The realization of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development requires local governments globally to integrate Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) into their policy and practice. In the case of the Hunter Valley Region of Australia, a key sustainable development issue is climate change-induced flooding. The localization and mainstreaming of SDG 13 on climate action can support tangible municipal climate actions in the Region. However, while it is acknowledged that SDG localization is needed to address sustainable development challenges, there is a gap in research and practice to guide local government attempts at SDG localization. This research analyzes literature on SDG localization to understand strategies, challenges and gaps that can inform localization approaches for the Hunter Valley. An analysis of the literature revealed that the implementation of SDG 13 at the local government level is a sparsely researched area, and in practice, efforts to implement SDG 13 have not been publicly communicated. Research-based recommendations for SDG 13 localization are presented to highlight the potential of integrating SDGs into pre-existing local policy so that the SDGs and their targets can support climate action and decrease disaster risk of future floods in Hunter Valley communities.

The purpose of this paper was to examine the community consultation practices carried out by implementing agencies when managing post-disaster housing reconstruction (PDHR) projects, identify the obstacles they face, and evaluate the effect these obstacles have on the quality of information obtained in relation to achieving a high level of beneficiary satisfaction. The aim was to develop a framework for community consultation in PDHR, which ensures that the needs of beneficiaries are more accurately reflected in the housing produced. A qualitative research methodology was adopted with data first being obtained through a literature review of relevant publications and implementing agency reports as a means of establishing common themes among community consultation practices and identifying indicators that influence beneficiary satisfaction. This was followed by a case study analysis to further an understanding of how these indicators were affected by the community consultation practices undertaken in a real-world context. The results of the research indicate that community consultation often forms a central role in the planning and delivery of PDHR projects, however, despite the implementing agencies’ best intentions, there are often obstacles that prevent the process from achieving the desired result. The community consultation framework proposed here has been developed to address the identified obstacles with the aim of ensuring that beneficiary requirements are included in housing design as a means of improving the level of beneficiary satisfaction in the housing provided.

Buildings are an important part of worldwide efforts to reduce energy consumption and mitigate greenhouse gas emissions that contribute to climate change. Despite recent technological developments in the area of energy consumption reduction, energy use is on the rise, highlighting the significance of considering occupant behavior with regard to controlling energy consumption and supporting climate resilience. Energy performance of residential buildings is a function of various aspects such as properties of the building envelope, climatic location characteristics, HVAC system, and, more importantly, occupant behavior and activities towards energy utilization. This study carries out a comprehensive review of the impact of occupant behavior on reducing the energy performance gap in residential buildings since residential buildings account for 70% of building floor area around the globe. Findings have revealed that a dearth of literature on occupants’ behavior scholarship leads to inaccurate simplifications in building modeling and design. Thus, there is a strong need to obtain appropriate occupant behavioral data to develop strategies to close the energy performance gap as much as possible to achieve better energy efficiency in residential buildings to contribute to resilience and sustainability. Findings have also revealed a lack of objective and subjective data on occupants’ behavior towards energy efficiency in residential buildings. In response to these gaps, the current paper has proposed a conceptual framework for occupant behavior toward a modification of thermal comfort to reduce energy use. Based on the findings of this paper, understanding the variety of factors influencing occupants’ behavior should be considered a major influential factor in the design and retrofit of residential buildings with a view toward long-term resilience and sustainability.

In the context of flood research, scholars and practitioners have recognised that Western-knowledge-driven engineering-based flood management techniques are insufficient for successful water use and management in urban design and planning practices, while ideas, practices, and knowledge from local people are essential. Traditional water knowledge (TWK) explains people’s profound understanding of natural processes and the ecological dependencies of water systems and connections with their local water system and the land, beliefs, sense, and practices that are an integral part of their culture. However, the concept of traditional knowledge may differ from scientific knowledge, as it represents a different worldview perspective from a modern Westernised world. Considering Khulna City, Bangladesh, as a case, this paper investigates the salient challenges and opportunities to integrate TWK with present urban design and planning practices. Interviews were conducted with key stakeholders, including relevant government officials, NGO workers, researchers, urban professionals, and local elders. This study finds that TWK can contribute to urban design and planning practices by identifying helpful ecosystem services and site-specific information; by sharing strategies for surface water protection, open-space design, and rainwater harvesting; and encouraging design of spaces for psychological benefit, and ensuring sustainability and building flood resilience in an urban context. Furthermore, this research demonstrates how these elements relate to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). However, issues with knowledge transmission, the identification of the actual knowledge holders, poor governance, weak urban planning, minimal institutional capacity, and perceived cultural inferiority are significant challenges restricting the integration of TWK, despite its relevance to sustainability. This paper suggests that considering traditional water use and management is necessary to develop flood resilience in an urban context in a sustainable way.