Cities are complex and dynamic social-ecological systems; both human and ecological systems are in mutual interaction. As a social-ecological system, a city’s form and structure can change over time. The transcendence and durability of cities is in fact due to their continuous change. Major transformations...

In the late 1990s a group of Victorian local government councils addressed a sustainability void in the building codes and planning regulations by developing capacity to implement Ecologically Sustainable Development (ESD) via the planning system. What began as a collection of largely independent initiatives progressed...

Objecting to a planning application is one of the most visible and direct methods for the public to participate in the shaping of their urban environment. Unlike many planning systems around the world, Victoria includes rights for third-parties to lodge a submission in favour or...

Urban green spaces provide many benefits to urban dwellers, from the environmental functions of cooling, air purification, stormwater mediation and biodiversity habitat, to contributions to mental and physical well-being, sense of place and connections to community. Urban environmental justice requires that there is equitable access...

This project analysed the role of building and planning policy and regulations in delivering sustainable buildings and cities. It reviews policy and best practice, analyses VCAT data and cases, and draws on focus group results.