Sustainable masterplanning, Finnish style
With support from the Finnish Innovation Fund, Sitra, we worked with Skanska Finland to plan two new city districts where 15,000 people can live sustainably
Imagining a bright future for Brighton Marina
Bioregional was appointed to evaluate Brighton Marina’s performance across a range of environmental, social and governance issues, and to propose opportunities to make it a more equitable, environmentally sustainable place
Brighton Marina Village is a busy area that fulfils an important function in Brighton and Hove. Sustainability has never been particularly high on the Marina’s agenda; with high levels of car use and scant green space and wildlife, large entertainment chains dominate.
We knew that making the Marina a more sustainable place would benefit everyone - for example in cost savings, enhanced reputation, generating new business opportunities, risk management, responding to consumer expectations and staying ahead of policy and regulatory changes.
Our research found that different actors at the Marina approach sustainability issues very differently, with different priorities. Pockets of good performance include the leadership shown by managers of commercial premises on building performance, as well as low crime rates, LED streetlights, some new community space and a new Neighbourhood Forum.
However, there are no real, outstanding, high impact sustainability initiatives which the Marina can be proud of. One challenge is complex management arrangements which create patches of no-man’s land and mean that decision-makers find it difficult to plan sustainable actions for the long term.
We proposed a five-year plan with activity across all ten principles of One Planet Living. We proposed short term improvements including:
- Improving walking and cycling routes into and around entire site
- Improving provision of green space, including planted walls, roofs and public realm
- Encouraging all businesses to gain Real Living Wage accreditation and support local businesses on-site
- Improving public realm and architecture to build on place-based identity.
Our proposals form the basis of a new sustainability strategy for the Marina along with a new set of key performance indicators on which to measure progress.
Get in touch
Contact us to find out more about how we could help you explore a more sustainable future for your development
Marina Goodyear
Senior Technical Consultant
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