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Topic Areas

 Site Ecology
 Place Making
 Estate Design
 Access and Transport
 Materials and Recycling
 Water Management
 Energy Management
 Climate Change Adaptation
 Sustainability Management

Development Phases

Browse Fact Sheets by development type: Greyfield Development

Design for Open Space

  • Site Ecology
  • Place Making and Social Sustainability
  • Estate Design
    • Content rating:
    • 3 stars
    • Commissioned Content: Commissioned Content

New residential estates need an integrated and connected open space network that meets the needs of residents and surrounding habitats and to provide a variety of recreational opportunities whilst addressing local catchment and stormwater management needs.  Within an estate, open space provides opportunities to preserve and enhance natural elements of a site, facilitate social interactions and encourage a healthy lifestyle.

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Heritage and Culture

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

This fact sheet provides information on how heritage issues may relate to your development. It addresses; what is heritage?; why heritage is important; how to determine what aspects of heritage are important; what if my site is on a heritage list or register?; and how to manage heritage in your development.

 

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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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Design for a mix of uses

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

Shops and apartmentsA mix of uses within a neighbourhood enhances the livability and sustainability of a new development.  The incorporation of various non-residential uses, such as retail, business and community facilities, within the residential development, can reduce reliance on private vehicles, provide for local working opportunities and enhance the interaction between residents. 

A variety of housing types associated with mixed use developments (eg. Shop top housing) can also encourage affordability and allow residents the opportunity of progressing through different cycles of life within a single neighborhood, avoiding situations of isolation and gentrification.

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Housing Mix

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

A sustainable community is a diverse one, accommodating people of different life stages, incomes, and household composition.  For instance, a nuclear family is likely to prefer a larger dwelling with several bedrooms and access to private open space; a university student may seek shared accommodation; a young single professional may require a small apartment, while an elderly couple may seek an easy care unit within a retirement village.  All of these groups will have very strong preferences for the location their homes – some will prefer the inner city while others may more space in an outer suburban area.

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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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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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