THE nation’s largest insurers have unanimously rejected proposals for mandatory flood cover and supported calls for a new government inquiry into disaster mitigation to find better ways to protect against natural catastrophes… more
Category Archives: Natural Resource Management
What happened to the Consolidation of Coastal Sydney?
The urbanisation of Coastal Sydney requires a process of Consolidation that responds to the rapid growth of the population in Sydney, which is expected to increase by 1.7 million people in the year 2036.
True consolidation is the densification of residential zones within close proximity to the city, whilst retaining their original sense of place and making efficient use of existing and/or improved infrastructure. However, Local governments within close proximity to the Sydney CBD area, address this issue by rezoning industrial and commercial zones near the CBD to residential zones. Simultaneously existing industrial & commercial zones are transferred to the Greenfield zones in the west, north and south of the CBD, where new stretched infrastructure routes are required thus further damaging the environment & contributing to Urban sprawl.
An examination of the planning instruments of Local Governments over a 30 year period, provides reason as to why the rapid development Coastal Sydney is occurring in the outer Greenfields of the CBD. The urbanisation of established Coastal Sydney is developing at a very slow rate, with only a few examples of good consolidation in inner city suburbs, where a sense of place has been retained and zones of employment opportunities grow with them.
The approach of ‘True Consolidation’ where there is a respect to retained existing building uses and zones, would also assist with the greater challenges of Green design & climate change. Adaptive reuse of non residential structure with greater emphasis and preference to non residential uses will achieve improved sustainable objectives as well as retention of heritage and sense of place for all those who use such structures and/or live nearby.
Joshua Farkash, Director, Joshua Farkash & Associates
Making Cities Liveable Conference – July 2011 Qld
The Myths of Recovery – Ed Blakely
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
Can Families Afford to Live in Rural areas: the Inequity of Food Distribution
There are many incentives for lower income people to move to urban centres. Often there are more employment opportunities, especially in less skilled areas. Government departments often seem to focus their resources on urban areas and public transport options in the urban centres make mobility possible for low income earners. However, competition for housing and the rental prices associated with a city address often make basic needs inaccessible for the low income urban family.
Are low income rural families any better off? Although housing is often more accessible and more affordable, this paper presents findings from a food equity analysis undertaken at ten locations across the Northern Rivers region in NSW. Our results indicate that a family without a car and with the median household income (for that particular town) will need to spend well over one third of their income to buy food for their family. Our study reveals the dramatic difference in the cost of a nutritionally adequate, low cost weekly diet, for urban families in comparison to rural families.
Dr Lila Singh Peterson, Regional Futures Institute
Healthy Cities: 4th Making Cities Liveable Conference
Wednesday 27th to Friday 29th July 2011
The Outrigger Little Hastings Street Resort & Spa NOOSA, Queensland
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
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
Heckman Equation – invest in early human development
”Outcomes in education, health and sociability greatly influence our nation’s economic productivity and future. Achieving better outcomes in these areas will create far greater productivity and prosperity than simply cutting spending to reduce deficits”
See the interview here: http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=10100155527219023
Healty Cities: 4th Making Cities Liveable Conference – July 28th – 29th 2011
The 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.
Visit the conference website: www.heathycities.com.au
