Trends in Urban Development

Abstract

There is one major trend that is producing innovation for Urban Development in Australia and internationally and this is toward a more sustainable built environment. With about half of global carbon use attributable to the built environment, in striving for credibility Governments are increasingly initiating ways to reduce emissions. This is demonstrated through more stringent requirements for land and building development and requirements for better performing finished buildings and cities with lower ecological footprints. Urban development will also be impacted in terms of the imbedded energy in construction materials through the introduction of a carbon tax or trading scheme when this rolls-out in the not to-distant future. Sustainable urban development also has dimensions that translate into urban design principles beyond energy use and ecology that seek to address social, cultural and liveability issues. Here we discuss examples of innovation in urban development under five manifestations of the sustainability trend.