Towards a morpho-environmental neighbourhood optimization method: MENOM

Abstract

Faced with the challenges of sustainable cities, compactness appears as an inseparable characteristic of an energy-efficient building; however, while this link between compactness and energy performance is no longer to be proven, the same is not true for environmental performance. This paper proposes a new Morpho-Environmental Neighbourhood Optimization Method (MENOM) which aims to optimize the environmental performance of five European neighbourhoods by intervening on their morphological parameters through three indexes: Miller’s; form and Landsberg’s construction. It is based on a system of morpho-environmental indicators, developed by algorithm and quantifying 12 environmental impacts by coupling the CSDI (Composite Sustainable Development Index) and the LCA (Life Cycle Assessment). The results demonstrate that the street width and the neighbourhood perimeter have the greatest influence on its environmental performance, that the impact generation is amply minimised by increasing the values of the Miller and form indexes and/or reducing those of the Landsberg construction index. A high product value of these three indexes would, moreover, lead to better environmental performance. Value ranges for these indexes have been proposed by the method's application to provide decision support for the morphological design of neighbourhoods thus contributing to produce sustainable cities and a healthy environment for its inhabitants.