Sustainable Residential Development in Urban Areas

esidential development in urban areas. Housing developers, their
design teams, the planning system, and the community they serve,
share a common goal to create high quality places which:
• Prioritise walking, cycling and public transport, and minimise
the need to use cars;
• Deliver a quality of life which residents and visitors are entitled
to expect, in terms of amenity, safety and convenience;
• Provide a good range of community and support facilities,
where and when they are needed and that are easily accessible;
• Present an attractive, well-maintained appearance, with a
distinct sense of place and a quality public realm that is easily
maintained;
• Are easy to access for all and to find one’s way around;
• Promote the efficient use of land and of energy, and minimise
greenhouse gas emissions;
• Provide a mix of land uses to minimise transport demand;
• Promote social integration and provide accommodation for a
diverse range of household types and age groups;
• Enhance and protect the green infrastructure and biodiversity;
and
• Enhance and protect the built and natural heritage.
Universal design
1.10 Developing sustainable neighbourhoods should be guided by the
principle of universal design. Universal design is the design of an
environment so that it can be accessed, understood and used to the
greatest extent possible by all people regardless of their age, size,
ability or disability. By considering people's diverse needs and
abilities throughout the design process, which reflects the life cycle
approach, environments that meet the needs of all can be achieved. In
this way, sustainable design and universal design are inextricably
linked and sustainable design when incorporated from the early stage
of planning integrated neighbourhoods, will reduce the need for
costly and wasteful retrofits over the medium to long term.
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Planning Guidelines