A reference work published by the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne (EPFL) aims to support projects managers in their efforts to transform urban brownfield sites into sustainable neighborhoods. After all, architects, town planners, engineers and politicians all face major challenges when it comes to the sustainable conversion of brownfields into usable public spaces, as detailed in a press release issued by the EPFL.
“Neighbourhoods in Transition – Brownfield Regeneration in European Metropolitan Areas” is the result of ten years of research conducted by two scientists working at the EPFL Laboratory of Architecture and Sustainable Technologies (LAST) and Emmanuel Rey, Head of LAST. In the interests of open science, the authors were keen to ensure that all of their texts and images were made freely available.
“Transforming existing buildings and developing new public spaces is one way to preserve the soul of these peripheral areas”, Emmanuel Rey explains, before adding: “It’s about highlighting their individuality and ensuring they do not become monotonous, banal suburbs”.
To this end, the book provides 50 indicators that cover ecological, economic and socio-cultural aspects grouped into three categories: context, project and governance. “Our idea wasn’t to create a new certification label for sustainable neighborhoods”, Rey comments. Rather, the purpose of the reference work is to provide people working on projects of this kind with “a tool they can use to steer their projects in a sustainable direction”.
