The Myths of Recovery – Ed Blakely

The the worst is over in Queensland and Victoria. We can now turn our attention to what went wrong and how we can get it right in the future. But before, we try to get things moving in the right direction, we need to know what the best directions to go in are. As the Tin man said to Alice: “If you don’t know where you are going, any direction will do”.

Some directions provide false hopes and inevitably lead to repeating the same or worse problems. Here are a few myths that can and should be avoided. Here are the issues I suggest are the Five big myths of disaster recovery.

1. Put it all back together-she’ll be right mate!–It is tempting to think that if we just do what we have been doing and leave people to their own devices, everything will work out well. We feel the only thing government can do is get in the way. We want to get back to normal with everything in the same place. In fact, this idea is re-enforced by government leaders saying after disaster: “We are going to put it all back just like it was and soon.”

2. Just Fix what’s broken– putting in another dam and cleaning up will not be enough, no matter how tempting such ideas are. New Orleans had many levee failure pre-Katrina. If the levees don’t work in one time, more of them will not serve in another disaster. it is time to look at the fundamentals of what is causing and what will cause new disasters and make fundamental changes, as the Dutch have done, to deal with the problem or to recognize it can’t be dealt with.

3. We can do it alone–we had the disaster and we don’t need anyone form another place telling us how to handle our problems. We have plenty of smart people. It is true local people have a lot of good local knowledge but other experts may have more information and more experience–borrow it.

4. Property rights are first–our nation is built on the fundamental right to own and dispose of property as one sees fit-with a few rules. but how do we deal with property that exposes everyone to danger? who pays for rescuers and what is the role of government when the property right conflicts with the safety of the total community? We have to tackle this isue by making sure that everyone is re-settle in ways that benefit the entire community and without financial loss or too great a personal sacrifice.

5. Better warning systems is all we need–warning are good but the new storms are coming faster and hitting harder than our systems can cope with. Since we know the primary cause of the problems, we need to use the first warning by making sure natural systems flow properly and that new building in the hills or on flat land do not disrupt natural system to the point greater dangers are created.

In essence the trust is always the best antidote to any myths. so, we need to get as much information as we can before we act. Unlike Alice, we have to know where we intend to go

Ed Blakely, in charge of the rebuilding efforts in New Orleans after “Katrina”, he will present at the Healthy Cities Conference http://www.healthycities.com.au/

Wednesday 27th to Friday 29th July  2011
Venue: The Outrigger Little Hastings Street Resort & Spa NOOSA, Queensland

“Sustainable Growth ???”

Is there such a process as “sustainable growth”? The term appears frequently in government reports and in company strategic plans. “Sustainable growth” holds out the tantalising prospect that a society can achieve the holy grail of sustainability – the modern term for alignment with environmental imperatives – without forgoing the benefits of economic expansion. These benefits include rising standards of living, full employment, increasing opportunities for investment or professional development – and generally rising wealth for all. 

 “Sustainability” implies a steady-state condition, not one built upon expansion or increasing throughput of material resources, but if it is based upon utilisation of renewable resources, then the steady-state condition may be satisfied. “Growth” is commonly used as a shorthand term for “economic growth” which relies upon geometrically expanding extraction and throughput of material resources, which is unsustainable in a finite planet, but there are forms of community advancement other than “growth” in this material sense.

We need to address related questions such as: Is there any way of decoupling a rise in living standards from throughput of biophysical resources? Is it possible to have rising real wealth other than by accumulating more physical goods which means more demands upon the earth’s resources? Is it possible to slow down economic expansion without risking plunging the economy into recession? The paper is particularly relevant to healthy cities because most expositions of what “healthy” means include an economic dimension. Is there such a thing as a healthy economy other than one that is actively expanding and so placing growing demands upon the resources of the biophysical environment?

Dr Geoff Edwards, Adjunct Research Fellow, Centre for Governance and Public Policy

4th Healthy Cities: Making Cities Liveable Conference. The Outrigger Resort and Spa,  Little Hastings St, Noosa – 27-29 July 2011

Green designs – How do you make your Green building GREEN?

Due to the increased urban density there is a definite demand in the current built environment to incorporate more positive urban design and increased green space into smaller areas. Greenwalls and Greenroofs are being incorporated into more and more buildings throughout Australia, but how do we reach the full potential of the environmental benefits that can be achieved from this technology?

 Join Jonathon Grealy from PlantUP  at the 4th Healthy Cities: Making Cities Liveable Conference for an interesting look at the secrets of a successful Greenwall and learn what designers can do to make them more than just a bit of side dressing.

Sustainable Urban Development: Responding to Extreme Events

Australia, particularly Queensland, has recently been struck by a sequence of extreme weather events. Cyclone Yasi and the floods of December 2010 / January 2011 saw more than 75% of Queensland officially declared a disaster zone. The impact on infrastructure and homes was devastating but the scale of the tragedy became that much more apparent as news of human fatalities was relayed by Queensland Premier, Anna Bligh.

Sustainable urban development is a useful concept in considering opportunities to alleviate the impact of extreme weather events, and extreme floods in particular. Sustainable urban development provides a framework focused on creating urban communities where both the current and future needs of residents are met. There are two important principles—resilience and connectivity—that underpin sustainable urban development.

By defining the risks associated with potential extreme events and translating those risks into planning and design solutions urban planners attempt to increase an urban feature’s capacity to absorb change. This capacity, otherwise known as its resilience, allows it to persist in the face of the change and thereby improves its sustainability.

The elements of the physical, biological, social and economic system in which we operate are fundamentally connected. This interconnectivity is relevant in all systems, but particularly in urban environments, where the proximity of the component elements and the frequency of interactions are higher.

These high-level principles point to four areas of response available to help manage the impact of extreme flood events before they occur. Looking particularly at existing and future developments and structures, this paper will discuss the management imperatives needed to ensure our urban fabric is planned, designed and constructed to not only respond proactively to extreme weather events and the ‘human contribution’, but also addresses the need to remove the barriers to decision making when related to complex, interacting systems.

Mr  Matt  Coetzee,  Development Manager – Community Development  Aurecon

Healthy Cities: 4th Making Cities Liveable Conference – Wednesday 27th to Friday 29th July  2011 Noosa Qld, Australia

Urban Flooding Policy – What can we learn from the UK?

Many areas in Australia have recently faced major flooding following a long drought period. Whilst policies are in place to manage the impact of flooding including achieving appropriate flood immunity levels for development and minimising the impact of development on flooding – it is evident that many areas are at risk of flood inundation and its associated damage to homes, businesses and infrastructure.

The United Kingdom has also faced these issues with 1 in 6 (5.2 million) properties currently assessed to be at risk of flooding. A number of large flood events over the past 12 years led to a significant rethink in the approach to managing flood risk in the UK. One of the major changes relates to the improved links between development planning and flood risk management.

There was a renewed recognition that inappropriate spatial development has the potential to provide a triple threat to flooding by adversely affect flood sources (through increased runoff), flood pathways (through interference with defence and flowpaths) and receptors (by increasing the loss and damage caused by flooding). The Planning Policy Statement 25 on development and flood risk, has now evolved from an earlier planning guidance to prevent inappropriate development with respect to flood risk. At all stages of the development planning process, this planning document requires planning authorities to apply a risk-based sequential approach to the zoning and allocation of development land to ensure developments are placed at locations with as low a risk as possible depending on their potential vulnerability.

This paper will describe how planning policy and its implementation in the UK has evolved. Case studies will be used to illustrate particular aspects and draw out lessons learnt from its implementation. Potential refinement of Queensland policy to incorporate changes will be considered with discussion regarding the implications of such changes.

Miss Trinity Graham 
Principal Water Engineer
Aurecon 

Healthy Cities: Making Cities Liveable Conference 2011

Present a paper at the Conference

Healthy Cities: 4th Making Cities Liveable Conference

Thursday  28th and Friday 29th July  2011

Venue: The Outrigger Little Hastings Street Resort & Spa NOOSA, Queensland

“Healthy cities are all about local involvement. They continually and actively explore ways to contribute to implementing WHO strategies at the urban and local levels. They have the potential to provide essential public health leadership, to create the preconditions for healthier living and participatory governance and to facilitate intersectoral action. Further, in times of economic downturn, city governments can play a key role as advocates and guardians of the health needs of the people who are most vulnerable and socially disadvantaged”. WHO

“Where people live affects their health and chances of leading flourishing lives. Communities and neighbourhoods that ensure access to basic goods, that are socially cohesive, that are designed to promote good physical and psychological wellbeing, and that are protective of the natural environment are essential for health equity.” Closing the gap in a generation report,WHO

The 4th Making Cities Liveable Conference will be a platform for Government and Industry sector professionals to discuss causes, effects and solutions that relate to population health, sustainability, natural resource management, transport, climate change and urban design and more.  Delegates will examine the impact of urban and transport planning on the health and well-being of the population and the planet.

We will examine public policy and social/community outcomes and consider what actions we can take to positively influence the ongoing debate.

+ Intensification of Regional Cities and Places
+ Impacts of buying local on Community Sustainability
+ Green Principles Green Design – The Future for Viable Healthy Cities

2. Coastal Urbanisation – Rapid Development Affecting Sense of Place

3. Climate Change Adaptation
+ Renewable Energy
+ Community Engagement
+ Natural Resource Management
+ Waste Reuse Technologies

4. Links between Environmental Sustainability and Human Health: the Co-benefits Framework
+ Population Health Management – immunisation, bio security, food safety and epidemic control
+ Managing Communicable Disease Outbreaks – Health Security
+ Child-friendly Cities – Physical Environments in our Cities and Neighbourhoods
+ Disaster Management – public welfare -  recovery and rebuild

5. Technology and its Place in Healthy Cities
6. Managing Legislation and Policy to achieve Healthy Cities

Submit an abstract here

Prestigious Waterfront Homes Now in No-Go Zones

Some areas of Queensland are so flood-prone they should never have been built on and should be declared no-go zones, according to an international disaster expert, Professor Ed Blakely, who says extreme weather events are becoming increasingly more frequent and far more devastating. While the Institute for Sustainable Development’s Professor George Earl says the flooding disaster underlines the need for adequate infrastructure to deal with the effects of climate change. “Areas which were prestigious in previous generations now are those very properties which are at most risk because of climate change and rising tidal waters”.

Professor Ed Blakely will keynote at the Healthy Cities Conference in Noosa in June 2011

Karen Kissane in The Age (15 January 2011):

An economist on Queensland’s Gold Coast says the Brisbane floods have highlighted the challenges that can confront waterfront property owners. Riverfront homes were among the thousands of properties inundated in south-east Queensland last week.  Around 180 real estate professionals from around the world are discussing the impact of climate change on property developments at a conference at Bond University this week.

The director of the Institute for Sustainable Development at Bond University, Professor George Earl, says the disaster underlines the need for adequate infrastructure to deal with the effects of climate change. “Areas which were prestigious in previous generations now are those very properties which are at most risk because of climate change and rising tidal waters etc,” he said. “I don’t think they will become less desirable or even less valuable – I think what it will do is heighten the emphasis on sustainable infrastructure. “There are some areas which have gone under in the last few days up in Brisbane which are quite OK to be built on.

“It is just that in fact we have to understand the infrastructure that’s needed not to protect just them, but the city in general has to be upgraded. “We have to do more significant work in terms of understanding the issues of climate change on real estate.” However, he says last week’s floods will not cause long-term damage to Brisbane property values. Professor Earl says the damage will not make south-east Queensland any less desirable to home-buyers or dramatically reduce prices. “In the short-term, it will probably stagnate them and probably make them go back somewhat,” he said. “But I think that as we start handling better the issues of climate change and real estate and urban planning, Brisbane and the Gold Coast will still be beautiful places to live.

By Charmaine Kane for ABC (17 January 2011):

Australia’s Biodiversity Conservation Strategy 2010-2030

“The Hon. Tony Burke MP, Australian Government Minister for Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population and Communities, and co-chair of the Natural Resource Management Ministerial Council, has released Australia’s Biodiversity Conservation Strategy 2010-2030 on behalf of the Natural Resource Management Ministerial Council. The strategy is an overarching national policy document guiding how governments, the community, farmers and other land managers, industry and scientists manage and protect Australia’s plants, animals and ecosystems over the next 20 years.”

A 10-point plan for coastal Australia

A 10-point plan for coastal Australia: Towards A Sustainable Future for Our Coast

86% of all Australians live along the coast yet the major challenges facing the nation’s coastal communities are not being properly addressed. Continuing growth and development is placing the coastal environment at risk. Coastal communities are at risk from the impact of climate change.  They are also at the forefront of having to deal with the impact of Australia’s ageing population.

 You can download the document from the National Seachange Taskforce website, http://www.seachangetaskforce.org.au/Publications/A10PointPlanforCoastalAustralia.pdf

Philadelphia Eagles to Power Stadium with On-Site Renewable Energy

The Philadelphia Eagles has plans to power Lincoln Financial Field with a combination of on-site wind, solar and dual-fuel generated electricity, which would make it the world’s first major sports stadium to convert to 100-percent on-site renewable energy. SolarBlue, a renewable energy and energy conservation company, will install approximately 80 20-foot spiral-shaped wind turbines on the top rim of the stadium and 2,500 solar panels on the stadium’s façade.

 The company also will build a 7.6-megawatt on-site dual-fuel cogeneration plant and install monitoring and switching technology to operate the system. Over the next year, SolarBlue will invest more than $30 million to build out the system. The project is expected to be complete in September 2011. SolarBlue will maintain and operate the stadium’s power system for the next 20 years at a fixed percent annual price increase in electricity, saving the Eagles an estimated $60 million in energy costs… more

Source: Environmental Leader