Regeneration for sustainable communities? Barriers to implementing sustainable housing in urban areas

This article outlines the key characteristics of sustainable housing, including environmental, economic and social dimensions. It uses these characteristics to assess housing and regeneration in Dublin since the early 1980s. While regeneration has improved some areas, there are a number of causes for concern. Barriers to achieving sustainable housing include the lack of a shared vision of sustainable housing, inadequate building regulations and non-compliance with existing regulations, limited knowledge and expertise in green building methods, negative perceptions of higher density housing, poor quality designs, negative attitudes to social mix, an emphasis on demolition, a failure to recognize the need for social regeneration and limited resources. The article concludes that it is essential to target resources at enforcing building regulations, providing sufficient social and affordable housing as well as the social infrastructure required for sustainable communities, adequate management and maintenance, and retrofitting the unsustainable housing constructed in the past. Copyright (C) 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment.