional networks are essential to this process.

The future model for planning new urban settlements should be the ‘Compact City’. This is a concept consisting of independently functioning units, in which the aspects of everyday life can be laid out and accessed within walking distance by all members of society.  The ‘City of the Future’ is a city of social and functional integration, cultural diversity, accessible education, resource conservation and regional dialogue. When regeneration or outward growth is unavoidable or imperative for economic or cultural reasons, the principle of the ‘Compact City’ should be followed.

The following 12 principles are intended to provide the point of departure for the ‘Compact City’ and as such serve as the foundation for the ‘Sustainable City’. They should be applied to all new development.

Twelve Principles

Spatial

1   Diversity, Safety and Tolerance

• encourage a balanced age and social profile within functioning neighbourhoods, with the provision of appropriate workplaces for all sectors of the population and the encouragement of innovative residential models.
• provide facilities in public and private infrastructure for all generations with the provision of well-managed places balanced with free spaces.
• provide a full range of facilities, especially for very young and very old citizens.
• integrate all strands of society irrespective of ethnicity, gender or age.

2   City of Neighbourhoods

• decentralise governance, with a defined degree of empowerment and personal responsibility, this is indispensable for cities and should be actively encouraged.
• decentralise governance, this is of particular importance in residential living and working, social infrastructure, education and culture, recreation and management of green spaces and networks.
• protect the city’s identity, this is a precondition for sustainable urban planning and development.

3   City of Short Distances

• enhance existing facilities and introduce new ones in such a way that they are in accordance with the idea of the ‘Compact City’.
• provide accessibility to all infrastructure networks on foot to minimise car traffic to improve environmental quality.
• develop public transport and pedestrian and bicycle networks with priority over the use of private motor vehicles.

4   Public Transport and Density

• public transport needs to be closely integrated with the urban design vision and, as a general principle, must always be given priority over car traffic.  Increased urban density along public transport routes should be brought about in a sensitive and sustainable manner.
• land uses with civic function and high frequency of use should be located in close proximity to public transportation nodes in order to increase urban intensity.

Content

5   Education, Science & Culture

• schools and universities, research facilities and cultural institutions make significant impact on the attractiveness and the quality of a city.  They have a strong influence on public life and can have a decisive influence on the planning culture of a city.
• a city has to create opportunities for personal development and life-long learning.

Industry and Jobs

• the most important task for the future is the conservation of existing employment and the development of groundbreaking and innovative businesses.  In order to achieve this, we must fully tap into every opportunity that enables the city to maintain existing jobs on the one hand, and to develop new ones on the other.
• the trend to ‘green field’ and ‘edge of the city’ development has to be counteracted with a concentration on the regeneration of the exiting urban fabric.  The proper application of these principles is indispensable.

7   Nature and Environment

• the conservation of biological diversity, the wise use of resource for the benefit of future generations and the protection of a health and liveable environment are key objectives for urban development.
• all areas of planning have to be evaluated for their impact on the environment prior to implementation in order to safeguard the habitats of animals and plants as well as historically-important cultural landscapes.

8   Design Quality

• planning decisions shape the appearance of the city for generations.  These decisions must therefore support and enhance the character of a city by promoting the highest qualities of design.
• public spaces play a key role, together with their neighbouring buildings they form the public face of a city.
• public property rights and the authority for disposal of public space must remain with the body politic in order to mediate between different interests and to counteract undesirable development.
• development of key building projects has to be led by the planning authority from initial concept through to realisation on the ground.
• tools such as architectural design competitions, multiple commissioning and expert panels should be employed as a general principle, in order to find solutions for important buildings and public spaces.
• the structure of the plot plan – as a starting point for diversity – plays a very important role.
• processes of urban redevelopment will be of special importance in the future.

Process

9   Long-Term Vision 

• consistent urban planning and development needs to follow a unifying vision that refers back to the city’s past and projects forward several decades.
• the face of the city must not be submitted to short-lived fashions or political whim.  Additions to cities that have evolved over historical timeframes must anticipate the needs of future generations (conserve the old and celebrate the new).  Only in this way can the uniqueness and the character of a city be developed, maintained and enhanced.
• continuity, quality and awareness of the intricacies of a location are important attributes for a sustainable, future-orientated city.

10   Communication and Participation 

• communities must work continuously on their collective vision for the city through public discourse that becomes manifest in public spaces and in city culture.
• continuous communication must be supported among the protagonists and stakeholders inside and outside the city administration.  The outputs should be fed directly into planning processes to help create transparency and to inform political decisions.
• all parts of a city’s population must be invited to participate, co-operate and engage through appropriate modes of communication – in all phases of development from initial visioning through to detailed planning, delivery and management.
• a culture of engagement should be established, employing a wide range of techniques available to central, regional and local authorities.

11   Reliability, Obligation and Fairness

•  a citywide concept, with principles of consensus, creates the proper environment within which all the participants in urban development can act with equal rights.
• urban policy needs to be founded on basic resolutions that have a binding effect on the city administration, in order for the city to become a reliable partner for all citizens and investors
• basic principles need to govern site development guidelines and standards of sustainable construction.  Guidelines such as the City of Short Distances have to be enshrined in subject-specified policies – such as the retail concepts embodied in Freiburg’s marketplaces and sub-centres. These principles should be made legally binding through development ‘master plans’.
• a level of trust should be created between the protagonists within the city’s administration and those outside, based on continuity and with sufficient freedom to enable innovation and creativity to flourish.

12   Co-operation & Partnership 

• co-operation and participation serve to distribute and share the burden of complexity of urban planning and development with many.
• financial support for projects creates incentives for investors and can also serve to guide them.
• exemplary action by the community with regard to urban design can stimulate private action and also help to initiate self-fulfilling processes.
• agreements and contracts with stakeholders, the support of, as well as the demand for, citizen communities, all make wide-ranging urban redevelopment processes possible.
• scientific institutions, universities, industry and professional bodies are important players in innovative development.

* With full acknowledgement to the ‘Freiburg Charter for Sustainable Urbanism’

LSDG – Landowners, Developers and Investors meeting 11.07.11

The LSDG are seeking to identify any barriers to establishing a consensus for the future of Leeds City Centre South, leading to a shared vision which would, in turn, allow the creation of a framework for its sustainable development.

The group has issued a four page leaflet “Leeds City Centre South: an opportunity not to be missed” (see previous post link below) showing the 80 hectares (210 acres) of land representing a once-in- a-lifetime opportunity to create a ‘new urban neighbourhood’ in the heart of Leeds City Centre developed as an exemplar for the city and nation. It is clear that none of this is possible without all the stakeholders coming together to establish a shared confidence, allowing innovative ideas, from wherever they may come, to be tested and implemented. An invitation to a subsequent open meeting will be issued to all those interested in Leeds City centre to take part in an open and wide-ranging debate about how we want to live in the city in the future.

With the current proposed changes in planning policies at a time of reduced development activity, we are determined not to allow this huge opportunity to be lost through any lack of vision and action. The Leeds Sustainable Development Group has identified the need for some fresh thinking in relation to the future development of this area. We have been promoting an open dialogue to gather ideas and to obtain feedback from everyone and anyone with an interest or a stake in the future of this part of Leeds.

The Leeds Sustainable Development Group have also created a charter that encompasses the key objectives for the sustainable development of Leeds.  To view this charter please click on the link below.

LSDG DOCUMENTS – The LSDG Charter

Please let us have you views on the above by commenting on the blog or by e-mail to contact@leeds-sdg.com

David Lumb, Architect and Coordinator of the Leeds Sustainable Development Group

http://www.leedscityregion.gov.uk/uploadedFiles/News/Articles/LCR%20LEP%20Recommendation%20of%20EZ%20160611.pdf

In this context LSDG is hosting a meeting to discuss the future development of the City Centre South area as defined in the paper below.  All landowners with an interest in the area are invited to attend (e-mail contact@leeds-sdg.com for further information). The LSDG remains determined not to allow the huge opportunity provided for the future development of Leeds City Centre not to be lost through any lack of vision and action.

Please click on the image below to view a pdf of the new LSDG report created for the meeting.  The report sets out the huge opportunities for the City Centre South in relation to the current planning policies and initiatives.

LSDG RESPONSE LETTER : Leeds’ Enterprise Zone

Please find below a link to a recent article published by Oliver Bennett in The Independent.  The article discusses the future trends within the property market in Leeds City Centre.  The article inlcudes comments from Rachael Unsworth (LSDG contributor).

Article : “Why Leeds is riding high”

LSDG have reviewed the leaflet, published in February, by LCC’s, Forward Planning and Implementation team.  The leaflet’s main purpose was to let us know that the boundary of the plan area has changed and that some sites are now planned for other uses. There will be an opportunity to comment on a further consultation draft due to be published next year but the LSDG felt it was very important that the proposed  change in boundary to include only part of the city centre, as defined in the UDP, should be commented on. This is because it now excludes parts of the city centre, south of the river and it is our view that the whole of the City Centre South area should be looked at, in terms of a development framework in its own right.  See our report entitled ‘Leeds City Centre South: the long view’ published in June 2010.  Please visit the LSDG Documents or links page for a link to download this document.

Please click on the link below to download the LSDG’s response letter to the Aire Valley Leeds Area Action Plan.

Aire Valley Leeds Consultation : LSDG Response

The images above and below show the City Centre South area as defined by LSDG and how this relates to the Aire Valley Planning area as well as various other planning areas including the LCC’s South Bank.  Please click on the image below to download the map.

A paper discussing the possible future for city living has been drafted by Rachael Unsworth, a contributor to the LSDG and a lecturer in the School of Geography, University of Leeds. The paper seeks to encapsulate the LSDG’s thesis on how Leeds City Centre South could be developed for the long term. The ideas were presented at the final lecture of the 4×4 Making Places 2011 Architecture and regeneration lecture series at Leeds Met University at the end of March 2011.

Below is a link to the paper. The group welcomes comments.

The Future of City Living – Draft Paper