A review of the application of water sensitive urban design (WSUD) to residential development in Australia

In this paper the authors review the application of water sensitive urban design (WSUD), specifically to urban, residential development in Australia. The uptake of WSUD is discussed for 13 case studies, and it is seen that application varies from implementation of local stormwater management measures through to a more holistic approach aimed at closing the urban water cycle. However, examples of this latter type approach are rare. It is seen that while stormwater treatment trains are the most dominant application of WSUD, the issue of water use, including better use of our urban resources and reduced reliance and use of imported mains water, is not being so actively pursued.