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 Site Ecology
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 Sustainability Management

Development Phases

Browse Fact Sheets by development type: Greenfield Development

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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Microclimate

  • Site Ecology
  • Estate Design
  • Climate Change Adaption
    • Content rating:
    • 4 stars
    • Commissioned Content: Commissioned Content

Sustainable development achieves potentially greater levels of energy efficiency through the principles of design for climate and through utilising or influencing local microclimate conditions. It is possible to create a development environment which maintains conditions within human comfort zones without reliance on additional energy for heating and cooling.
 

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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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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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Ecological footprint

  • Site Ecology
  • Climate Change Adaption
  • Sustainablity Management
    • Content rating:
    • 3 stars
    • Commissioned Content: Commissioned Content

The ecological footprint or 'eco-footprint' is a tool to measure our ecological performance. It tracks how much individuals, organisations, cities, regions and a nation consume and compares this amount to the resources nature can provide.

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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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Energy efficiency - influence of design

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

Energy is money. Energy efficiency is not only a way of conserving energy: it is also fundamental to good and profitable project development and design in a broader sense. It conserves financial resources over time, and can boost profits. A high degree of efficiency translates into a low level of waste: this simple ratio has wide-ranging benefits in environmental and economic terms, supports the interests of developers, planning agencies, buyers and tenants - and brings tangible advantages to the project approval, marketing and sales processes.

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Mobility Management: Design for Active Transport

  • Access and Transport
    • Content rating:
    • 3 stars
    • Commissioned Content: Commissioned Content

This Fact Sheet provides suggestions and is intended to advise how residential development participants can help deliver better environments for walking, cycling and using public transport. Ideally, new developments have viable access and transport options are always a viable choice, so transport impacts are lessened throughout the life of developments.

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Infrastructure

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

Infrastructure is the systems that make urban places function. It is defined in the Penguin and Macquarie Dictionary of Economics & Finance as ‘the network of services in a society which are essential for its cohesion and for the efficient functioning of the economy…’


 

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