Assessing the Sustainability of the Built Environment in Mountainous Rural Villages in Southwest China

Li Wan,Edward Ng

doi:10.1659/mrd-journal-d-14-00067.1

Abstract

Mountainous rural areas such as those in southwest China are developing rapidly. This requires scientific understanding and a framework for assessing the sustainability of the built environment that is suitable to such areas. At present, no such framework exists. This lack of assessment options has contributed to the unsustainable development of these areas, which has caused a series of environmental, social, and economic problems. This article analyzes existing assessment frameworks, reviews the theory on sustainable rural development as it applies to rural southwest China, and proposes a new assessment framework that is more suitable to this region and others like it. This framework is based on a sustainable development model for rural areas that emphasizes endogenous development; addresses the environmental, social, and economic dimensions of sustainability; and takes the natural and social conditions of mountainous rural areas into account. Our study tested its applicability to rural southwest China a...

Highlights

After the application of the sustainability principle in architecture in the 1990s (Gauzin-Muller and Favet 2002), several countries and regions established built environment assessment methods to provide a systematic approach to evaluate building design, construction, and management (Wan 2013). Most of these assessment methods were established for urban areas and are based on the development model of modernization— that is, they are aimed at transforming markets, and criteria are based on quantifiable and comparable technical measures with a linear approach toward conserving resources (Cole 2012)
This study proposes a framework for assessing the sustainability of the built environment for mountainous rural areas, based on a sustainable rural development model
A comprehensive understanding of the sustainability of the rural built environment is necessary in solving development and conservation problems in mountainous rural areas

Summary

Introduction

After the application of the sustainability principle in architecture in the 1990s (Gauzin-Muller and Favet 2002), several countries and regions established built environment assessment methods to provide a systematic approach to evaluate building design, construction, and management (Wan 2013). This study proposes a framework for assessing the sustainability of the built environment for mountainous rural areas, based on a sustainable rural development model It considers a larger scale than conventional built environment assessment methods do, including buildings, infrastructure, and production facilities. N Assessment criteria: Most are based on the urban context and the modernization model, which is not suitable for mountainous rural areas The majority of their indicators focus on the environmental dimension of sustainability; consideration of social and economic sustainability is weak or missing.

10. Economic self-reliance

Findings

Conclusions