Perhaps it’s now time to examine the institutions involved in developing our homes. These are not ‘homes of the future’. They are homes now for the future.
There is a lot of confusion around. It is important to examine the initiatives of the most influential organisations.
Key among the Chartered institutions affecting housing and Climate Change is the Royal Town Planning Institute (RTPI). The work of its members is heavily criticised as its members produce a conveyor belt of inappropriate planning decisions. Planning outcomes are reputation-crushing. The carbuncle housing estates attached to practically all villages are a classic case in point.
They are cast in a mould of £350,000 new houses supported by an infrastructure that sheds estate-wide rainwater into concrete culverts rushing towards the next flood pinch-point.
The RTPI website says “Planners can embed climate action in local decision making, faster net zero transport, improve urban greening, create affordable housing, smart cities and protect infrastructure from flooding.” The word ‘can’ is a real giveaway. As France, Spain and the UK enjoy weather over 40C it would seem the threat of such temperatures is not a big issue for planners.
There is a greater urgency needed.
Victoria Hills, Chief Executive of the RTPI, said: “Planners are a driving force in addressing the climate crisis….” Good. We look forward to it.
Victoria Hills, Chief Executive of the RTPI, said: “Planners are a driving force in addressing the climate crisis….” Good. We look forward to it.
The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) is another example. It has set itself a professional challenge.
The ‘2030 Climate Challenge’ is a voluntary initiative for RIBA Chartered Practitioners to join and demonstrate their commitment to attempting to meet key sustainability targets on the buildings they design.
It includes targets for annual energy use, embodied carbon over the building's lifecycle and annual water use. It provides a stepped approach towards reaching net zero. They are not quite sure if this means net-zero emissions to ameliorate global warming or do these ambitions also reflect the dangers of Climate Change?
The challenge is not mandatory, it is a commitment to show leadership among members’ projects and attempt to meet the targets.
The first reaction to such an ambition is to identify that it focuses on mitigating global warming rather than Climate Change alleviation. It is probably unfair to single out RIBA as an exemplar and there are many other similar organisations in the same sort of fix but RIBA is a relevant example.
The challenge is not mandatory, it is a commitment to show leadership among members’ projects and attempt to meet the targets.
The first reaction to such an ambition is to identify that it focuses on mitigating global warming rather than Climate Change alleviation. It is probably unfair to single out RIBA as an exemplar and there are many other similar organisations in the same sort of fix but RIBA is a relevant example.
No comments:
Post a Comment