One Planet Communities
A real-life guide to sustainable living by Pooran Desai

How can we create sustainable zero carbon communities cost-effectively at the same time as increasing the probability of people leading happy and healthy lives? Written from the perspective of practical experience gained from world-leading projects such as Beddington Zero (Fossil) Energy Development (BedZED), One Brighton and Masdar City, this book provides a clear overview and simple insights for students, interested individuals and professionals in all areas of the property development and planning industries - including architecture, planning, engineering, surveying, development management, finance, legal, sales and marketing and estates management. It combines leading-edge thinking with simple practical advice in this fast-emerging field.

In the often confused realm of sustainable development, the book starts with the question of how to turn sustainability from an abstract concept into a clear framework on which to base practical design, development, long-term management and governance decisions. It describes One Planet Living, the approach which links the science of ecological footprinting to a simple framework of principles, and how the framework is being applied to create a coherent approach to projects in the UK, Europe, China, the US, South Africa, the Middle East and Australia. It also draws on other examples of best practice projects from around the world.

Pooran Desai studied at Oxford and Cambridge Universities before co-founding award-winning environmental organization, BioRegional Development Group in 1994. He initiated the BedZED eco-village in south London, which remains the benchmark for a sustainable community in the UK; for which he received an OBE. In 2005, he co-founded BioRegional Quintain Ltd, a property development company, of which he is sustainability director. The company has a portfolio of over 1000 homes being built in the UK using One Planet Living principles.