EGlINTON - City of Wanneroo

1.3 Background and Context
1.3.1 Sustainability in Urban Development
Human settlements have a large impact on the earth’s ecosystems. Urban development and buildings in
particular contribute significantly to the negative impact we are having on our environment. It has been
estimated that buildings consume 32% of the world’s resources including 12% of the world’s water and
up to 40% of the world’s energy. Buildings also produce 40% of waste going to landfill and 40% of air
emissions.
At a time when climate change is already affecting Western Australia, when water quantity and quality is
in decline and when animal and plant extinctions in Australia are occurring at an unprecedented rate, the
advancement of Sustainability is not an option but all of our responsibility.
Ecologically Sustainable Development therefore, represents one of the biggest challenges facing
Australia’s governments, industry, business and the community at large. In Perth and Peel this is
particularly so as it faces an unprecedented rate of economic growth and a projected population increase
to 2.2 million by 2031. With about 90% of the Western Australian population living in towns and cities, the
quality of the urban environment is important in relation to our wellbeing. The movement towards
sustainable communities takes recognition of the need for environmentally sustainable forms of
development a step further towards the need to ensure that a community is socially sustainable. A
sustainable community, also described as a “healthy” or “liveable” community, maximises quality of life
for its residents and is more environmentally and economically sustainable.
The key to achieving a sustainable community is to address issues in an interconnected manner and
ensure that all the key dimensions of the planning process are strongly integrated throughout the
process. This integration involves the development of an urban form strongly informed by the following
issues:
� Environmental protection (or remediation);
� Land use planning that takes account of demographic trends, living, employment and leisure
needs;
� Transport and access requirements;
� Energy and water efficiency objectives;
� Market and development trends; and
� Regional planning objectives.
1.3.2 Sustainability and District Structure Planning
In 2006, GHD prepared the Sustainability Strategy to support the Alkimos Eglinton DSP. The strategy
outlined the sustainability objectives and key priorities applicable to the residential land development
project, building upon the Smart Growth Assessment Tool (SGAT, see Section 1.3.3) and the State
Sustainability Strategy (see Section 1.3.4).
61/25198/98570
Eglinton Local Structure Plan
Sustainability Strategy
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