Solar Access Planning: The Case Of Boroondara An Exploratory Case Study Of An Australian City’S Policies For Passive Solar Design And Solar Access Rights

This case study explores the solar access policies for residential dwellings stipulated by the City of Boroondara, in Victoria, Australia. Boroondara is a renowned garden suburb located near Melbourne in Australia. The case study research examines the unprecedented policies pertaining to solar access, overshadowing and daylight for residential neighborhood of Boroondara, as given in the local government's planning scheme and the legislative documents of state government of Victoria. The primary research objective of this thesis research is to identify and analyze the agendas of various stakeholder groups towards solar access in residences. The main question is - "Why is the City of Boroondara implementing policy for solar access in dwellings of its neighborhoods?" Stakeholders groups include local politicians and policy makers at the city council of Boroondara, residents, planning industry professionals, and environmentalists associated with this city. Natural resources have been ubiquitously surrounded by many social, political-economic, racial tensions. Hence a "Why" research question is used to explore the contextual conflicts linked with the governance of solar access policies for residential design in this city. This qualitative exploratory case study uses a variety of methods: semi structured interviews with stakeholders, photo documentation, document analysis and media analysis. Field study was conducted at the City of Boroondara. The results of qualitative data analysis show the following themes - amenity, respect for neighborhood character, sense of place, solar access, desire for control, dislike for real estate development and conservative and vocal community. Solar access policies are executed mainly through controlling height, setback, and number of dwellings on a plot. Regulating these features regulates the real estate and high-rise development. It helps the city to maintain its neighborhood character through prevention of excessive development, intensification and construction of high-rise buildings