Barracks/Rugby and Greenbrier
In the past decade, a new paradigm has emerged in the dialogue surrounding global sustainability. Instead of emphasizing “going green,” recycling, and minimizing carbon footprints, this new movement focuses on connecting human beings to the environment in a different way: through the creation of livable cities and towns that enhance both the quality of life of their inhabitants and the quality of the environment. The purpose of this report is to educate readers on the different elements of this shift in thinking and to introduce them to our project: a semester-long initiative in which we assessed the placemaking ability, livability, and sustainability of two Charlottesville neighborhoods in three steps.
sustainable places, Charlottesville, neighborhoods, Barracks/Rugby, Greenbrier, placemaking, livability
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Barracks/Rugby and Greenbrier

SustainabilityofPlaceBarracks_RugbyandGreenbrier (click PDF)

Spring 2013

Team members: Allyn Potts, Emma Wilkinson, Eddie Lopez, Josh Hadley-Goggin

In the past decade, a new paradigm has emerged in the dialogue surrounding global sustainability. Instead of emphasizing “going green,” recycling, and minimizing carbon footprints, this new movement focuses on connecting human beings to the environment in a different way: through the creation of livable cities and towns that enhance both the quality of life of their inhabitants and the quality of the environment. The purpose of this report is to educate readers on the different elements of this shift in thinking and to introduce them to our project: a semester-long initiative in which we assessed the placemaking ability, livability, and sustainability of two Charlottesville neighborhoods in three steps. First, we reviewed the literature surrounding the urban sustainability movement and derived from it a comprehensive list of benchmarks from which we could measure the placemaking ability, livability, and sustainability of our two neighborhoods. Second, we collected data on a number of site visits and used our observations to assess how successfully our neighborhoods matched up to our predetermined benchmarks. And finally, we drew conclusions about the overall performance of our neighborhoods in order to highlight both areas of success and areas in which there is room for future improvement. The purpose of this project was to provide our community partner with an assessment of the current placemaking ability, livability, and sustainability of our neighborhoods, with the hope that such information will be used to help build a more sustainable future for the city of Charlottesville.

barracks-rugby-greenbrier