Source
https://www.researchbank.ac.nz/handle/10652/3627 — original source (opens in a new tab; the file is not redistributed)
Case cross-reference: earthsong_ranui
Summary
MArch(Prof) thesis applying Ken Yeang’s Eco-Cell framework (400m×400m walkable block) to redesign a 30.5-hectare Auckland suburb (Mount Roskill, Puketapapa Local Board). Tests feasibility against real Puketapapa Local Board consumption data. Key precedent cases include Earthsong (Ranui, Auckland), Hobsonville Point, Bo01 (Malmö), and Hammarby Sjöstad (Stockholm), benchmarked using the Beacon Pathway Neighbourhood Sustainability Observational Tool. LIT_018
Design targets vs. existing conditions: density 12→25 dph; public/green space 2.5→7.3 ha; water 173,630→180,000 L/day (sourced locally vs. externally); energy maintained at 67,831 kWh/yr but 100% locally sourced (the energy figures carry the source’s scaling error, see the baseline caution above); waste 96.77→4.00 t/yr; food grown 0%→90%. 50-year phased implementation timeline covers energy, mobility, food, waste, and water transitions. LIT_018
NZ applicability note: Quantitative baseline figures are scaled from Puketapapa Local Board regional statistics (1.48% scaling factor) and represent Auckland suburban averages. Proposed design figures are author estimates; treat as directional targets, not confirmed outcomes.
Key claims
- Mount Roskill test site baseline (30.5 ha, 393 dwellings, 820 people, 12 dph): water 173,630 L/day (100% sourced outside Auckland region); electricity 67,831 kWh/yr + gas 31,912 kWh/yr (non-renewable, external); waste 96.77 t/yr (treated outside region); greenhouse gas 19.8 t CO₂ eq./yr. CAUTION (audit 2026-09-03): the electricity, gas, and GHG figures are internally impossible, derived in the source as 1.48% of a whole-local-board total (about 90 kWh per person per year, orders of magnitude below real household demand); use the water and waste baselines only, not the energy block. LIT_018
- Eco-cell framework (Ken Yeang): 400m×400m walkable block; highest density at centre decreasing to edges; central courtyard with living machine and green space; green infrastructure corridor from centre to outer edge; ring road linking green spaces; retail at cell edges to serve multiple cells; eco-community = 4 eco-cells. LIT_018
- Living machine (John Todd): ecologically-based wastewater treatment built within a greenhouse; uses community’s own waste to create local green space and produce clean water for reuse — closes water and waste loops at community scale. LIT_018
- Eco-cell energy transition (50-year timeline): biomass plant operational ~year 15–20; 4 wind turbines completed by year 20; solar panels added ~year 20–25; forest regrowth providing biomass fuel by year 30–40; “locally sourced” energy and water targets reached by year 30–40; “no waste” milestone by year 30–40. LIT_018
- Eco-cell water collection: rainwater from building roof and impervious surfaces → basement storage tank → watering crops, cleaning, flushing toilets, and human consumption; targets 180,000 L/day locally sourced for 820-person Auckland community. LIT_018
- Passive building design system: double-skin facade (north and east sides) for summer natural ventilation and winter insulation; louvers/overhangs for passive solar control; ground-floor vegetation filters and cools intake air; concrete floor as thermal mass stores daytime solar heat for overnight use. LIT_018
- Design comparison (proposed vs. existing): density 12→25 dph; public space 2.5→7.3 ha (8.2%→23.9% of 30.5 ha site); waste 96.77→4.00 t/yr (96% reduction); food grown 0%→90%; energy volume maintained, source shifted external→local; water volume maintained (173,630→180,000 L/day), source shifted external→local. LIT_018
- Earthsong cohousing (Ranui, Auckland, 2008): 1.68 ha, 70 people, ~11 dph; cooperative-initiated, developed, funded and managed by residents; central common house; cars isolated to site edge; solar hot water; roof rainwater collection; rammed earth, untreated macrocarpa, recycled timber construction; commercial space for local employment; Beacon score 28/45. LIT_018
- Eco-cell food target: 90% of food grown locally via communal farming at multiple scales — apartment balcony growing space (1/2/3-bed), building-scale vertical gardens, block-scale courtyard farming, eco-cell-scale local farm programme. LIT_018
- Auckland ecological footprint: 67× Auckland’s physical area; NZ national ecological footprint 5.6 GHA/person vs. biocapacity 10.1 GHA/person — national surplus is not replicated at city scale; urban suburb redesign is the required intervention pathway. LIT_018
Research targets
Documents to retrieve
- RT_070 — Ken Yeang: original eco-cell publication (referenced throughout Kumar 2016 but no full citation given — need to identify and retrieve)
- RT_071 — Barton H (2000) “Sustainable Communities: The Potential for Eco-Neighbourhoods”, Earthscan — appears in Kumar bibliography; potential thesis background
Research gaps
(None identified.)
Connections
Links to
Cases (1): Earthsong Eco-Neighbourhood
Referenced by
Sources (15): LIT_030 · OT_131 · OT_132 · OT_134 · OT_139 · OT_140 · OT_141 · OT_142 · OT_144 · OT_145 · OT_147 · OT_148 · +3 more
EDT domains (4): D01: Renewable Energy & Storage Systems · D02: Smart Food Systems & Agriculture · D03: Water, Waste & Circular Systems · D04: Sustainable Habitat & Building Technology
SSI indicators (3): I02: Food Security & Sustainable Agriculture · I07: Fulfilment of Basic Needs · I09: Environmental Sustainability
Cases (1): Earthsong Eco-Neighbourhood