This thesis investigates the impact of physical planning policy on combined transport and dwelling-related energy use by households. Separate analyses and reviews are conducted into dwelling-related and transport-related energy use by households, before a model is developed to investigate the city-wide implications of different land-use scenarios in Sydney, Australia. The analysis of household energy use in Chapter 3 suggests that medium density housing (i.e. lose-rise apartments, townhouses, and terraces) is likely to result in the lowest per-capita energy use, while also allowing for sufficient densities to make frequent public transport service viable. The analysis of transport energy in Chapter 4 confirms that increasing urban density is associated with decreased car ownership and use, independent of other factors. However, land use changes alone are likely to result in modest changes to travel behaviour. The results of the scenario modelling in Chapters 7-9 support the view that changes to land use alone can reduce household energy consumption, but the changes, even over a long time period (25 years) are small (~0-10%) for all but the most extreme land-use policies. Instead, a coordinated (land-use/transport and other policy levers) approach is much more effective. The results confirm that it is transport energy that is most sensitive to planning policy, but that a combined consideration of dwelling-related and transport-related energy use is still useful. The micro-simulation model developed to assess the impact of different land-use planning scenarios allows the establishment of a lower-bound estimate of the effect that housing policy has on household energy use, assuming ‘business as usual’ transport policy, household behaviour, and technology.

This thesis investigates the impact of physical planning policy on combined transport and dwelling-related energy use by households. Separate analyses and reviews are conducted into dwelling-related and transport-related energy use by households, before a model is developed to investigate the city-wide implications of different land-use scenarios in Sydney, Australia. The analysis of household energy use in Chapter 3 suggests that medium density housing (i.e. lose-rise apartments, townhouses, and terraces) is likely to result in the lowest per-capita energy use, while also allowing for sufficient densities to make frequent public transport service viable. The analysis of transport energy in Chapter 4 confirms that increasing urban density is associated with decreased car ownership and use, independent of other factors. However, land use changes alone are likely to result in modest changes to travel behaviour. The results of the scenario modelling in Chapters 7-9 support the view that changes to land use alone can reduce household energy consumption, but the changes, even over a long time period (25 years) are small (~0-10%) for all but the most extreme land-use policies. Instead, a coordinated (land-use/transport and other policy levers) approach is much more effective. The results confirm that it is transport energy that is most sensitive to planning policy, but that a combined consideration of dwelling-related and transport-related energy use is still useful. The micro-simulation model developed to assess the impact of different land-use planning scenarios allows the establishment of a lower-bound estimate of the effect that housing policy has on household energy use, assuming ‘business as usual’ transport policy, household behaviour, and technology.

This thesis investigates the impact of physical planning policy on combined transport and dwelling-related energy use by households. Separate analyses and reviews are conducted into dwelling-related and transport-related energy use by households, before a model is developed to investigate the city-wide implications of different land-use scenarios in Sydney, Australia. The analysis of household energy use in Chapter 3 suggests that medium density housing (i.e. lose-rise apartments, townhouses, and terraces) is likely to result in the lowest per-capita energy use, while also allowing for sufficient densities to make frequent public transport service viable. The analysis of transport energy in Chapter 4 confirms that increasing urban density is associated with decreased car ownership and use, independent of other factors. However, land use changes alone are likely to result in modest changes to travel behaviour. The results of the scenario modelling in Chapters 7-9 support the view that changes to land use alone can reduce household energy consumption, but the changes, even over a long time period (25 years) are small (~0-10%) for all but the most extreme land-use policies. Instead, a coordinated (land-use/transport and other policy levers) approach is much more effective. The results confirm that it is transport energy that is most sensitive to planning policy, but that a combined consideration of dwelling-related and transport-related energy use is still useful. The micro-simulation model developed to assess the impact of different land-use planning scenarios allows the establishment of a lower-bound estimate of the effect that housing policy has on household energy use, assuming ‘business as usual’ transport policy, household behaviour, and technology.

According to Boverket - The Swedish National Board of Housing, Building and Planning, 21 percent of greenhouse emissions are caused by the Swedish building industry. To make a change the building industry should focus more on sustainable building. The main cause of greenhouse emissions within the construction sector is caused by extracting the raw materials, transport, and manufacturing of material. To build sustainably, nonrenewable materials can be changed to renewable materials to reduce greenhouse emissions. An example is to change plastic with windproof board. Wood is a good example of a renewable material.  In this study, the house Astrid, which is a turnkey house from Älvsbyhus, was analysed. The house Astrid has a living area of 107 m2 including three rooms and a kitchen. The purpose is to get a wooden house which is equivalent to the house Astrid when it comes to energy performance, but with a lower greenhouse emission by changing nonrenewable material to wood products. The method used was to firstly inventory the house Astrid and to be able to see which materials that could be changed. Through research and gathering information, alternative material and other relevant facts were found. Then the average heat transfer coefficient - Um was calculated. Where Um for both houses must be equal to be able perform the materials change without affecting the construction. Afterwards, an Environmental Product Declaration- EPD were used to see the different products' environmental impact.  The results showed that the Um became the same which means that the energy performance is equal both houses. The renewable materials contributed to reducing the greenhouse emission of the new house. The conclusion shows that the studied materials’ environmental impact for the house Astrid decreased with up to 41 percent. / Idag står byggbranschen för 21 procent av växthusgasutsläppen i Sverige enligt Boverket. För att åstadkomma en förändring bör byggbranschen inrikta sig mer på hållbart byggande. Det som orsakar växthuseffekten främst inom byggsektorn är utvinning av råvara, transport och tillverkning av material. För att bygga hållbart kan icke förnybara material bytas mot förnybara, som till exempel plast mot vindskyddsskiva, för att minska växthuseffekten. Trä är ett bra exempel på ett förnybart material. I studien kommer typhuset Astrid, som är ett nyckelfärdigt hus från Älvsbyhus, att undersökas. Typhuset Astrid har en boarea på 107 m2 med tre rum och kök. Där syftet är att få ett trähus som är likvärdigt typhuset Astrid i energiprestanda, men med en lägre växthuseffekt genom att byta icke förnybara material mot träprodukter. Metoden som användes var att först inventera typhuset Astrid samt att se vilka byggmaterial som går att byta ut. Genom litteraturstudier hittades alternativa material samt övriga relevanta fakta. Sedan beräknades den genomsnittliga värmegenomgångskoeffiecient – Um. Där Um för båda husen ska vara lika stort för att kunna genomföra materialbytet utan att påverka konstruktionen. Därefter användes miljövarudeklaration- EPD, för att se de olika produkternas miljöpåverkan.  Resultaten visade att Um blev detsamma vilket innebär att energiprestandan är likvärdig för båda husen. De förnybara materialen bidrog med att sänka det nya husets växthuseffekt. Slutsatsen visar att de studerade materialens miljöpåverkan för typhuset Astrid minskade med upp till 41 procent.