Planning Pattern Principles

A stronger awareness of the underlying principles and patterns used in planning is required to design self-sufficient and sustainable communities. Principles an patterns focus more on the elements of planning - how one is used and how one may relate to another. Exploring these various elements provides a deeper understanding that supports the ultimate vision -  a self-sufficient and sustainable community.

Project 01 exploration involves examining selected principles and patterns that could be used for the Woodford Folk Festival's new self-sufficient community.

Principle: Power

Sustainable Goal: Authorities need new and more friendlier implementation strategies and approaches to rules, regulations and planning methodologies to actively engage and adapt the community. This is because sustainability is more than improving the environmental quality of an area, it’s about community development, decision-making processes, awareness, involvement and engagement towards a set goal.

Pattern: Political power within society should be broken down enough to encourage co-operation and a sense of equality among the community and the authorities.

Principle: Sharing

Sustainable Goal: Breaking down a city's 'power' centre into multiple more localised city hubs will create a richer and more diverse communities. The hubs will offer better opportunities for trade and resourse sharing within close proximities, reduce transport and distribution needs, and ultimately develop a more sustainable future. 

Pattern: City hubs are located at the center of the community, each hub should be no more than 2km apart to allow for trade and resource sharing.  

Analysis of the pattern developed within the explored principles reveals a composition much like the 'Flower of Life'. A geometrical figure composed of overlapping circles creating a pattern resembling flowers.

­Spiritual associations believe that the 'Flower of Life' acts as a template from which all life springs, therefore it is an appropriate basis for sustainable community planning patterns.

(http://www.sangraal.com/incubation.htm)

The Project 01 team explored the 'Flower of Life' concept in more detail as a group. The following community pattern was developed as a possible planning option for the Woodford Folk Festival's new self-sufficient community.

This model for future community hubs allows societies to live in a balance between built-up and natural areas. It enables societies to live in collaboration with a number of economic, social and environmental requirements and services, reducing humanity's ecological footprint. The community hubs are at most 2km apart, allowing sharing and making resource distribution simple. The community development involved along with sustainable environmental education will enrich the lives of all residents and festival patrons.

Community Pattern Model

Each community is to hold approximately 1000 people. It is important that these hubs provide interwoven sharing and give-take relationships between its people, the built environment and the nature environment; allowing direct and in-direct benefits to establish and allowing its people to do more with fewer resources.