Learning from the "leaders" ? Lessons for the creation or regeneration of more sustainable housing and communities in the European Union

Recent research has identified a number of ‘leader’ countries with regard to the sustainability of urban housing (Winston, 2013). Drawing on the relevant literature in housing and planning, it outlined a number of criteria for assessing sustainable housing included: mixed use developments; public transport usage; higher residential densities; high quality dwellings and neighborhoods; housing affordability; food production; greenhouse gas emissions; and renewable energy use. Drawing on data from the 2007 tranche of the European Quality of life Survey, the paper ranked each country on the sustainability of its urban housing and communities according to each of the aforementioned criteria (see Table 1 for indicators and measures). It found significant variations between countries and highlighted leaders and laggards in this regard (see Table 2).