Abstract
Sustainability of the built environment is an increasingly prominent concern in academic and policy discussions in the UK and EU. Initiatives such as the Code for Sustainable Homes in the UK have been developed to aid integration of sustainability principles into housing developments. Primary focus in this field has been largely on environmental sustainability (particularly energy efficiency) with less attention paid to social and economic factors. This article argues that health and well-being issues need greater consideration within current sustainable housing policy and developments. Three key reasons are presented in support of this argument: (i) Creation of greater market demand; public demand for sustainable buildings could be enhanced through greater promotion of the health and well-being benefits of sustainable housing: (ii) Time-scales; given the longevity of buildings, health considerations should be of paramount importance to avoid any possible future adverse effects: (iii) Indirect societal benefits; enhanced health and well-being can lead to wider societal and economic benefits such as lower healthcare costs. The paper then presents some of the seminal findings from health and housing literature review, outlining how these can be used to enhance sustainable housing policy and developments. The paper concludes by presenting the next stages of research.
Highlights
Given the significant impact housing has on the environment and its role as a key determinant of human health, the subject of housing features heavily in both environmental protection and public health discourses
This paper argues that for sustainable housing to progress faster, the concept of ‘sustainable housing’ must incorporate greater consideration of health and well being issues
The paper stems from ongoing research exploring health and well-being issues of sustainable housing and consists of three parts: It begins with a brief discussion on the meaning of ‘sustainable housing’ and presents three arguments for why a greater consideration of health and well-being aspects is important and how this can act as a driver for sustainable housing adoption
Summary
Given the significant impact housing has on the environment and its role as a key determinant of human health, the subject of housing features heavily in both environmental protection and public health discourses. The paper stems from ongoing research exploring health and well-being issues of sustainable housing and consists of three parts: It begins with a brief discussion on the meaning of ‘sustainable housing’ and presents three arguments for why a greater consideration of health and well-being aspects is important and how this can act as a driver for sustainable housing adoption. This is followed by a number of findings from the housing and health review that are relevant for the development of sustainable housing policy and research agenda. The paper concludes with a brief overview of the stages of the study
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