Other communities

This page features a number of other sustainable communities which are not endorsed One Planet Communities, but which have used the One Planet Living framework to inform their planning and construction.

BedZED, UK

BedZED is one of the UK’s largest mixed use sustainable communities, and is really the prototype for the One Planet Communities programme. Home to around 220 residents living in 100 houses and apartments, residents can reduce the carbon emissions of their whole lifestyle by 50%. Carbon emissions from energy use in the home are reduced by 72% compared to similar homes built at the time, and a new biomass energy plant and off site renewable energy will mean zero carbon emissions from home energy use in the near future.

Completed in 2002, as a partnership between BioRegional, Peabody and Bill Dunster Architects, BedZED is still the inspiration for low carbon neighbourhoods across the world.

Jinshan, Guangzhou, China

BioRegional worked with China Merchant Property Developers to develop a One Planet Action Plan for the 5,000 home Jinshan development, which includes a business park, retail and community facilities. The first phase has now been completed and it integrates many features from the Action Plan, resulting in a 65% reduction in energy consumption, solar hot water for 500 homes, and waste water treatment on site which will reduce water consumption by 36,000m3 per year.

Jinshan incorporates office and commercial space for 200 businesses, which will result in 30% less travel compared with neighbouring communities, reducing transport carbon emissions by 3,200 tonnes CO2 per year.

Ivory Park and Sibaya, South Africa

At the World Summit on Sustainable Development In 2002, BioRegional supported Johannesburg EcoCity Trust to create a demonstration of eco-houses and community centre at Ivory Park Township.

BioRegional has been working with Tongaat Hulett Developments and eThekwini municipality to apply the ten One Planet Living principles to the proposed Sibaya development north of Umhlanga in Durban, creating an overarching ‘one planet’ strategy for the entire 850 hectare site including 6,000 residential units, 6 hotels and commercial space.

Masdar City, Abu Dhabi

In September 2008, building began at Masdar City, a zero-carbon zero-waste and car-free community in Abu Dhabi. Masdar will house approximately 50,000 people and up to 1,500 businesses focusing on sustainable products and services.

Masdar City is being developed by Mubadala and masterplanned by Foster & Partners, and aims to enable One Planet Living through a range of infrastructure and design features set out in the Sustainability Action Plan, developed in a process led by the One Planet Communities team at BioRegional.