The people behind Europe's most sustainable new neighbourhood
I’m jumping on the bandwagon. If you’re a built environment practitioner in the UK, you’ll undoubtedly have heard that The Phoenix, a project by developer Human Nature, has been granted planning permission. The Phoenix, touted as ‘Europe’s most sustainable neighbourhood’ once built, will host 685 homes and supporting uses on a former industrial site in Lewes, Sussex. The developers describe it like this:
“Planned to prioritise people over cars, constructed primarily in sustainable timber, powered by renewable energy and designed to encourage a culture of sharing, it represents a new and regenerative way to make a place, build a community and create a productive and circular local economy.”
I had the pleasure of chatting to Xavier Smales and Andy Tugby of Human Nature on the Green Urbanist Podcast last year. Have a listen to learn about their approach to designing and delivering such an ambitious scheme:
And here’s the link to my companion blog post so you can see all the lovely visuals:
As always, I’d love to hear your thoughts on this. Comment below or hit reply to send me an email.
Ross