Design Team Members: Benjamin Best and Joshua Vanwyck
Supervisor: Yaacov Iland
Background
Communities around the world are growing quickly, and the need to create effective master plans has never been greater. With urban sprawl eating into local farmlands, and the costs of the oil and developing infrastructure ballooning, communities are suddenly realizing the need to plan their communities better. A recent study by the Pembina Institute suggested that the largest challenge facing communities in developing sustainable urban plans was their capacity and knowledge of sustainable practices.
Project description
The Sustainable Community Development Tool (SCD Tool) is an easy to use web platform for community developers that allow them to access quality information about sustainable urban development. Through the application, planners can draw on a significant background information and case studies to create a customized standard for their own community. The goal of this application is to help build the capacity of communities to move from high level sustainability goals (ie. 'We want a green city!') to concrete actions and policies ('Every new municipal building must be constructed in such a way to support a green roof') through the prevision of case studies, and an accessible interface.
Design methodology
Using the Django Web Platform and Agile development techniques the team will develop the software. The process has a heavy focus on user needs and processes. The team will continually be consulting urban planners, architects, engineers and active community members to ensure the product meets their needs.