Urban Regeneration for People and Planetary Health
Summary
In 2024, Hacer Developments committed to construct a unique Biophilic Living project in Swansea, Wales in the United Kingdom. The Biophilic Living project is a mixed-use development incorporating residential accommodation with an emphasis on the social housing sector, education, and exhibition space. The aim is to enhance an understanding of the impacts of climate change and how nature can improve people’s lives and to support community development and planetary health. The scheme is centered upon creating a sustainable, lower carbon community where residents have green space to enjoy and can supplement their diets with healthy food grown on site. Utilizing low carbon energy systems, the project envisions a delivery model that seeks to maximize efficiency and assist in reducing poverty. Using this model, there will be subsequent data gathering and the dissemination of what is possible for scaling this project in other post-industrial urban areas.
Approach
Hacer Developments commits to the construction of a unique Biophilic Project in the City of Swansea, a mixed-use development incorporating residential apartments, with an emphasis on the social housing sector, education and exhibition space to enhance learning in the fields of climate change, the importance of biodiversity, community cohesion and how nature can improve our lives and outcomes whilst also assisting to save the planet. The building will house roughly 120 residents, 350 people working in the commercial office spaces, plus visitors and ground floor businesses, highlighting the extent of the community impact.
The wellbeing benefits of having nature in the community is well studied, and Hacer Developments envisions a place where people can live, work, and enjoy leisure within the urban environment, living in a sustainable community with nature is at its heart.
The Biophilic project will address pervasive climate and health issues creating a sustainable, lower carbon community where residents have green space to enjoy and to supplement their diets with healthy food grown on site. Occupiers will become part of a Community Interest Company, deciding how they manage the extensive rooftop gardens and glasshouses, what crops to grow, what to sell, what to donate.
This is the first part of a larger commitment to deliver change and regeneration to urban environments. Utilizing low carbon energy systems, the project envisions a delivery model that seeks to maximize efficiency and assist in reducing fuel poverty. Using this first model, there will be subsequent data gathering and the dissemination of what is possible for scaling a project such as this. From the development of digitized Systems Models of future projects, to the delivery of physical projects, this commitment will detail how we might forge sustainable healthy cities.
Action Plan
Q4 2024: Launch and deliver the Biophilic Project in Swansea, a mixed use scheme of residential, commercial, education and exhibition.
By Q2 2025: Commence project pipeline, include scenario modeling and appraisal, detailed project design, and financial and viability assessments through to on site delivery.
By Q4 2025: Develop digital twin & systems model, a planning and development software tool that will deliver consistent and efficient outcomes when turned into real life projects. Ensure project operational.
Sourcing opportunities and appetites by working with partners to identify prospective projects and to drive delivery in numerous locations. Create a seamless development process utilizing a simple approach that is espoused by legislative stakeholders, for instance, scope/opportunity, funding, approvals, procurement, commencement, and delivery.
Financial resources are required along with Technical, Management, and Research disciplines. Leadership teams will be formed with clear and concise terms of reference.
Internal monthly approach as taken in previous projects and quarterly evaluation of progress against detailed action plan. This will include monitoring of all resources, including a financial runway incorporating a profiled outcome statement to ensure the project is on target.
Risk matrices will be compiled focussing on all internal and external forces. Stakeholder maps will also be created to identify strategic challenges to the goal and areas of influence for overcoming the challenges.
Q1 2026 – Q2 2028: Finalize Project Delivery.
Project identification is an ongoing process with more resources being made available in early 2025, with progression of identified actions leading to delivery by 2028.
SMART objectives will be set and critical outputs identified including, but not limited to, Number of projects, financial values, ‘Impact on Lives’ assessment; including wellness and improved health assessments, GDP impacts, number and value of innovations, carbon reduction impacts, University and HE Research outputs, collaboration partners, and food production outputs.
Background
Urban areas account for more than 54% of the world’s population producing 40% of Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions. Inefficient industrial housing stock and disconnected communities is a legacy of many post industrialized urban regions, inevitably leading to poor health outcomes with resultant social inequalities, this combination is closely correlated with a lack of access to material and financial resources and services. Consequently it is here that the greatest GHG reductions can be delivered.
Biophilic theory, underpinning new and retrofit developments is a powerful method of addressing these problems. Biophilia popularized by the eminent Sociobiologist Edward O Wilson, in his book ‘ Biophilia ‘ (1984) , describes the urge for human beings to connect with nature and other living things, giving the potential to improve health, wellbeing and other aspects of the human condition.
In the urban context, Biophilic theory seeks to address the clear existential threats posed by the conjoined emergencies of climate change and biodiversity loss; whilst improving the health and wellbeing of communities living in underprivileged post-industrial urban areas.
Using Wales as an example, this commitment seeks to develop biophilic designed buildings that can reduce the GHG emissions from 1.5 to 4 tons (building age dependent) the ultimate aim being to develop and gather data to populate digital twin models to enable such innovations to be replicated in other urban environments.
This commitment addresses such health and societal inequalities bringing green, natural, living and working space into the center of Swansea City, revitalizing the community and improving the health and wellbeing of residents and other occupants. It will also impact areas and communities not directly associated with the development, as this Biophilic building (village) will set a tone and standard for the future regeneration of the Urban landscape of Swansea City and the South Wales post-industrial region.
Progress Update
Partnership Opportunities
The development of innovation is one that is time and resource intensive. This is often done with little reward on a time basis. To progress this commitment to its full delivery will require the addition of financial resources, in either the form of grant, loan or donations. The developers are not seeking funds to simply undertake research without an outcome. The entire proposal is centered around delivery of the outcomes stated. In a physical form able to gather data and to improve the knowledge available to all. Hacer is looking for partners in implementing and delivery, and are keen to engage with entities that can improve their learning. Media support is another area where they need support in ensuring the dissemination of data and information to the wider community., Hacer Developments is offering knowledge and experience gained while developing the innovation, which can assist in further development of best practice. The organization’s deep and embedded immersion in the process can offer levels of expertise gained through success and failures of the various concepts. Working with its collaborators, Hacer has the ability to assist in the implementation of other schemes, and to provide a platform of experience and capability amongst our project team.