Building for People is a book by a German architect (and eco-district planner) who makes the case for building low-carbon communities for both residential and mixed-use (a blend of houses and small shops, as used to happen years ago). Drawing from his work in Europe and North America, the author shows potential for creating eco-friendly districts that address housing shortages, while at the same time helping to prevent climate change (not just energy-efficient buildings but walkable communities, so people don’t need cars that use oil to buy food or visit the hair salon etc).
If planting green spaces, learn how to make gardens safe for pets (includes indoor plants to avoid). Avoid facing indoor foliage to gardens, to help stop birds flying into windows.
Livable communities have a low carbon impact, and also offer a good social fabric with economic benefits for independent shops, along with open space that is free for all (no having to drive your dog to the park). People in these communities can live car-free or car-light. Better quality of life for all the community. The book includes colour photos and illustrations of what’s possible, drawing heavily from examples in German cities.
about the author
Michael Eliason is an architect and focusing on low-carbon buildings and climate-adaptive urbanism. He specialises in social housing, eco-districts and baugruppen (urban co-housing). He also serves on the board of Seattle’s new Passivhaus Social Housing, and is a Passivhaus consultant himself.