ENVIRONMENTAL M A N A G E M E N T 
FOR 
SUSTAINABLE HOUSING DEVELOPMENT 
A DISSERTATION SUBMITTED TO THE 
UNIVERSITY OF MORATUWA SRI LANKA 
FORTHE 
FINAL EXAMINATION IN 
M.Sc. (ARCHITECTURE) 
,e$)0§s Se5s Screes. § gofflj© 
MSc. II (1997)
 7 2 9q-\9 
DEPT. OF ARCHITECTURE 
UNIVERSITY OF MORATUWA, SRI LANKA 
24, June 1997. 
7 1 5 9 3 
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS. 
During months spent on this study, many extended their unlimited support and 
corporation, which finally made this endeavor a success. Hence, I would like to take 
this opportunity to thank those, whose contribution meant a great deal in presenting 
this dissertation. 
I am profoundly grateful to Dr. Ranjith Perera, senior lecturer, Department of 
Architecture University of Moratuwa, and individual tutor, for all the valuable 
comment, guidance and inspiration. 
Kapila de Silva, Lecturer Department of Architecture for kind advises and 
lending books at various stages of the study. 
My friends Sanjeewani, Chandima, Achintha and Deepthi who sacrificed their 
valuable time and lending me valuable equipment for word processing. 
The Librarian and the staff of the Library, University of Moratuwa for 
providing books and documents in my request. 
Mrs. G. Gunawardena for correcting the final draft at her earliest. 
Finally to my parents for all the support, courage, understanding and most of 
all the love, extended in my journey so far. 
LIST OF CONTENTS 
Contents Page 
ACKNOWLEDGMENT i 
LIST OF CONTENTS ii 
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS v 
LIST OF TABLES vii 
ABSTRACT 1 
INTRODUCTION 2 
PART ONE-
CHAPTER ONE: SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT. 5 
1.1 Introduction to Development. 5 
1.2 Concept of Sustainability 7 
1.4 Need for Sustainable Development 10 
1.5 Foundation for Sustainable Development 11 
CHAPTER TWO: SUSTAINABLE MOUSING DEVELOPMENT 14 
2.1 Housing and Crisis of Housing 14. 
2.2 Housing Policy and Investment on Housing. 17 
2.3 Housing as a part of Human Development. 19 
2.4 Sustainability of Housing. 20 
CHAPTER THREE: ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT. 24 
3.1 Housing Environment. 24 
3.2 Need of consideration on Housing Environment. 26 
3.3 Housing Development and Socio- Economic Environment. 28 
ii 
3.4 Mousing Development and Physical Environment. 30 
3.5 Environmental Management for Sustainable Housing Development. 32 
3.6 People's Participation. 35 
p a r t t w o -
CHAPTER FOUR: MANAGING THE SOCIO-ECONOMIC 
ENVIRONMENT OF HOUSING. 39 
4.1 Sociological Environment 39 
4.1.1 Psychological concepts 40 
4.1.2 Family 46 
4.1.3 Community 47 
4.1.4 Social life. 52 
4.1.5 Education and Health 53 
4.2 Economic Environment. 57 
4.2.1 Employment and Income 57 
4.2.2 Economic cost / Cost of living 59 
4.2.3 Entrepreneurship 59 
CHAPTER FIVE: MANAGING THE PHYSICAL ENVIRONMENT 
OF HOUSING. 66 
5.1 Natural Environment. 66 
5.1.1 Resources. 66 
5.1.2 Environmental Pollution. 73 
5.1.3 Natural Disasters. 81 
5.2 Built Environment 83 
iii 
5.2.1 Land Use 83 
5.2.2 Environmental Design 87 
5.2.3 Infrastructure Facilities 89 
5.2.4 Building Materials and Construction Technology. 91 
5.2.5 Landscaping 93 
5.2.6 Manmade Disasters 96 
CONCLUSION 97 
ANNEXURE 100 
BIBLIOGRAPHY 105 
i v 
L I S T O F I L L U S T R A T I O N S 
Figure Page 
01. Sustainable development model 9 
02. Indigenous human settlements which is close to nature 21 
03. Architect designed settlement for indigenous people 21 
04. Concept of sustainable housing development 22 
05. Holistic frame work of housing 23 
06. Housing as a system 25 
07. Components of housing environment 26 
08. Environmental management for sustainable housing development 33 
09. Improved settlement from environmental management 34 
10. People's participation in environmental management 36 
11. Collaborative environmental management 38 
12. Resident's satisfaction on socio economic values 40 
13. Design for privacy 42 
14. Conflict between public and private spaces 42 
15. A cluster with an identity 45 
16. A housing cluster 49 
17. Accommodating community center 51 
18. Social tragedy in housing 52 
19. An effort for additional income 60 
20. Navagampura location of HOE's 63 
21. Summitpura location of HOE's 64 
22. Accommodating mixed programme 65 
23. Energy efficient strategies 71 
24. Contaminated site and human 75 
25. Remediation of contaminated sites 76 
26. Environmental pollution from solid waste 77 
27. Pollution from high tension power lines 79 
28. Recycling of waste 80 
4 
v 
29. Fragmentation of land to smaller plots 84 
30. Unit types, Densities and Landuse efficiency 85 
3 1 . Negligence; children's park used as a store ground 86 
32. Unplanned parking; destroys the space for children 86 
33. Urban housing on sloping land 88 
34. Housing design with natural environment 88 
35. Process of community involvement in infrastructure 90 
36. Outline of the procedure to be followed on discovery of Asbestos 92 
37. Well lit and generously landscaped housing scheme 94 
38. Incorporating children's play activities to the commongarden landscaping 94 
39. Manmade fire hazard 96 
* 
vi 
LIST OF TABLES 
Table Page 
01. Household economy; women's activities and the environment 65 
02. Spatial and medial dimensions of environmental pollution 74 
vn 
A B S T R A C T . 
Present day development has become a popular term. Development is a 
phenomenon that deals with socio-economic and environmental dimensions. Life and 
built forms sustain in the nature without any conflict. However with the industrial 
revolution and rapid increase of population growth have been accused of promoting 
development at the cost of environment and quality of human life. 
Sustainable development as the path of progress to meets the needs and 
aspirations of the present generation without compromising the ability of future 
generations to meet their needs. Satisfying socio-economic needs and enhanced 
resource utilization and protection from pollution are the major parameters of 
sustainable development. 
For a housing development, sustainability depend on, how and to what extent 
the occupants meet their needs and aspirations, their satisfaction of them and how the 
housing development and the occupants deal with the environment. 
Most of the present housing seem are remote from residents' expectations and 
thereby create problems and conflicts on their life style as well as with the natural 
environment and also with built environment. This situation directly creates impacts 
on sustainability of housing. The cause may be the lack of consideration on managing 
the housing environment. 
According to these consequences, the study on importance of housing 
environment of housing environment and its management aspect would fulfill the 
awareness gap between the sustainability and unsustainability of housing and help to 
make awareness among the professionals who are involved in the housing sector. 
Under this, the study identifies the notions of housing environment, the 
importance of them and discuss how to manage them for habitable and 
environmentally responsible housing development. As a holistic approach this study 
analytically examines the housing environment with environmental management 
point of view for a sustainable housing development.