This note was reviewed and approved for currency in August 2018.
With increasing world population, urbanization, and climatic changes impacting liveability there is a growing awareness of the urgent need for more sustainable and ecological approaches to urban settlements, city planning and infrastructure. This has led to the evolution of urban assessment tools that are visionary, holistic and designed to address complex issues facing global communities and cities today.
This paper provides an overview of international urban rating tools developed to assist with the regeneration of existing and new sustainable communities and cities, particularly those supported for use in Australia. The article covers the structure, themes and output of the tools, as well as the use and uptake in Australia. The summary is designed to provide awareness of the range of urban assessment tools available for use in Australia and to assist in an appropriate selection.
Tools discussed include: Circles of Sustainability, EnviroDevelopment, Green Star Communities, Living Community Challenge and One Planet Communities.