Ecocents living: affordable and sustainable housing for South Australia

Sustainability is one of the most contested ideologies of our time because everyone acknowledges that it must occur but no one can agree on what needs to change in response. This is unsurprising, because objecting to the goal of sustainability is like objecting to other inherently good goals like peace or freedom. Responses to sustainability exist on a long continuum, with some interpreting sustainability to mean conservation-at-all-costs and reduced economic growth, while others suggest that the market will ensure sustainable outcomes eventually result. Further, sustainability can be easily manipulated to justify predetermined outcomes. There are, indeed, a multitude of conceptual and pragmatic challenges to operating on sustainability, particularly when the scale shifts from a global goal to local action. Using the application of sustainability to affordable housing in Australia as a case study, this article argues that rather than limiting sustainable outcomes, the existence of the sustainability debate which focuses on the many challenges is a positive indicator that sustainability may be attainable. Zillante, G., Arman, M., Davidson, K., Wilson, L., Pullen, S., Zuo, J. (2009) The sustainable and affordable housing debate in Australia, The CRIOCM 2009 International Symposium on “Advancement of Construction Management and Real Estate”, 29th -31st October 2009, Nanjing, China. Abstract Improving the sustainability and affordability of housing tend to be parallel objectives among Australian policy makers. Whereas traditionally the objectives of housing affordability and housing sustainability were considered in isolation, policy responses are increasingly recognising the importance of both. However, any policy attempting to foster best practise in terms of affordability and sustainable housing must be able to link housing outcomes with the broader community; that is, affordable and sustainable housing must be socially sustainable. This paper considers social sustainability in terms of social acceptability, the minimisation of social exclusion and the fostering of social capital. Affordability is also analysed at a conceptual level before the concluding discussion attempts to overlay the two concepts in suggesting how social sustainability may be fostered in affordable and sustainable housing. Improving the sustainability and affordability of housing tend to be parallel objectives among Australian policy makers. Whereas traditionally the objectives of housing affordability and housing sustainability were considered in isolation, policy responses are increasingly recognising the importance of both. However, any policy attempting to foster best practise in terms of affordability and sustainable housing must be able to link housing outcomes with the broader community; that is, affordable and sustainable housing must be socially sustainable. This paper considers social sustainability in terms of social acceptability, the minimisation of social exclusion and the fostering of social capital. Affordability is also analysed at a conceptual level before the concluding discussion attempts to overlay the two concepts in suggesting how social sustainability may be fostered in affordable and sustainable housing. Arman, M., Wilson, L., Zuo, J., Zillante, G., Pullen, S. (2009) Conceptualising affordable and sustainable housing: Towards a working model to guide planning and construction, Australasian Universities Building Educators Association (AUBEA) Conference 2009, Adelaide, Australia.

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