PROJECT. COLLABORATION. INNOVATION.
DHLGH 2025: Productivity and Digitalisation
Tool for Evaluating the Economic, Environmental & Social Impacts of Housing Developments to Accelerate the Project Planning & Review Process
This report presents the development of the TEACH (Trade-offs in the Evaluation & Assessment of Compact Housing) framework, which sets out a vision for an Irish decision-support tool designed to integrate environmental, economic, and social dimensions into housing development appraisal. The research responds to the need for a transparent, standardised approach to evaluate trade-offs between greenfield and brownfield developments, aligning with Ireland’s compact growth and climate objectives.
The study initially reviewed literature and explored life cycle methodologies and tested international tools (Homes England, ENHAT tool and Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) Brownfield–Greenfield Model) using Irish case studies. Findings confirm that brownfield regeneration consistently outperforms greenfield development in terms of carbon emissions, infrastructure efficiency, and social integration. However, practical barriers such as remediation costs and fragmented data persist.
Stakeholder engagement was central to shaping the TEACH framework. Through expert consultations and a national workshop, over 140 indicators were consolidated into six themes: Infrastructure, Construction & Design, Land Use & Environment, Social & Amenities, and Policy & Finance. Consensus emerged on adopting a multi-criteria decision analysis approach, enabling relative scoring and negotiated weightings rather than rigid absolute scores. Policy levers, cultural acceptance, and communication strategies were identified as critical for tool adoption.
The TEACH framework offers a pathway to replace lengthy cost-benefit analyses with an open-source, evidence-based tool that supports faster, more sustainable decision-making. However, its implementation will require collaboration across government, local authorities, developers, and community stakeholders to centralise data resources to allow for a holistic tool that captures the true cost of a housing development.
Report coming soon.
PI:
Dr John Gallagher, Trinity College Dublin, The University of Dublin
Authors:
Mr Aravindhan Kumaran (TCD), Dr John Gallagher (TCD)
Principal Investigator
Dr. John Gallagher
Associate Professor (Civil Struct & Env. Eng.), Trinity College Dublin
Dr Gallagher is an Associate Professor in Environmental Systems Modelling and Director of TrinityHaus Trinity Research Centre in the Department of Civil, Structural & Environmental Engineering. He is also a Fellow of Trinity College Dublin (FTCD) and holds a Education for Sustainability Development (ESD) Research Fellow within the University. Since Dr Gallagher’s joined the Department, his research has focused on applying the 3M method (measurement, modelling and mitigation) to inform the development of passive engineered and nature-based solutions that deliver healthy indoor and outdoor spaces in a sustainable manner. His environmental pollution research focuses on reducing air pollution in and around buildings and transport hubs, improving environmental quality (air, noise and temperature) in urban green spaces. His work on low-carbon and resource efficient design of energy and infrastructure systems has informed contributions to standards development. Dr Gallagher has published over 50 papers in these areas in high impact international journals and international conferences, and to date he has been awarded over €1 million in research funding (from EPA, Research Ireland, SEAI, Erasmus+, INTERREG NWE & AA, and HORIZON 2020). He currently leads of a team of 9 researchers (6 PhD students, 2 postdoctoral researcher, and 2 research assistants). He has also produced professional research reports for a range of organisations in areas of water (EPA, An Foran Uisce), air pollution (Dept of Housing), low-carbon transitions (agriculture for Welsh Government, low-carbon buildings for Dublin City Council). Dr Gallagher also a member of a number of National and International research groups including the Environmental Science Association of Ireland, the Future Urban Ventilation Group, and was a member of the executive committee of the Universities Transport Studies Group as well as the U.S. Transportation Research Board ‘Air Quality and Climate Change’ committee. He is an Editor for the Discover Civil Engineering journal, acts as a reviewer for a range of journals, as well as international organisational report (World Health Organisation, World Green Building Council).
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