Los Osos, California: A proposal for a sustainable community with a sustainable watershed

Margot McDonald, California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo
Jennifer Rennick, San Luis Obispo Solar Group

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Published by the American Solar Energy Society. Publisher website: http://www.ases.org/.

Abstract

In January 1993, the American Institute of Architects and the International Union of Architects announced the "Sustainable Community Solutions" ideas competition. This paper describes principles and concepts illustrated in an award winning design competition entry based in Los Osos, California. The focus of this entry is the transformation of a suburban bedroom community on the California coast into a vital ecological city designed around its watershed. This paper outlines sustainable design strategies that encompass the full spectrum of environmental design issues at the full range of scales; global, bioregional, regional, site, building, and component as proposed by the design team.