The use of residential water consumption as an urban planning tool: a pilot study in Adelaide

Abstract

This paper examines the water consumption patterns for different types of residential dwellings and areas in Adelaide, Australia. The method uses datasets regularly collected and maintained by a number of organizations to allow water consumption patterns to be analyzed and examined over time. The results suggest that water consumption varies between different types of residential dwellings, and areas, and that using metropolitan averages to measure national consumption patterns can be misleading. Importantly, the results suggest that per capita consumption is not significantly different between different types of dwellings. The ability to analyze water consumption patterns at the local level would enable planners and managers to better target initiatives aimed at reducing water consumption, and would also give planners a new tool to assess planning and environmental policies.