Eco-City Projects: Incorporating Sustainability Requirements during Pre-Project Planning

ABSTRACT

International standards exist for evaluating building or neighborhood sustainability. Nonetheless, they are still not available for large-scale developments. Of special interest to practitioners is how to ensure that sustainability requirements of large-scale projects are well integrated in a master plan. This paper provides design managers of new eco-cities with a framework to integrate sustainability in the pre-project planning phase. A case study of a planned eco-city is investigated to delineate its pre-project planning practices, compare them to the proposed framework, and infer lessons learned. The case study highlights the importance of regular interactions between business planners and master planners to incorporate sustainability requirements at early planning phases.

KEYWORDS:

• sustainability
• urban planning
• pre-project planning
• eco-city
• design management

Disclosure Statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Notes on Contributors

Farah Mneimneh is a graduate student at the American University of Beirut, Lebanon.

Issam Srour is an associate professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, American University of Beirut, Lebanon

Isam Kaysi is a professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, American University of Beirut, Lebanon.

Mona Harb is a professor of urban studies and politics in the Department of Architecture and Design, American University of Beirut, Lebanon.