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 Site Ecology
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 Sustainability Management

Development Phases

Browse Fact Sheets by development phase: Design

Solar Access and Lot Orientation

  • Estate Design
  • Energy Management
  • Climate Change Adaption
    • Content rating:
    • 4 stars
    • Commissioned Content: Commissioned Content

Solar access in subdivision design is about manipulating the key variables of aspect, shape and density in combination with site characteristics such as topography and slope to achieve an optimum mix of lot sizes that are appropriately oriented to allow for energy efficient house design. When lots are correctly aligned and proportioned, individual energy efficient housing can be built with comparatively less effort because lots are suitable to site a dwelling with good solar access.

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Successful Public Spaces

  • Place Making and Social Sustainability
  • Estate Design
    • Content rating:
    • 4 stars
    • Commissioned Content: Commissioned Content

The purpose of this factsheet is to describe the basic principles and qualities of successful public places. The principles and dimensions are covered in this introduction whilst the qualities are discussed in the contexts of key issues and best practice processes within the project development phases.
 

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Density

  • Estate Design
    • Content rating:
    • 4 stars

Density is a key variable in urban design and planning. Different residential densities generate different urban forms, characteristics, housing types and ecological footprints. There are a number of ways to measure density – although, not all are useful for making meaningful comparisons between different developments. This factsheet highlights the density measures that are most useful to policy makers, planners, designers and others involved in the development process.

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Smart metering

  • Water Management
  • Energy Management
  • Sustainablity Management
    • Content rating:
    • 4 stars
    • Commissioned Content: Commissioned Content

Smart or Advanced Metering is a new way of measuring and managing energy and water use. It involves two important elements; a meter that is able to capture usage information over short time intervals, typically 30 minutes or less; and a communication system, preferably two way, that can transmit the usage information to the service provider in real time and receive control instructions.

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Healthy places

  • Place Making and Social Sustainability
  • Estate Design
  • Access and Transport
    • Content rating:
    • 4 stars
    • Commissioned Content: Commissioned Content

Our environment affects our health in many ways.  It can promote our health (e.g. by encouraging us to be active or to connect with other people), or it can damage our health (e.g. by exposing us to pollutants or to increased risks of motor vehicle injury). 


 

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Community Engagement

  • Place Making and Social Sustainability
  • Estate Design
  • Sustainablity Management
    • Content rating:
    • 3 stars
    • Commissioned Content: Commissioned Content

This fact sheet is designed to help small to medium-sized builders and developers find appropriate ways of engaging with communities about their proposed sustainable developments, while taking into account the complexity of sustainability options. It’s about how to get started, rather than the whole community engagement process with all the detailed planning.

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Community integration

  • Place Making and Social Sustainability
    • Content rating:
    • 3 stars
    • Commissioned Content: Commissioned Content

Building socially sustainable developments should be a key goal for the development industry. A socially sustainable society is one that is just, equitable, inclusive and democratic, and provides a decent quality of life for current and future generations.

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Siting

  • Site Ecology
  • Estate Design
  • Access and Transport
  • Water Management
  • Energy Management
    • Content rating:
    • 3 stars
    • Commissioned Content: Commissioned Content

The decisions that are made during the initial site selection and the subsequent site design will have a significant impact on the development's overall sustainability. A range of issues need to be considered, including where to actually site the community, how to incorporate the existing natural features into the design, where to place roads, dwellings, parks and community facilities and how this will all fit within the context of the existing community and the overall objectives of the development.

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Built Form

  • Estate Design
    • Content rating:
    • 3 stars
    • Commissioned Content: Commissioned Content

Sustainable development is reliant on a synthesis of elements - achieving a built form which is supportive of the environmental, social, and economic elements of sustainability, delivered through appropriate development planning, public realm (urban) design, landscaping, and architectural design, engineering and construction, marketing and education, as well as the provision of urban systems and infrastructure.

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Landscaping Public Areas

  • Site Ecology
  • Estate Design
    • Content rating:
    • 3 stars
    • Commissioned Content: Commissioned Content

Developers need to think about the public landscape from a whole of project perspective early on during the development process. This will help to take advantage of any site specific qualities or characteristics and plan for their protection or enhancement. Such qualities or characteristics may include vegetation, soil health, and site hydrology.
 

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