Sustainability and master planned estates in Australia

This paper considers the growing adoption of sustainability principles and associated rhetoric in the delivery of Master Planned Estates (MPEs) in Australia. While there is a burgeoning body of critical literature examining MPEs in Australia, there is scant critical attention payed to the sector's engagement with sustainability concepts. This gap is particularly significant given the growing prevalence of the language of sustainability in communication materials as developers seek gain a commercial edge and keep pace with evolving community and political expectations. The use of certification or assessment mechanisms to make claims regarding the sustainability performance of developments is also becoming common. At the same time there is a growing debate questioning the merits and validity of sustainability as a framework for implementing and acknowledging positive change. As such, it is important to examine the MPE sector's engagement with sustainability and the role that certification or assessment mechanisms are playing. This paper offers a review of current practice in the delivery of MPEs, in particular considering the engagement with the concept of sustainability. It suggests a lack of accountability and transparency in efforts to implement sustainability principles in MPEs, pointing to the need for a more robust engagement with sustainability in development approval processes in order to ensure an appropriate level of rigour