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
AuthorsHu, 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.

KeywordsAustralia; Case study; Sustainable practices; Not-for-profit; Retirement villages; Sustainable living environment
Year01 Jan 2018
JournalFacilities
Journal citation36 (5-6), pp. 272-290
PublisherEmerald Group Publishing Ltd.
ISSN0263-2772
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 accessPublished as green open access
Research or scholarlyResearch
Page range272-290
Author's accepted manuscript
License
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Open
Publisher's version
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All rights reserved
File Access Level
Mediated
Output statusPublished
Publication dates
Print03 Apr 2018
Publication process dates
Accepted23 Jul 2017
Deposited07 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.
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/

Place of publicationUnited Kingdom
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