Speakers
Description
Low-rise, low-density housing dominates Ireland’s housing sector, even as growing housing demand and ambitious carbon reduction targets necessitate a shift toward sustainable development. Compact urban growth (CUG) has emerged as a critical strategy to address these challenges, offering transformative environmental, social, and economic benefits. Promoted in key policies such as the National Planning Framework, CUG aims to reduce emissions, enhance urban vibrancy, and optimise land use. However, low-density development persists, contradicting these policy objectives. This paper will investigate this contradiction, exploring the barriers to the adoption of CUG in Ireland. It gathers insights from housing industry experts to highlight the disconnect between policy intentions and actual housing delivery.
The study adopts a qualitative approach, conducting semi-structured interviews with housing experts, including developers, architects, and housing bodies, to identify barriers hindering the adoption of compact urban growth (CUG) in Ireland. These interviews focused on key themes such as the viability of housing typologies, the role of embodied carbon in housing design, and the future trajectory of housing development in Ireland.
The research identifies barriers, such as market preferences for low-density housing driven by consumer demand and limited awareness of alternatives, regulatory constraints, and spatial requirements that challenge higher-density developments. Additionally, car-centric planning practices within local authorities exacerbate the issue. Together, these factors perpetuate high-carbon, low-density development, underscoring a critical misalignment between national policies and actual housing delivery.
This study provides essential insights into these obstacles and offers a foundation for developing actionable pathways to align housing practices with policy objectives. The findings are crucial for advancing sustainable urban development, achieving Ireland’s housing and carbon reduction goals, and offering lessons for other nations navigating similar transitions.
| Keywords | Compact Urban Growth; Sustainable Housing; Regulatory Barriers; Embodied Carbon |
|---|---|
| Best Congress Paper Award | Yes |
