mapping sustainable wellbeing erin coutts global development and environment institute, tufts...

Mapping Sustainable Wellbeing

Erin CouttsGlobal Development And Environment Institute,Tufts University

City of Cambridge: A STAR Community

7 Goals, 44 Objectives, 500+ Metrics

Green Infrastructure

1. Demonstrate 35% of land area has protected vegetated surfaces performing a minimum of 2 of the following functions:a) Localized cooling through tree canopy, green

roofs, green wallsb) Water management through wetlands, stream

buffers, permeable surfacesc) Recreation through parks and greenways

2. Demonstrate that 85% of population lives within .5 mi walk from green infrastructure.

Total:38% Coverage

Calculate total land area in jurisdiction: Remove area covered in water

Calculate vegetative land area: Union canopy & open space, identify canopy over open space, calculate total canopy, calculate open space not covered in canopy.

Identify where people live: residential units

Identify park entrances

Total:100% population

Calculate .5 mi walk from park entrances:Run network analysis

Compact & Complete Communities Identify 4 land areas a .5 mi walk from a central point with the strongest mix of uses, transit availability, density, and walkability

CCC Outcomes:Density, Destinations, Access

1. Diverse Uses: > 7 diverse uses present

2. Walkabilitya) Intersection Density: > 90/sq mib) Sidewalks: >90% roadways have sidewalks

3. Residential Density: >12 dwelling units/acre

4. Employment Density: >25 jobs/acre

5. Design: a) 80% of building setbacks on residential blocks <25 ft. from

property lineb) 80% of building setbacks on commercial blocks <10 ft. from

property line

Food Retail: Supermarket, Grocery with produce section

Community-Serving Retail: Convenience store, hardware, pharmacy

Services: Bank, gym, laundry, restaurant

Civic & Community Facilities: Medical clinic, museum, place of worship

Diverse Uses20+ uses in each CCC

Intersection Density:>90 intersections/sq mi. Earned bonus points for having 176-419 intersections/sq mi

Walkability

Sidewalks: >90% roadways have sidewalks on both sides

Earned full points in each CCC

Walkability

units/acre:27-104

Identify residential parcels without transit access: All residential parcels in CCCs are within .5 mi of T stop or .25 mi of bus stop

Calculate dwelling units/acre for each CCC:Exclude residential parcels <50% in CCC. Divide remaining number of dwelling units by the area of land used for residential purposes.

Residential Density

110-174 jobs/acre

Calculate land area used for employment in each CCCUse only parcels >50% in CCC and designated for commercial land use

Calculate jobs/acre for each CCC:Use Journey to Work for data on total workers by TAZs. Divide # jobs by area of land used for employment purposes.

Employment Density

Residential setbacks: >80% of buildings are <25 ft. from property line: full points

Commercial setbacks:80% of buildings <10 ft. from property line

Design

Commercial setbacks:80% of buildings <10 ft. from property line:

No points in Harvard or Kendall/MIT CCCs

Design

Next Step: Equitable Access

Demonstrate increased access and proximity by residents of diverse income levels and race/ethnicity to the following community facilities, services, and infrastructure:

1. Public transit facilities and service levels 2. Public libraries 3. Public schools 4. Public spaces 5. Healthful food 6. Health and human services 7. Digital access or high speed internet 8. Urban tree canopy 9. Emergency response times

Recommendations

1. Consider contributing to STAR’s technical guide

2. Talk to STAR about which communities in your area are certifying. Suggest that your students consider interning with those communities.

Thank you

Erin.Coutts@tufts.edu

Stop by the Global Development And Environment Institute exhibit table