Eco-Footprint of Aurora Residential Development
The project under this research cluster has been fully funded by the Victorian EPA and VicUrban. The aim of the project is to asses the environmental impact of a planned, sustainable housing development such as the Aurora residential development as compared to a conventional housing development.
The Aurora development is located at Epping North, 20km north of Melbourne CBD and will feature up to 8,500 homes once completed. The estate incorporates sustainable design features such as 6 star energy rated houses, walkability in urban planning, water sensitive design, third pipe systems and more.
The ecological footprint (or eco-footprint for short) is a tool to measure our ecological performance. It tracks how much individuals, organisations, cities, regions and nations, or humanity as a whole consumes and compares this amount to the resources nature can provide. More precisely, it shows how much biologically productive land and water area a given population occupies to produce all the resources it consumes and to absorb its waste, using prevailing technology. (Source: Global Footprint Network)
Project Descriptions
The individual research projects nested within this cluster include:
- The Eco-Footprint of Aurora Estate – Tim Grant
The Eco-Footprint of Aurora Estate
Researcher: Tim Grant
Tim will use the eco-footprint methodology in order to evaluate the environmental impact of the Aurora estate as compared to a conventional housing development. His research will focus on evaluating the benefits of sustainable design features incorporated in the planning of Aurora. This project will help VicUrban assess the possible environmental performance of this and future planned estates.
More information:
Aurora (VicUrban) – for further information on the Aurora development and VicUrban’s other projects.
Eco-Footprint (EPA Victoria)– for more information on the eco-footprint methodology and fun links to different eco-footprint calculators for the home, school or office.