Towards sustainable business parks: A literature review and a systemic model

Abstract In developed countries, business and industrial areas are challenged by various issues such as air pollution, waste handling, resource consumption, infrastructure aging and adequate land rarefaction. Subsequent to the introduction of sustainable development and industrial ecology, the idea to create Eco-Industrial Parks based upon the exchange of resources has been acknowledged as a promising strategy to address these issues. The creation of a materials and energy exchange network through processes coupling, also called industrial symbiosis, is achievable in mainly heavy industrial complexes. Business parks with “lighter” industry or service-based companies can improve their sustainability through different approaches. Other types of collaborations can be envisaged such as shared services for the employees and companies, collective logistics or joint research and development. Moreover, reflections could also be orientated towards the park's design and infrastructure planning. From those observations, a new type of Eco-Industrial Park is introduced: the mixed-use ecopark. The mixed-use ecopark is a more accessible archetype, better suited to the case of business parks with service-based companies. Arguing that the mixed-use ecopark is systemic, a conceptual framework is proposed following Le Moigne's systemic modeling approach. Systemic modeling describes the mixed-use ecopark through its objectives, its environment and its structure. It gives a robust yet flexible framework for the future development of a sustainability performance measurement system for the mixed-use ecopark.