trust they have and that is influenced by the
number of neighbours people know. On aver-
age people in the UK know three of their
neighbours by name. At BedZed, that figure
stands at 20.”
Sociability is aided by having fewer cars (or
sharing them – BedZed included a collaboration
with the hugely successful and influential car
sharing operator City Car Club), increasing the
probability of human interaction through com-
munal spaces, participative governance struc-
tures and even development-specific intranets.
Ultimately, BioRegional is about rendering
sustainable living desirable, tactile and norma-
tive. “Once you’ve experienced living some-
where like BedZed or OneBrighton I think
you’d be reluctant to go back to living in a more
conventional development.
“It’s not so much about statistics, it’s not so
much about talking, it’s not necessarily about
policy; it’s about people’s experience. The big
question is ‘do we have time?’ because at the
moment it seems climate change and rising CO
2
levels as well as other environmental problems
are so urgent we need a much quicker spreading
BioRegional has delivered groundbreaking projects, including BedZED eco-village and One Planet Living of experiential change.”
He remains unsure, however, that govern-
ty, and 65% less car mileage than the average Construction (courtesy of Crest Nicholson) ments can be the main drivers of that revolu-
development. was painstakingly conceived to reduce energy tionary shift. “I don’t think we will manage
The experiences gleaned from BedZed helped demands and achieve high levels of thermal effi- our way out of this problem. I think new
inform one of BioRegional’s most notable ini- ciency. Around 170 homes populate two mod- ways of doing things will emerge and replace
tiatives, the One Planet Living (OPL) pro- ish six-story blocks built from recycled concrete what we’ve got, so I think things like carbon
gramme: a set of ten principles devised with and natural clay and insulated with materials trading, caps are all very well but I don’t think
WWF that can be applied to communities, like newspaper, and its zero carbon strategy they will ultimately be the way we create a
regions, companies, products or even events, includes on-site renewable energy, including sustainable future.
like the London 2012 Olympics. wind turbines. “Of course, all those international agree-
With infinite versatility, they have delivered “OneBrighton is really where the industry ments or attempts at international agreements
projects through partnerships with private needs to be as a whole in terms of construction start setting the context, but ultimately it is
developers, community groups and the public and in creating a sustainable lifestyle and doing going to be the emergence of new technologies,
sector in the UK – notably through attempting it cost-effectively,” Desai notes. new products, new services and new ways of
to make Brighton an OPL city and providing Many agree, including Estates Gazette, which living that will create the change.”
input to Z-squared, a concept for a 5,000-person recently named it Residential Development of But could Desai – whose previous direct
zero-waste, zero-carbon development in the the Year, gushing that it was a “benchmark” for experience of government interaction, other
Thames Gateway – the US, South Africa, China sustainable construction within “conventional than inspiring it, includes chairing the homes
and the United Arab Emirates, where cost constraints”. and environment group of ACCPE (the UK
BioRegional and WWF are contracted to devise Even so, Desai says OneBrighton highlights Defra Advisory Committee on Consumer
the sustainability action plan for the Abu Dhabi how otiose government can be – four times as Products and the Environment) – perhaps use
Future Energy Company’s extraordinary zero- much was paid for reports at OneBrighton as his practical experience to nudge the UK gov-
waste, zero-carbon Masdar City. was done for renewable energy technologies. ernment in the right direction? “Just on the
In the UK, BioRegional Quintain – a compa- One of the main reasons OPL and communities and planning side... we would
ny 50% owned by BioRegional Properties and BioRegional’s developments are such a success write a very good policy for government based
Quintain Estates and one at which Desai spends is an explicit acknowledgement and unrelenting on practical experience if we were given a
half his working time – enjoys considerable pursuit of happiness. Desai is keen to point out chance, and we would involve others in that, but
OPL development clout. Among the standout that the health and happiness plans devised by we would have a very clear idea of what needs
projects in the pipeline are the OneGallions BioRegional Quintain for each of its develop- to be done and we wouldn’t bring that out
development (a 233 home project chosen by ments are the product of hard scientific graft as through a wide stakeholder process to get some
Ken Livingston to be the flagship zero-carbon much as empathetic sensitivity. sort of mish-mish of a policy out of it.
scheme in the Thames Gateway), and “We can’t force our residents to be happy but “We really do need clarity now. We’d be
RiversideOne (a 750 homes scheme in there is a science of happiness that you can happy to develop that, but we’re not going to
Middlesborough). track, and there are things that really do make a spend our time knocking on politicians’ doors.”
The fully realised OneBrighton, meanwhile, difference to levels of happiness,” he says. What if somebody came to you and asked?
has already been hailed as the future of low “So for example, one thing which really “We would do that. And I think within six
environmental impact construction in the UK. affects people’s happiness is the amount of months we could sort it out.”
Sustainable Business 1❘ May 2009 2
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