Social Aspects of Sustainable Development

The information provided is to further educate developers and those in the development industry on sustainable building options for our homes and our communities. The public demand for more sustainable homes is increasing. Implementing principles, outlined in the fact sheets and web links compiled and prepared by the Townsville City Council, can provide your business with a competitive advantage. These fact sheets and web links are also designed to assist people building, renovating, buying and living in houses in tropical North Queensland so their choices are more sustainable. Sustainable housing is cost-effective, lifestyle-enhancing, eco-friendly, comfortable, accessible, low maintenance, healthy, safe and secure.

Your Sustainability Scoresheet (592kB)
Building, buying or renovating? Use this simple checklist to identify how to improve the performance of your new or existing home. Incorporated at the design stage, many of the features will add value to your home with little or no increase cost and will pay for themselves over time. This scoresheet covers energy efficiency, water efficiency, Queensland design and living, universal housing (accessible housing), and safety and security.

State of the Environment
An overview of the Sustainable Townsville Project and the potential projects and proposals being considered by Council.

Benefits of a White Roof
The simple act of painting your roof white can have a considerable cooling and energy saving benefit due to the reduced need for air-conditioning. Homes with a galvanized roof may use four times as much peak air conditioning as a home with a white roof.

Builders Get Involved, Get Trained, Get Informed (160kB)
These active local organisations can help you get on board and reap the benefits of incorporating either a little or a lot of sustainability into your homes.

Climate Responsive Design in the Coastal Dry Tropics
When designing a home, key aspects of orientation, building materials, shade and cross-ventilation should be taken into consideration. These measures in designing a home will drastically reduce the operating costs and energy use of the homes you design.

Sustainable Housing for Townsville (407kB)
This is the approach the Townsville City Council is taking to improve the sustainability performance of housing in Townsville.

PATHE - Partnership Advancing the Housing Environment: The GreenSmart Program 
Developed by the Housing Industry Association (HIA) in collaboration with Environment Australia and Greening Australia, PATHE aims to develop, demonstrate and promote the technologies, design principles and practices that can significantly improve the quality of Australia's built environment. GreenSmart is the practical implementation of HIA's PATHE initiative.

For more information, please contact Planning Services.