Abstract

Housing is an important, albeit overlooked, aspect of sustainable development objectives. Yet the location, design, construction, use and regeneration aspects of housing all have environmental, economic and social implications for individuals and communities. In this chapter, we introduce and interrogate two land-use approaches to sustainable housing: eco-villages and transit oriented-developments. Both approaches offer significant benefits to environmental sustainability through green construction initiatives and low-carbon lifestyle changes, particularly related to transportation. However, the costs associated with developing and constructing environmentally eco-villages, and the land premiums associated with transit-oriented developments have significant impacts on affordability and social sustainability. We discuss the realities of environmental gentrification that results from both types of developments, and highlight the social pillar of sustainability as requiring significant attention by researchers and policy-makers concerned with sustainable housing.