Life Cycle Assessment of residential streets from the perspective of favoring the human scale and reducing motorized traffic flow. From cradle to handover approach

Abstract

Currently, few studies have compared the variations in environmental impact throughout the different stages of the life cycle of urban construction elements; and of these, only a minority approach it from the perspective of favoring mobility on a human scale and reducing the space allocated to motorized traffic flow. This study, by means of quantitative data, shows the environmental implications associated with prioritizing the non-motorized mobility of a city's inhabitants during the design process of an urban construction element, the residential street (referring to the stages of the production and the construction process: the "cradle to handover" approach). An emerging methodology in urban themes was used in order to obtain the environmental analysis: Life Cycle Assessment (LCA). The results show that the increase in the human scale and the favoring of non-motorized mobility generate a lower environmental impact (considering the same uses of materials for the different zones of analysis). Additionally, it was possible to establish the influence that the specific use of materials employed in the construction of the streets may have, as well as the importance that an LCA acquires in the design of the urban environment.

Environmental Challenges in the Residential Sector: Life Cycle Assessment of Mexican Social Housing

“…The values considered for the distances travelled were an average of the journeys between the hypothetical center of each capital of the north-western states of the country (Baja California, Baja California Sur, Chihuahua, Durango, Sinaloa, and Sonora) and the nearest factories of each type of material previously established in the inventory (determined using Google maps). The resulting values were: 15 km for concrete, steel, EPS, doors, and windows; 20 km for vinyl paint; 400 km for ceramic floors; 470 km for steel; and 510 km for expanded perlite (methodology used in previous studies [66,67]). The quantities required for each construction alternative are shown in Table 6.…”

Housing Indicators for Sustainable Cities in Middle-Income Countries through the Residential Urban Environment Recognized Using Single-Family Housing Rating Systems

“…According to Dall'O' et al [93], "The major causes of environmental impacts in urban areas can be linked to local traffic patterns." Additionally, although recent studies [94,95] have demonstrated the importance of developing an environment that favors pedestrian mobility in the RUE, only BEST, CASA, and GBI establish this criterion as an important issue (Figure 15). However, their relative characteristics for consideration only deal with specific cases of determined routes followed by users, and so walkability is not considered in the general environs of the SFH.…”

Demolition of Existing Buildings in Urban Renewal Projects: A Decision Support System in the China Context

“…The urban landscape features the full complement of building types, and renewal projects must be able to evaluate the suitability of all the buildings that constitute the urban fabric. Furthermore, these building evaluation systems lack lifecycle-based indicators [29], such as the economic and social benefits that may be afforded by a building over time. A further weakness is that such systems focus on current static conditions rather than providing guidance in decision-making under dynamic or evolving conditions.…”