Beacon

Sustainable neighbourhoods …

... make it easier to walk and take the bus

A sustainable neighbourhood is laid out to make it easy to walk to local shops and facilities.  Walkable neighbourhoods tend to be friendlier (more opportunities to meet and greet people) and safer (more people on the street noticing what is going on.) Enough people live in the neighbourhood to make public transport regular, easy and worthwhile.  Why is this important? Recent Australian research has shown that nearly three quarters of urban motor vehicle use can be predicted on the basis of just two factors: access to full-time public transport, and street layout. 

Depending on private car transport costs us:   it affects our health and environment through greenhouse gas emissions, stormwater pollution and air pollution; and it affects our lives and budgets through traffic congestion, travelling time and fuel costs.  Transport costs are the second largest costs to most households, after the cost of housing. 

... have enough people to thrive

A higher density neighbourhood has enough population to keep thriving town centres and make public transport viable.  This in turn reduces traffic and transport resource use.  Intensifying the density of existing neighbourhoods also reduces city sprawl allowing people to live closer to city centres and jobs, and needs less new roading and costly water and drainage infrastructure.

Intensification, however, has its challenges.  The design of neighbourhoods and buildings needs to change to meet sustainability standards of orientation, resource efficiency, noise and waste reduction, and healthy indoor environment.  

... create a sense of community through parks and public spaces

A sustainable neighbourhood provides plenty of open natural space, parks and places where people can get together and enjoy sports, arts and other recreation.  Local natural habitats are preserved and can be used to manage storm water. 

A neighbourhood which provides these opportunities is one which residents will appreciate and want to live in.  This has a flow-on to investing in home maintenance and performance, and therefore to neighbourhood attractiveness. 

... are flexible for future change

A sustainable neighbourhood stands the test of time.  It has choices of types and sizes of housing for varying households, allowing people to stay in the neighbourhood as their circumstances change.  It offers good shopping, services and facilities locally, building a strong sense of community.

A flexible and adaptable neighbourhood caters for all types of household at different stages of life, giving the opportunity for extended families to live nearby, and for people to stay in their community as housing needs change.

... are opportunities to share in local energy and water schemes

There is potential to develop local renewable energy systems that work at a neighbourhood level, providing free energy for clusters of houses.  Wind energy, for example, could be harnessed more easily for a neighbourhood than individual homes.

Equally neighbourhoods could provide the right scale to address water issues, particularly grey water systems and storm water. 

Neighbourhoods which offer such schemes can reduce household energy and water bills.