702-330 Housing Sustainability

705-289 Urbanisation and Urban Development

Today's housing design, technology, planning and regulation is using up the Earth's environmental resources at an unsustainable rate. Solutions to this problem are readily available. This subject explores the problem of unsustainable housing and solutions at different scales. The subject proceeds from the scale of the 'sustainable house', to the design of neighbourhoods and 'green' or environmental development, to the 'sustainable city' and its regulatory system. Along the way we look at current issues and debates. In exploring sustainable housing, the subject also provides students with a basic understanding of the Australian system of housing provision and the production, consumption, exchange and management of housing in a market society.

On completion of the subject students should be able to:

• Apply a new policy paradigm to situations in the built environment.

• Investigate the elements of familiar housing siutation sfrom the perspective of sustainability.

• Apply design skills to the solution of new housing and urbanisation problems.

• Analyse government policy and propose innovative institutional solutions.

On completion of the subject students should have developed skills in research, critical analysis and writing and some experience with group work.

Tutorial exercises to a maximum of 2000 words (50%); a research essay to a maximum of 2000 words (40%), participation in class (10%).