Sustainability in the suburbs

Dataset included 14 interviews with relevant professionals that provided primary data for the research project, who had informed professional experience in housing sustainability, development, planning, and/or regulation. Participants included expert architects (including award-winners and an Australian gold medallist), town planners, sustainability consultants, relevant association bodies, authors of the YourHome.gov.au initiative, academics, local and state government representatives, and industry representation. The interviews were designed to promote organic conversations about housing sustainability, development, planning and regulation through a semi-structured format. A written interview guide was prepared, which permitted the dialogue to take twists and turns. Questions included the background of the interviewee, passive design and its significance in housing, an evaluation of current regulation for housing in NSW, the promotion of passive design in housing through regulation in NSW, the capability of industry to adapt to incorporate passive design, barriers in the promotion of passive design, the relationship between technology and passive design, and the pursuit of better options for sustainability in housing. The result was a rich supply of data without one underlying quantitative approach, that illustrated a range of responses, and highlighted notable observations and consistencies.