Retrofitting and the epistemological problem of urban sustainability
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Published:
Dec 3, 2017
Keywords:
Building retrofitting, Environmental justice, Ecomodernism, Sustainability, Green certificates
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Abstract
The growing use of green building certificates within the construction industry reflects a societal shift towards environmentally sensitive practices. However, role of technology in providing sustainable commodities can be considered contradictory: while green building certificates neither incentivize, nor disincentivize new construction building in favor of refurbishing, they pose an implicit claim that new construction buildings can be, at the least, as sustainable as retrofitting ones. This paper adds to the rhetorical analysis of sustainability’s discourse by analyzing the gap existing among knowledge and discourse, in public policy arguments made regarding to the choice between building refurbishing and demolition. In the light of the analysis of main indicators of the “three pillars of sustainability” and follows a current policy debate at Bajos de Mena (Chile) where the discussion between opting for refurbishing and new building construction of social housing takes place. In doing so, the paper addresses the quantitative-bias leveraging a developmentalist approach towards urbanization, and highlights the underlying epistemological conflict eroding the notion of sustainability.
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de Castro MazarroA., AlbirA., & LemaîtreJ. (2017). Retrofitting and the epistemological problem of urban sustainability. UPLanD - Journal of Urban Planning, Landscape & Environmental Design, 2(3), 5-16. https://doi.org/10.6093/2531-9906/5404
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World Bank (2006) ‘Where is the wealth of nations? Measuring Capital for the 21st Century’. World Bank publications. doi: 10.1596/978-0-8213-6354-6
Asafu-Adjaye J., et al. (2015). An Ecomodernist Manifesto. [Online resource]. Available in http://www.ecomodernism.com [Accessed 08/10/2017].
Fundación Avanza Chile. (2015). Bajos de Mena. [Online resource]. Available in http://www.avanzachile.cl/ [Accessed 09/11/2017].
Baker, W. E. (1990). Market networks and corporate behavior. American Journal of Sociology, 96(3), 589-625. doi: 10.1086/229573
BCorporation. (2008). B Resource Guide: Conducting a Life Cycle Assessment.
Bristol, K. G. (1991). The Pruitt-Igoe Myth. Journal of Architectural Education, 44(3), 163-171. doi: 10.1080/10464883.1991.11102687
Bourdieu, P. (1985). The forms of capital. In J. Richardson (Ed.), Handbook of Theory and Research for the Sociology of Education (pp. 241-58). New York: Greenwood.
Brundtland, G., et al. (1987). Our common future: Brundtland Report. Journal Medicine and War, 4(1). United Nations. doi: 10.1080/07488008808408783
Carter, K., & Moir, S. (2012), Diagrammatic Representations of Sustainability – a Review and Synthesis. in SD Smith. Proceedings 28th Annual ARCOM Conference (pp. 1479–89): Edinburgh, UK.
Cociña, C. (2016). Habitar Desigualdades: Políticas Urbanas y el despliegue de la vida en Bajos de Mena. Serie de Documentos de trabajo de PNUD.
Coleman, J. S. (1990). Foundations of Social Theory. Cambridge: Belknap Press of Harvard Univ. Press. doi: 10.12681/sas.623
El Dínamo. (2013). Carlos Montes defiende derechos de familias de Bajos de Mena de quedarse en el lugar. El Dínamo. [Online resource]. Available in http://www.eldinamo.cl [Accessed 09/11/2017].
Emol online. (2013). Tras 16 años de litigio, SERVIU deberá pagar 1,000 millones a dueños de casas Copeva. El Mercurio. [Online resource]. Available in http://www.emol.com [Accessed 09/11/2017].
Empty Homes Agency. (2008). New Trick with Old Bricks: How Reusing Can Cut Carbon Emissions. Building and Social Housing Foundation. London UK.
Gibson, R. (2002). Specification of Sustainability-Based Environmental Assessment Decision Criteria and Implications for Determining Significance in Environmental Assessment. Research and Development Monograph Series, from a Workshop on Environmental Assessment, Sustainability, and Significance. University of British Columbia. Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency. Ottawa:Gatineau.
Giddings, B., Hopwood, B., & O’Brien G. (2002). Environment, Economy, and Society: Fitting them Together into Sustainable Development. Sustainable Development, 10(4), 187-196. doi:10.1002/sd.199
Gunder, M. (2006) Sustainability: Planning’s Saving Grace or Road to Perdition? Journal of Planning Education and Research, 26(2). doi: 10.1177/0739456X06289359
Habiterra (2008). Informe Etapa Uno Diagnóstico: Plan Integral de Rehabilitación Urbana Bajos de Mena y Reconversión del polígono El Volcán II. Consultor Habiterra SA.
Instituto Nacional de Estadísticas (INE). (2002). Censo Nacional de Población y Vivienda 2002. Santiago: Instituto Nacional de Estadísticas.
Jackson, M. (2005). Embodied Energy and Historic Preservation: A Needed Reassessment. APT Bulletin: 36(4): 47-52.
Hawken, P. (2007). Blessed Unrest: How the Largest Movement in the World Came into Being and Why No One Saw It Coming (p. 172). New York: Viking.
International Federation of Accountants (IFAC.) (2012). Project and Investment Appraisal for Sustainable Value Creation.
Kilometrocero. (2015). Las promesas agrietadas de bajos de mena. Santiago, Chile: Facultad de Comunicaciones UC. [Online resource]. Available in https://kilometrocero.cl [Accessed 11/09/2017].
Kurt, D. (2016). Net Present Value - NPV. Retrieved July 27, 2017, from http://www.investopedia.com/
La Tercera. (2012, October 25). Suprema ordena reparar con $1.734 millones a 592 familias por "casas Copeva" de Puente Alto. La Tercera. [Online resource]. Available in http://www.latercera.cl [Accessed 09/11/2017].
Lin, N. (2001). Social Capital: A Theory of Social Structure and Action Cambridge University Press.
Lozano, R. (2008). Envisioning Sustainability Three-Dimensionally. Journal of Cleaner Production, 16, 1838-1846. doi: 10.1016/j.jclepro.2008.02.008
Meadowcroft, J. (2000). Sustainable development: A new(ish) idea for a new century?. Political Studies, 48(2), 370-387. doi: 10.1111/1467-9248.00265
Milne, G., & Reardon C. (2013). Your Home: Embodied Energy. Australian Government.
Myers, G., & Macnaghten, P. (1998). Rhetorics of environmental sustainability: commonplaces and places. Environment and planning A, 30(2), 333-353. doi : 10.1068/a300333
Newsham, G., Mancini, S., & Birt, B. (2009). Do LEED-Certified Building Save Energy? Yes, but... Energy and Buildings, 41(8), 897-905. doi:10.1016/j.enbuild.2009.03.014
Plan Integral de Bajos de Mena. (2015). Plan Integral de Bajos de Mena. (Gobierno Regional Metropolitano de Santiago) Retrieved from http://www.planintegralbajosdemena.cl/
Portes, A. (1998). Social Capital: Its Origins and Applications in Modern Sociology. Annual Reviews of Sociology, 1-24. doi: 10.1146/annurev.soc.24.1.1
Power, A. (2008). Does demolition or refurbishment of old and inefficient homes help to increase our environmental, social and economic viability? (L. S. Economics, Ed.) Energy Policy, 36, 4487-4501. doi: 10.1016/j.enpol.2008.09.022
Sandoval, A. (2005). Villa Volcán San José. Temas Sociales 54, Boletín de SUR. Corporación de Estudios Sociales y Educación. Available online in http://www.sitiosur.cl/ [Accessed 25/07/2017].
Schiff, M. (1992). Social Capital, Labor Mobility, and Welfare: The Impact of Uniting States Rational Society, 42(2), 157-175. doi: 10.1177/1043463192004002003
Siegler, V. (2014). Measuring Social Capital in the UK. Office for National Statistics UK.
Skelton, R., & Miller, V. (2016). The Environmental Justice Movement. National Resources
Defense Council. Retrieved from: https://www.nrdc.org
Spangenberg, J. (2003). “New challenges need new answers”, Keynote speech to EPA Ireland 10th Anniversary Conference: Pathways to a Sustainable Future, 15 May 2003, Dublin, Ireland.
UNU-IHDP and UNEP (2012) ‘Inclusive Wealth Report 2012. Measuring progress toward sustainability’, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press
University College London (UCL). (2014). Demolition or Refurbishment of Social Housing? A review of the evidence. (K. Crawford, C. Johnson, F. Davies, J. Sunyoung, & S. Bell, Eds.) London, UK: UCL Urban Lab and Engineering Exchange for Just Space and the London Tenants Federation.
USEPA. (2003). Building-Related Construction and Demolition Material Amounts.
World Bank (2006) ‘Where is the wealth of nations? Measuring Capital for the 21st Century’. World Bank publications. doi: 10.1596/978-0-8213-6354-6