Providing a sustainable living environment in not-for-profit retirement villages : A case study in Australia
Journal article
Hu, Xin, Xia, Bo, Skitmore, Martin and Buys, Elinor Laurie. (2018). Providing a sustainable living environment in not-for-profit retirement villages : A case study in Australia. Facilities. 36(5-6), pp. 272-290. https://doi.org/10.1108/F-02-2017-0013
Authors | Hu, Xin, Xia, Bo, Skitmore, Martin and Buys, Elinor Laurie |
---|---|
Abstract | Purpose: As a viable housing option for older people, retirement villages need to provide a sustainable living environment that satisfies their residents’ needs in terms of affordability, lifestyle and environmental friendliness. This is, however, a significant challenge for not-for-profit developers because of the high upfront costs involved in using sustainable practices. The purpose of this paper is to identify the sustainable features and practices adopted in not-for-profit retirement villages. Design/methodology/approach: Because of the lack of quantitative historical data, a case study approach was adopted to identify the sustainable features and practices used in a not-for-profit retirement village in Sunshine Coast, Queensland, Australia. Data were collected based on interviews, direct observation and documentation, and collected data were analysed by using content analysis. Findings: The research findings indicate that similar to private developers, not-for-profit developers also have the capability to make their village environment sustainable. In this case, the sustainable practices cover various aspects including the selection of village location, site planning, provision of facilities and services, social life and living costs. Although the associated costs of adopting sustainable features is a concern for both developers and residents, some of the identified sustainable practices in this case do not result in significant cost increase but can improve the residents’ quality of life substantially. Practical implications: The research findings provide a number of practical implications on how to deliver sustainable retirement villages in a not-for-profit village setting. Originality/value: This paper provides a first look at sustainable features and practices adopted in both the development and operation stages of a not-for-profit retirement village. |
Keywords | Australia; Case study; Sustainable practices; Not-for-profit; Retirement villages; Sustainable living environment |
Year | 01 Jan 2018 |
Journal | Facilities |
Journal citation | 36 (5-6), pp. 272-290 |
Publisher | Emerald Group Publishing Ltd. |
ISSN | 0263-2772 |
Digital Object Identifier (DOI) | https://doi.org/10.1108/F-02-2017-0013 |
Web address (URL) | https://www.emerald.com/insight/content/doi/10.1108/F-02-2017-0013/full/html |
Open access | Published as green open access |
Research or scholarly | Research |
Page range | 272-290 |
Author's accepted manuscript | License File Access Level Open |
Publisher's version | License All rights reserved File Access Level Mediated |
Output status | Published |
Publication dates | |
03 Apr 2018 | |
Publication process dates | |
Accepted | 23 Jul 2017 |
Deposited | 07 Sep 2023 |
Additional information | © Emerald Publishing Limited. |
Hu, X., Xia, B., Skitmore, M. and Buys, L. (2018), "Providing a sustainable living environment in not-for-profit retirement villages: A case study in Australia", Facilities, Vol. 36 No. 5/6, pp. 272-290. https://doi.org/10.1108/F-02-2017-0013 | |
This author accepted manuscript is deposited under a Creative Commons Attribution Non-commercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC) licence. This means that anyone may distribute, adapt, and build upon the work for non-commercial purposes, subject to full attribution. If you wish to use this manuscript for commercial purposes, please contact permissions@emerald.com. | |
Place of publication | United Kingdom |
https://acuresearchbank.acu.edu.au/item/8z991/providing-a-sustainable-living-environment-in-not-for-profit-retirement-villages-a-case-study-in-australia
Download files
Author's accepted manuscript
AM_Buys_2017_Providing_a_sustainable_living_environment_in.pdf | |
License: CC BY-NC 4.0 | |
File access level: Open |
Restricted files
Publisher's version
4
total views3
total downloads4
views this month3
downloads this month