Sustainability in New Housing Development

Examining the environmental implications of new housing developments on rural and greenfield land in England, "Sustainability in New Housing Development" provides readers with an up-to-date academic and policy review of ecological modernization.

Retaining a clear focus on housing and the environment and addressing the roles of the different participants in detail, this book critically examines: the behaviour of mainstream developers, including the volume of house builders, regional companies and small local companies, the centrality of the planning system to raising environmental performance and managing conflict and how local councils use it to arbitrate between conflicting interests.

Testing the conceptual framework of ecological modernization, Congreve asks a range of questions, including 'do the agents involved believe the "win-win" solutions of ecological modernization are possible?' to discover how all parties involved are responding to the environmental challenges of new housing, which are increasingly becoming a central feature of European environmental policy. Thoroughly engaging with the debates in this controversial area, this book is a must read for all students studying housing and planning.