Urridaholt was selected as Nordic Best Practice - as a showcase promoting UN SCP (Sustainable Consumption Practice). This article offers a comprehensive summary of what Urridaholt is all about and how the project has evolved throughout the years.

A part of the sustainability and quality-of-life approach in Urridaholt is an extensive sustainable urban drainage system that preserves the local hydrology in Urridaholt and protects the environmental quality of lake Urridavatn that is perched below the hill.

Addressing the core idea behind the sustainable drainage solutions (Low Impact Development or Blue-Green drainage solutions) and their implementation in Urriðaholt. Author: Halldóra Hreggviðsdóttir, Managing Director at Alta Consulting in Reykjavik, M.Sc. Engineering-Economic Systems and M.Sc. in Geochemistry of Geothermal Systems from Stanford University.

A TED talk by Halldóra Hreggviðsdóttir, Managing Director of Alta Consulting at TEDxReykjavik 2013. Halldóra talks about the strength that is inherent in the cooperation between residents and specialists in finding solutions to urban organisation, and traces the success of such cooperation in Urriðaholt..Youtube.

The Urriðaholt project is the first international project to achieve a final certification under BREEAM Communities 2012 and the first masterplan in Iceland to receive BREEAM Communities certification. BREEAM Communities International is a tool to improve, measure and certify the sustainability of large-scale development plans. It provides a framework to support planners, local authorities, developers and investors through the masterplanning process, before embarking on procurement, detailed building level design and construction.

Urban design solutions based on best practice ideas, including those of the Winter Cities movement, but tailored to the specific location. A consensus-led masterplan developed through a participatory planning process. An innovative, ground-breaking model for creating sustainable neighbourhoods in cold climates.

In November 2006, the masterplan was officially adopted by the Gardabaer muncipal authority, and has since been selected by the National Planning Agency as a best practice approach to development in Iceland, for a Scandinavian research project looking at urban design in northern latitudes.

The Boston Society of Architects (BSA) awarded the Urridaholt masterplan for its innovative approach to urban design in Iceland. The great emphasis on sustainability and community were key factors in this citation.