Environmental sustainability and resilience are fundamental aspects of functional, whole-of-life design.

Good built environment design that considers place and movement achieves high performance standards:

1. Does the project contribute to increased tree canopy cover, particularly for walking and cycling paths? Does the design provide the conditions for new trees to mature fully?
2. Does air quality or noise affect users of the street or adjacent land uses?
3. Has environmental performance been considered (e.g. managing stormwater, run-off and surface temperature in extreme weather events)? Has water-sensitive urban design been incorporated in the project?
4. Is street space efficiently allocated? Is the space given to each mode proportionate to the number of people using the mode (rather than their passenger-car unit equivalents)?
5. Have project outcomes been adapted to maximise both movement and place benefits?
6. Is the design resilient – does it minimise resource consumption and emissions, and contribute to the NSW net zero emissions goal? Could an 8-year-old use this area independently (community resilience)?
7. Does the project contribute to a compact, permeable and connected urban environment?