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Sustainable_Housing_Reconstruc
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Number of pages
18
Publication date
2015
Publisher
UN-Habitat

Sustainable Housing Reconstruction in the Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo

Due to a more stable phase in the prolonged conflict of the Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, UN-Habitat recommends the initiation of permanent reconstruction and moving away from emergency shelter in the area. The reconstruction process is recommended to reflect the local political, socio-cultural and physical context of the area and build on sustainable use of local building materials. In addition, generation of employment and local economic development through participatory processes and capacity building of community members is a key objective.

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building sustainability assess
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Number of pages
67
Publication date
2017
Publisher
UN-HABITAT

Building Sustainability Assessment and Benchmarking

Over the past 30 years, the number, scope and complexity of tools for assessing the environmental impact of buildings has increased dramatically. Examining the emergence of building sustainability assessment and benchmarking as a global phenomenon as well as some of their political and practical barriers can be useful in order to understand their possible role in realizing objectives of the ‘New Urban Agenda’ and the policies to be influenced by it. 

As part of UN-Habitat’s mandate to promote sustainable urban development through knowledge-creation and management, this report intends to address some of these concerns and contribute to four objectives:

a. Establish the rationale for building sustainability assessment and benchmarking (Chapter 1)

b. Identify challenges and limitations that occupants, policy-makers and building practitioners face in applying or interpreting building sustainability assessment or benchmarking tools (Chapter 2)

c. Provide a sample overview of some environmental sustainability assessment and benchmarking tools for buildings and housing as well as those attempting to measure social and economic impacts (Chapter 3)

d. Identify pathways for the wider uptake of assessment tools by industry, professional bodies, policymakers, vocational and higher education, and other actors working within the built environment (Chapter 4)

Environmentally sustainable cities, SDG implementation, New Urban Agenda under spotlight in Hanoi

09 March 2016, Hanoi – At the recent 7th High Level Seminar on Environmentally Sustainable Cities in Vietnam, UN-Habitat promoted the issues of sustainable urbanisation, city planning, resilient city development and youth advocacy, in the context of the mobilisation of cities and stakeholders towards Habitat III, the UN conference on sustainable urban development taking place in October this year.

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More than 400 participants converge in Quito to debate sustainable construction

Quito 28 April 2015-- More than 400 participants recently converged in Quito, Ecuador for the first International Forum on Sustainable Cities and Buildings that addressed various topics around sustainable construction. The event was organized by the Secretariat of Territory, Habitat and Housing and the Secretariat of Environment of the Metropolitan District of Quito (MDQ), in cooperation with the Ecuadorian Green Building Council (CEES).

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Green Building Interventions f
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Number of pages
135
Publication date
2015
Publisher
UN-Habitat

Green Building Interventions for Social Housing

Given the substantial growth in new construction in economies in transition and the inefficiencies of existing building stock worldwide, if nothing is done, GHG emissions from buildings will more than double in the next 20 years. Therefore, if global targets for GHG emissions reduction are to be met, it is essential that mitigation of GHG emissions from buildings must be on every national climate change strategy. Tackling the emissions problem from the building sector, for example through green social housing, can create jobs, save money and most importantly, shape a built environment that has a net positive environmental influence. Investing in achieving such results in the social housing sector has the potential to boost the local economy and improve living conditions, particularly for low-income communities.

This publication represents another addition to UN-Habitat's work on Green and Sustainable Housing and was produced in collaboration with UNEP's Sustainable Buildings & Climate Initiative (SBCI).

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Sustainable Building Design fo
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Number of pages
427
Publication date
2015
Publisher
UN-Habitat

Sustainable Building Design for Tropical Climates

In 2010 the worldwide building sector was responsible for 24% of the total GHG emissions deriving from fossil fuel combustion, second only to the industrial sector; but, if the embodied energy of construction materials is included, the share is far higher and the building sector becomes the prime CHG emitter. Thus,building design and construction have a significant effect on the chances of meeting the 2 °C target (keeping global temperature increase to 2 °C ). 

Developing countries are going to play a decisive role in the future world energy scenario, as a consequence of their economic development. Industrial energy consumption will grow, and a dramatic increase in energy consumption for transport can be expected, with the growth in the number of vehicles on the roads - if the currently accepted worldwide approach to mobility does not change. The increase in energy consumption in the building sector can be expected to be even more dramatic, not only because air conditioning will spread and the number of domestic electric and electronic appliances will grow, but also because of the increase in the number of buildings.

Green Building Materials Fact Sheet: Bamboo

BambooBamboo has long been used as a traditional building material, and is achieving increasing popularity due to its potential for environmental sustainability. As a construction material, bamboo has similar properties as timber and often uses analogous techniques of structural framing, though the suitability of bamboo for construction is largely dependent on the species.

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Green Building Materials Fact Sheet: Concrete

ConcreteConcrete is the most used man-made material in the world with twice as much concrete used in construction than wood, steel, plastic and aluminum combined. Although concrete has acquired a negative image due to environmental impacts that occur at various stages of its production, sustainable use of concrete is possible by using alternative stablizers and construction techniques and restricting usage to certain building parts.

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