Viability of using global standards for neighbourhood sustainability assessment: insights from a comparative case study

Neighbourhoods are increasingly gaining attention as planning units of great potential for contribution to sustainable development. Many assessment tools such as LEED-ND, BREEAM Communities and CASBEE-UD have been developed to examine the sustainability of neighbourhood development projects. Some of these tools are claimed to be suitable for assessment in different contexts, and LEED-ND has already been utilised in various countries. This study investigates the viability of using global standards through a series of comparative case studies. One certified case from each of the aforementioned tools is chosen and evaluated against its non-corresponding assessment tools. Selected cases are, respectively, Hoyt Yards, MediaCityUK and Koshigaya Lake Town. Results of this study provide evidence that casts doubt on the viability of using global standards. The paper concludes that neighbourhood sustainability assessment should be regarded as a pluralistic practice. This implies that any realistic and reliable assessment should take account of the specificities of specific locations and varying needs of different stakeholders.街区作为对可持续发展具有重大贡献潜力的规划单元，正日益受到学界与业界的关注。目前已开发出诸多评估工具，如LEED-ND、BREEAM Communities及CASBEE-UD，用于考察街区开发项目的可持续性。其中部分工具宣称可适用于不同地域场景下的评估，且LEED-ND已在多个国家得到应用。本研究通过一系列对比案例分析，探讨采用全球统一标准的可行性：选取上述各工具的1个已认证案例，采用与其不匹配的评估工具进行评测。所选案例依次为Hoyt Yards、MediaCityUK及Koshigaya Lake Town。本研究结果提供的证据，对采用全球统一标准的可行性提出了质疑。该研究得出结论：街区可持续性评估应被视为一种多元化实践。这意味着，任何切实可行且可靠的评估，都应考量特定场地的特殊性以及不同利益相关者的差异化需求。