Abstract
Sustainable housing has been subject to research, practice and policy making for some considerable time. More recently attention has been drawn to the separate problem of declining affordability in housing. This paper describes research aimed at developing an assessment framework for both affordability and sustainability as part of the effort to incorporate both of these features into new housing projects. The research has a particular focus on developments aimed at urban densification. Background literature on both affordability and sustainability is reviewed as well as emerging schemes aimed at dealing with both aspects of housing developments. Performance indicators are identified and these are incorporated in an interim assessment framework which is tested using a group of industry experts. The research has highlighted areas where further development is required to attain quantitative assessments of affordable and sustainable housing developments
Highlights
Interest in environmentally sustainable housing has risen significantly in recent years, as one response to the global goal of attaining sustainable development
Are there any issues or indicators which have been overlooked in the assessment framework?
The work presented in this paper has sought to develop and test a framework for the assessment of affordability and sustainability in residential developments with particular emphasis on urban infill projects
Summary
Interest in environmentally sustainable housing has risen significantly in recent years, as one response to the global goal of attaining sustainable development. Such a trend in policy, regulation and practice is founded on an assumption that reducing the environmental impact of housing will result in long-term benefits. Regulatory changes are ensuring gradual improvements in the environmental performance of all housing, environmentally sustainable housing has not been widely developed in Australia. This is the case at the lower end of the housing market perhaps owing to deeper structural factors or inaccurate perceptions of sustainable housing (Sibley et al, 2003; Buys et al, 2005). Numerous studies, such as Berry 2003, Yates et al 2007, Gurran et al 2008, Disney 2007, Beer et al, 2007 and Gurran et al, 2008, have quantified the extent of affordability challenges and unpacked the reasons behind these as well as identifying policy implications and possible solutions.
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