The Effect of Policy and Procedures on Tree-Lined Streets Increasing Urban Canopy in Sydney’S Western Parkland City

The Effect of Policy and Procedures on Tree-lined Streets Increasing Urban Canopy in Sydney’s Western Parkland City Christina Silk A thesis in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Philosophy Faculty of Built Environment January 2020 Thesis/Dissertation Sheet Surname/Family Name : Silk Given Name/s : Christina Abbreviation for degree as give in the University calendar : M.Phil Faculty : Built Environment School : Built Environment : Thesis Title The Effect of Policy and Procedures on Tree-lined Streets: Increasing Urban Canopy in Sydney’s Western Parkland City Abstract 350 words maximum: (PLEASE TYPE) Local residential streets that can support the growth of significant shade trees are critical for mitigating urban heat - an increasing public health risk in Western Sydney; and for increasing total urban canopy. In the state of New South Wales, regional and district plans for the rapidly developing suburbs of Western Sydney include a planning priority to increase urban canopy. However, planning controls that encourage increased density, combined with development models that continue to favour single-family, detached dwellings, result in decreased lot sizes with insufficient space to support canopy trees around homes or in the streetscape. Using a qualitative methodology, the research undertook a comparative analysis of local residential streets in two areas of the Camden Local Government Area in the metropolitan region of Western Sydney - one that was developed in the mid-1990s and the other constructed within the past three years. The investigation sought to reveal the spatial factors that contribute to the realisation of tree-lined streets. A tree-focussed reading of the urban planning and development controls, codes, guidelines and specifications that specifically apply to local streets was carried out to assess how these documents impact on the implementation of tree-lined streets. Council officers involved in the planning, design, certification and maintenance of streets were first interviewed individually and later participated together in a focus group discussion. Findings indicate that although there is political will to implement tree-lined local streets, codes and specifications for other infrastructure impact on the space available for trees. The research concludes that unless trees are accepted as a critical component of the streetscape, urban canopy will not increase and the potential for street trees to mitigate urban heat will not be realised. The discussion suggests actions for policy and for codes and practices that impact on trees. If implemented these actions would result in more tree-lined streets in Western Sydney. The actions could also be replicated in other jurisdictions. Declaration relating to disposition of project thesis/dissertation I hereby grant to the University of New South Wales or its agents a non-exclusive licence to archive and to make available (including to members of the public) my thesis or dissertation in whole or in part in the University libraries in all forms of media, now or here after known. I acknowledge that I retain all intellectual property rights which subsist in my thesis or dissertation, such as copyright and patent rights, subject to applicable law. I also retain the right to use all or part of my thesis or dissertation in future works (such as articles or books). Signature: Date: 17.01.2020 The University recognises that there may be exceptional circumstances requiring restrictions on copying or conditions on use. Requests for restriction for a period of up to 2 years can be made when submitting the final copies of your thesis to the UNSW Library. Requests for a longer period of restriction may be considered in exceptional circumstances and require the approval of the Dean of Graduate Research. ORIGINALITY STATEMENT ‘I hereby declare that this submission is my own work and to the best of my knowledge it contains no materials previously published or written by another person, or substantial proportions of material which have been accepted for the award of any other degree or diploma at UNSW or any other educational institution, except where due acknowledgement is made in the thesis. Any contribution made to the research by others, with whom I have worked at UNSW or elsewhere, is explicitly acknowledged in the thesis. I also declare that the intellectual content of this thesis is the product of my own work, except to the extent that assistance from others in the project's design and conception or in style, presentation and linguistic expression is acknowledged.’ Signed …………………………………………….............. Date ……………………………………………..............17.01.2020 COPYRIGHT STATEMENT ‘I hereby grant the University of New South Wales or its agents a non-exclusive licence to archive and to make available (including to members of the public) my thesis or dissertation in whole or part in the University libraries in all forms of media, now or here after known. I acknowledge that I retain all intellectual property rights which subsist in my thesis or dissertation, such as copyright and patent rights, subject to applicable law. I also retain the right to use all or part of my thesis or dissertation in future works (such as articles or books).’ ‘For any substantial portions of copyright material used in this thesis, written permission for use has been obtained, or the copyright material is removed from the final public version of the thesis.’ Signed ……………………………………………........................... Date ……………………………………………...............29.06.2020 ............... AUTHENTICITY STATEMENT ‘I certify that the Library deposit digital copy is a direct equivalent of the final officially approved version of my thesis.’ Signed ……………………………………………........................... Date ……………………………………………......................29.06.2020 ........ INCLUSION OF PUBLICATIONS STATEMENT UNSW is supportive of candidates publishing their research results during their candidature as detailed in the UNSW Thesis Examination Procedure. Publications can be used in their thesis in lieu of a Chapter if: • The candidate contributed greater than 50% of the content in the publication and is the “primary author”, ie. the candidate was responsible primarily for the planning, execution and preparation of the work for publication • The candidate has approval to include the publication in their thesis in lieu of a Chapter from their supervisor and Postgraduate Coordinator. • The publication is not subject to any obligations or contractual agreements with a third party that would constrain its inclusion in the thesis Please indicate whether this thesis contains published material or not: This thesis contains no publications, either published or submitted for publication ☒ Some of the work described in this thesis has been published and it has been ☐ documented in the relevant Chapters with acknowledgement This thesis has publications (either published or submitted for publication) ☐ incorporated into it in lieu of a chapter and the details are presented below CANDIDATE’S DECLARATION I declare that: • I have complied with the UNSW Thesis Examination Procedure • where I have used a publication in lieu of a Chapter, the listed publication(s) below meet(s) the requirements to be included in the thesis. Candidate’s Name Signature Date (dd/mm/yy) Christina Silk 17.01.2020 Acknowledgements Sincere thanks to my supervisors Professor Linda Corkery and Associate Professor Paul Osmond for their patience and support. Camden Council provided unlimited access to Council staff, data and resources. Council officers who are under pressure to deliver on the NSW Government’s planning priorities for the LGA were very generous with their time and their ideas. I found their commitment to the community and environment of the Camden Local Government Area inspiring. In particular, thanks to Tim Vyse who facilitated contact with staff and the Camden executive. Landcom provided funding in the form of the M. Phil Top Up Scholarship and also provided data for Oran Park. Thanks in particular to Michael Parsons and Nick Lennon. Thanks to Ali Gaunt for assisting with graphics. Final thanks go to my family and in particular my son Dasch. Christina Silk Table of Contents 1 Introduction ...................................................................................................... 1 1.1 Background ................................................................................................................... 3 1.2 Methodology ................................................................................................................. 4 1.3 Outcomes ...................................................................................................................... 4 1.4 Structure of the thesis .................................................................................................. 5 2 Literature review ............................................................................................... 7 2.1 Introduction .................................................................................................................. 7 2.2 Background of the discipline of landscape architecture and theoretical foundation of the research .............................................................................................................................. 7 2.3 The planning context .................................................................................................... 8 2.3.1 The Environmental Planning and Assessment Act

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