Water Use and the Built Environment: Patterns of Water

Abstract

The research reported here is built on three assumptions: 1. That it is possible to extract from existing records the water consumption measures for different kinds of dwellings in different parts of the Sydney Metropolitan Area, and 2. That it is possible to identify the socio-economic determinants of domestic consumption by linking water records to Census data, and 3. The knowledge resulting from this approach may be used to construct appropriate location specific policy and program initiatives designed to reduce water consumption in an efficient and equitable manner. The research explores the water consumption profiles of households living in different forms of residential development in a range of locations across Sydney. In particular, it seeks to understand how different types of dwellings – separate houses, semidetached houses and flats – are related to household and per capita water consumption propensities. An overall finding of the research is that the per capita consumption of water is, for all practical purposes, the same for people living in traditional houses as it is for those in high density dwellings. The report concludes by presenting a range of realistic policy options aimed at better managing the demand for water in the city.