Sustainability begins at home? An ecological exploration of sub/urban Australian community-focused housing initiatives

Sustainability Uptake in Housing in Metropolitan Australia: An Institutional Problem, Not a Technological One

“…This body was charged with guiding the development of the NSW building sustainability index (BASIX), the state's compulsory house-building energy-and water-saving design web-based approval system, so drew together an array of sector interests. The doctoral research into the affordability and sustainability of housing in Australian urban environments combined in-depth interviews with site visits to community-based housing developments simultaneously attempting social and environmental justice processes and outcomes (see Crabtree, 2006a). This paper focuses on the further interviews conducted in NSW with members of the SAC and private architects.…”

“…It collates data from two simultaneous research projects; RMIT's EcoHome project in Victoria, and a doctoral project exploring stakeholder perceptions of barriers to sustainable design in the house-building industry in New South Wales (NSW) (see Crabtree, 2005Crabtree, , 2006aCrabtree, , 2006b. The EcoHome project undertaken by RMIT University, Melbourne, utilized surveys to identify how innovation-here sustainable technology-is disseminated throughout the housing industry.…”

“…The doctoral research into the sustainability and affordability of housing combined site visits with in-depth interviews to assess interpretations of sustainability and barriers to this, as perceived by community-based housing developers, and a range of governmental and industry stakeholders (see Crabtree, 2005Crabtree, , 2006aCrabtree, , 2006b. Recent literature has emerged positing impediments to sustainability as social, economic and political phenomena rather than shortcomings of technological or practical knowledge (e.g.…”

Understanding innovation

“…Definitions of the term are often circular or ad hoc and rarely get further than the common-sense understanding of using something new (For example see Gann 2000). Within the building industry literature that problematizes issues of sustainability, 'innovation' can take on moral undertones, often couched in terms of what 'they' need to do to become more environmentally prudent, and/or to be more customer focused (Barlow 1999;Barlow and Ozaki 2003;Burdock et al 2001;Crabtree 2006;Dewick and Miozzo 2002). But just what innovation actually is, or what is required to facilitate or cause it to happen, is, at best, disputed but most often ignored or treated as a black box (Landau et al 1986;Nelson et al 2005).…”

Understanding Innovation for Sustainability within the Australian Building Industry: An Evolutionary Social Learning Model

“…Defi nitions of the term are often circular or ad hoc and rarely get further than the commonsense understanding of "using something new" (See Gann 2000). Within the building industry the issues of "sustainability" and "innovation" can have moral undertones, couched in terms of what "they" need to do to become more environmentally prudent and/or to be more customer-focused (Barlow 1999;Barlow & Ozaki 2003;Burdock et al 2001;Crabtree 2006;Dewick & Miozzo 2002). But just what innovation actually is, or what is required to facilitate or cause it to happen, is, at best, disputed, but most often ignored or treated as a black box (Landau, Rosenberg & National Academy of Engineering 1986;Nelson, Mowery & Fagerberg 2005).…”