Towards worldwide application of neighborhood sustainability assessments: A systematic review on realized case studies

Rapid urbanization trends claim long-term urban planning and management strategies towards a more sustainable urban growth. In this context, neighborhoods show as fundamental units in large-scale sustainable approaches of socio-economic indicators to be replicated in urban development models. However, the number of evaluated districts is still too low compared to the number of buildings evaluated so far. To lay the potential weaknesses and strengths behind the use of sustainable certification tools at district level, the present study aims to examine all realized neighborhoods aligned with sustainability goals. To this end, a systematic review (SR) on neighborhood case studies that directly or indirectly employed neighborhood sustainable assessment (NSA) tools - in particular, amongst LEED-ND, BREEAM-C, CASBEE-UD, and Green Star-Community, DGNB-NSQ, - or that denied the applicability of NSA tools to develop tailored ones is provided. Case studies found in academic papers and NSA-tool official websites are examined through five research questions (RQs): i) number and level of certifications; ii) geographical and temporal distribution; iii) availability of data related to physical characteristics (i.e., size, density, number of dwellings, etcetera); iv) variety of key performance indicators (KPIs) addressed; v) authors outcomes. Evaluation of these realized case studies testified the practicality of NSA for achieving carbon neutrality target. However, the lack of data consistency and the significance given to the contextual features hindered the replication of the previous experiences and nudged the development of custom fitted NSA tools. A more flexible framework adaptable to different contextual priorities and integrative of neighborhood projects worldwide is recommended.

Automated summary

Rapid urbanization requires more sustainable urban growth strategies and management measures. In this context, neighborhoods have become fundamental units in macro-scale sustainable approaches that can be replicated in urban development models. However, there is still a low number of evaluated neighborhoods compared to the number of buildings evaluated. This study aims to examine all realized neighborhoods aligned with sustainability goals to identify potential weaknesses and strengths of sustainable certification tools at the district level.