Influence of sustainable streetscape to augment social interaction in the low-density suburbs of regional Victoria

Streetscape design plays a dynamic role in connecting communities and assists in significant development in the social aspect of a community. The available literature on the topic only comprises several fragmented attempts of combining streetscape features and their influence on social interaction. However, the best approaches for improving social communication and factors of sustainable streetscape design have always remained under-researched. This paper aims to underline the importance of social interaction in streetscape design, explicitly highlighting the sustainable aspects of streetscape design that have maximum influence on enhancing social interaction in low-density suburbs. A systematic literature review was conducted as part of the current study to identify the underlying relationship between social interaction and sustainable streetscape designs. It was observed that only 35% of the relevant articles discussed social interaction in the streetscape. Our study reveals that the design principles for sustainable social interaction in the streetscape focus on the following three broad aspects –liveability, sustainability, and inclusiveness. The study proposes a checklist support in developing sustainable design solutions to enhance social interaction in low-density suburbs. Finally, the proposed list of design principles was applied to Norlane, a low-density suburb in the City of Greater Geelong, as a case study.