Green City Development - Processes for sustainable city development

Climate change, particulate matter and pollution are just some of the factors that are causing cities and local authorities to rethink the subject of urban development. It is vital to develop solutions that unite technology, the economy, the environment and individual people on a lasting basis. With its Green City Development, Drees & Sommer plans and manages sustainable urban development processes that are proving to be economical in the long term for its clients. A current example is the Neckarpark, on the site of the former freight depot in Stuttgart-Bad Cannstatt.

Sustainable and economical concepts
Sustainable urban development goes beyond purely environmental concepts. A realistic appraisal of the market is vital in order for the project to be cost-effective. Furthermore, costs and revenues of the often long-term development process need to be planned precisely. Drees & Sommer combines decades of experience in the planning and management of complex projects in the building and infrastructure sector with comprehensive 'green building' know-how. The experts assume responsibility for the planning and management of sustainable development processes and assist cities and local authorities during the entire duration of the project and across all development levels - i.e. from a building to a city quarter or even an entire town. Advice on subsidies, as well as classic project management with cost and time planning, are also included in the service.

Quality seal for sustainable urban development
In order to make sustainability criteria for an urban development tangible and comparable, the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Nachhaltiges Bauen (German Association for Sustainable Building), or DGNB, is currently developing a quality seal for sustainable urban development in collaboration with Drees & Sommer. The certification is due to come onto the market in a test phase at the beginning of 2010. The seal is founded on the basic system of the DGNB - but with a particular emphasis on location and infrastructure.

Environmental, economic and socio-cultural principles
A sustainable urban development can only be achieved if environmental, economic and socio-cultural principles are incorporated into the initial planning stages. This includes, for example, the possibility of using public transport or the specification that a particular percentage of the power supply has to come from renewable resources. Besides environmental aspects, it is important to keep in mind that the housing developments should remain financially attractive for potential investors. One way of achieving this is through high building density: for example, if building land is lost to a park, this should be balanced out in the surrounding area.

Neckarpark Stuttgart - first steps towards a certified "city quarter"
The DGNB, in cooperation with WSGreen Technologies, commissioned Drees & Sommer to carry out a basic sustainability analysis of the urban development project Neckarpark, on the site of the former freight depot in Bad Cannstatt. The city of Stuttgart is accompanying the development draft drawn up by the company Pesch und Partner with an interdisciplinary working group. As part of the research project "Low Energy", the overall sustainability of the development area is being checked with reference to economic, environmental and socio-cultural factors, and in relation to process, technology and location. "The collaboration with the DGNB as well as Drees & Sommer, who are contributing experience in the area of 'green building', offers us the possibility to review and improve the sustainability of the planning proposal," said Friedemann Gschwind from the state capital of Stuttgart. The first draft of the DGNB criteria list for sustainable city quarters forms the basis of the proposal, whereby the team is pinpointing important areas of activity in relation to sustainability, for example with regards to infrastructure or educational establishments. Based on this, the city of Stuttgart wants to continue the planning of its second-largest development area in such a way that it leads to a pilot certification from the DGNB.

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