Research Doctorate - Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) / The thesis is partly a response to the increasing numbers of people expressing concerns over a number of environmental issues (i.e. impact of climate change; greenhouse gas emissions; and, depleting natural resources). Governments, in response, are trying to develop a more sustainable approach to urban development. The thesis proposes a sustainable area planning (SAP) framework to incorporate sustainability principles (social/cultural, environmental, and economic) in urban planning within different sized areas, including: local; district; local government; and, region. The thesis examines current urban planning schools (land use planning, natural resource planning and sustainable urban planning). The research focuses on the extent that these schools incorporate principles of sustainability within urban planning frameworks. The research aims to condense and build on these frameworks to develop a more coordinated and holistic framework. The proposed SAP framework is a five (5) step process with templates developed to accompany each step. The thesis acknowledges the wide range of sustainability data sources available, and shows how these sources can be utilized within the framework. Both qualitative (i.e. SAP survey step) and quantitative (i.e. SAP sustainability scorecard step) methods are used within the framework. A case study urban growth area of North Wyong District (in the Greater Metropolitan Region of Sydney) is nominated to test the framework. As the framework is developed, questions posed on how best to measure the environment leads to the development of indicators of sustainability. Sustainability scorecards are also developed to record these indicators of sustainability. A system of sustainability ratings (using green, amber and red) is proposed. The thesis then tests aggregating (scaling up) these ratings to larger areas. The final research aim is to test whether the scorecard results can form the basis of a sustainability report (with actions and monitoring components) for a subject area. The thesis draws a conclusion that the SAP framework does work and can be used as a tool to incorporate principles of sustainability into urban planning. Finally, suggested future research directions are outlined, including: 1. adopting a systems program for the SAP framework application; 2. using the framework for environmental performance monitoring; and, 3. broadening the framework to accommodate the social and economic components of sustainability.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:ADTP/244419 |
| Date | January 2009 |
| Creators | Rauscher, Raymond |
| Source Sets | Australiasian Digital Theses Program |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Rights | Copyright 2009 Raymond Rauscher |
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