This project focused upon adaptive housing responses to climate change in the town camps of Alice Springs. It particularly examined household practices of staying cool and keeping warm in the context of increasing extremes of temperatures and climate.

With the increasing appearance of less- and de-centralised (water and energy) infrastructure systems as part of new residential developments, it is especially important to determine how these systems affect the resilience of Victorian communities.

Design and planning of infrastructure in urban developments without specific attention to social and institutional arrangements may undermine community resilience. However, social and institutional enablers of resilience can be fostered by policy makers, developers, utility providers and other stakeholders.

This paper analyses current new housing energy performance policies from Australia, the EU and USA against a set of socio-technical transitions principles presented within a zero emission housing framework.

Assessing resilient urban systems examines some key findings arising from research on the resilience and adaptive capacity of energy and water infrastructure systems in two Melbourne housing developments – one in the city’s outer north and the other in a rapidly gentrifying inner suburb.