creating sustainable precincts

co-lead sponsors: lead Sponsors foreword

buildings – does not apply. Nor governments We started this ebook in late July with a handing down planning tablets from on high; salon to thrash out the key issues around today that’s a sure way to political extinction. creating sustainable precincts. Subversive because the hardware of building By sustainable precincts we mean cities is almost irrelevant. It’s the immaterial mixed-use greenfield, brownfield, infill or “software” of the city that will drive its revitalisation projects that, because of success or failure, argues Ingo Kumic in their scale and mix, provide opportunities an article in this book. This needs to factor for greater connectivity, leading to greater in the new economic models emerging, sustainability, innovation, economic and part capitalist market and part collaborative supporting Sponsor social outcomes. commons, he says.

We knew it would be an intriguing topic. It Subversive too because in the face of turned out to be one of the most exciting you advancing climate change, it’s clear that could think of – vast and highly subversive. with our future precincts we need to throw Exciting because creating precincts – and out the old concept of sustainability as a they absolutely need to be sustainable – three-legged stool giving equal weighting calls for the best and brightest. They need to environment, social and economic to be integrated, renewable with energy, outcomes. Environment needs to be at the sustainable with water and deliver on top of a pyramid because without it we don’t multiple complex needs for the community get the benefits and joys of the other two. and economy. This is not a comprehensive book on Vast, because the challenge is so immense. creating sustainable precincts. But it’s the No less than accommodating the influx start of a conversation we all need to have of humanity that wants to live in cities. on creating our future cities. A job for us all. Fishermans Bend in Melbourne is a 40- year project. The Bays Precinct in Sydney, A massive thanks to our supporting and unveiled in an international summit in deeply engaged co-lead sponsors AECOM November, has 80 hectares of industrial and Flow Systems, and to supporting waterfront land two kilometres from the CBD. sponsor Waverley Council, without whose help and encouragement this project would Subversive because more than anything it’s not have been possible. clear sustainable precincts mean everything has to change; we can’t build cities the way Tina Perinotto, we used to. The old model of development Managing editor and publisher, – by single buildings or even clusters of The Fifth Estate Together we ensure cities emerge stronger and smarter, delivering more productive economies and connecting communities. aecom.com/connectedcities Yesterday a public water utility. Today Flow Systems.

Reduce water infrastructure costs. Save time and money. World’s best innovation. Create a sustainable water community with Flow Systems.

[email protected] 1300 803 803

6 7 SHAPING THE FUTURE OF BONDI JUNCTION index tĂǀĞƌůĞLJŽƵŶĐŝůŚĂƐĂǀŝƐŝŽŶĨŽƌŽŶĚŝ:ƵŶĐƟŽŶƚŽƌĞĂĐŚŝƚƐƉŽƚĞŶƟĂů ĂƐĂǁŽƌůĚͲĐůĂƐƐƵƌďĂŶĐĞŶƚƌĞƐĞƌǀŝĐŝŶŐ^LJĚŶĞLJ͛ƐĂƐƚĞƌŶ^ƵďƵƌďƐ͘ INTRODUCTION Foreword page 3 The Challenge page 10

Green Electrical Green /ŶĨƌĂƐƚƌƵĐƚƵƌĞ Vehicle /ŶĨƌĂƐƚƌƵĐƚƵƌĞ THE MAIN EVENT Charging The Sustainable Precincts Salon page 24

Social and community outcomes Embracing the 20-minute City page 62 WŽƚĞŶƟĂůƐŽůƵƟŽŶƐƵŶĚĞƌŝŶǀĞƐƟŐĂƟŽŶ Creating Walkable Communities page 66 Placemaking: Adelaide page 72 Culture: The Gold Coast page 78

HOw to Precincts in Seven Steps page 82

WŽƚĞŶƟĂůƐŽůƵƟŽŶƐƵŶĚĞƌŝŶǀĞƐƟŐĂƟŽŶ /ŵĂŐĞƐĐŽƵƌƚĞƐLJŽĨZŽďĞƌƚƐĂLJĂŶĚŶĚĞƌƐŽŶ,ƵŶƚĞƌ,ŽƌŶĞ IDEAS

dŚƌŽƵŐŚĂŶƵŵďĞƌŽĨƌĞǀŝƚĂůŝƐĂƟŽŶƉƌŽũĞĐƚƐtĂǀĞƌůĞLJŽƵŶĐŝů REVITALISE & RENEW Mainstreaming Sustainable Precincts page 88 ǁĂŶƚƐŽŶĚŝ:ƵŶĐƟŽŶƚŽďĞĐŽŵĞĂŚƵďŽĨƐƵƐƚĂŝŶĂďŝůŝƚLJ͕ĐŽŵƉůĞƚĞ tŽƌŬŝƐĂůƌĞĂĚLJƵŶĚĞƌǁĂLJƚŽƌĞǀŝƚĂůŝƐĞŽŶĚŝ:ƵŶĐƟŽŶ͕ŝŶĐůƵĚŝŶŐ͗ ǁŝƚŚŐƌĞĂƚƉůĂĐĞƐ͕ĂĐƟǀĞƐƚƌĞĞƚƐ͕ĂĐĐĞƐƐŝďůĞƚƌĂŶƐƉŽƌƚ͕ĚĞƐŝŐŶ Enabling Networks: Moving on from Precincts page 98 ͻ ƌĞĂƟŶŐƐƚƌĞĞƚƐǁŝƚŚǁŝĚĞƌĨŽŽƚƉĂƚŚƐ͕ƚƌĞĞƐĂŶĚƐĞƉĂƌĂƚĞĚ ĞdžĐĞůůĞŶĐĞĂŶĚĞĸĐŝĞŶƚďƵŝůĚŝŶŐƐ͘ cycleways tĂǀĞƌůĞLJŽƵŶĐŝůĐĂŶ͛ƚĂĐŚŝĞǀĞĂďĞƩĞƌŽŶĚŝ:ƵŶĐƟŽŶĂůŽŶĞ͘ ͻ /ŶƐƚĂůůŝŶŐƌĂŝŶŐĂƌĚĞŶƐƚŽƌĞŵŽǀĞƐƚŽƌŵǁĂƚĞƌƉŽůůƵƚĂŶƚƐ Precincts and our Health page 102 tĞĂƌĞǁŽƌŬŝŶŐǁŝƚŚůŽĐĂůƉƌŽƉĞƌƚLJŽǁŶĞƌƐĂŶĚƚŚĞĐŽŵŵƵŶŝƚLJ ͻ hƉŐƌĂĚŝŶŐƚŚĞĨĂĐĂĚĞŽĨĂƐƚŐĂƚĞ ƚŽĐƌĞĂƚĞĂƐŵĂƌƚĞƌ͕ŵŽƌĞůŝǀĞĂďůĞĐŝƚLJ͘ ͻ /ŵƉƌŽǀŝŶŐĂĐĐĞƐƐƚŽƚŚĞďƵƐĂŶĚƌĂŝůŝŶƚĞƌĐŚĂŶŐĞ Regeneration: Tackling the Greyfields page 106 dŚĞĨŽĐƵƐŝƐŽŶŽŶĚŝ:ƵŶĐƟŽŶďĞĐĂƵƐĞ͗ ͻ ĞǀĞůŽƉŝŶŐĂ'ƌĞĞŶ/ŶĨƌĂƐƚƌƵĐƚƵƌĞDĂƐƚĞƌƉůĂŶ ͻ ϰϬйŽĨŽƵƌtĂǀĞƌůĞLJĐŽŵŵƵŶŝƚLJŐƌĞĞŶŚŽƵƐĞŐĂƐĞŵŝƐƐŝŽŶƐ ͻ ŽůůĂďŽƌĂƟŶŐǁŝƚŚƉƌŽƉĞƌƚLJŽǁŶĞƌƐƚŚƌŽƵŐŚƚŚĞƵŝůĚŝŶŐ ĂƌĞĂƩƌŝďƵƚĂďůĞƚŽŽŶĚŝ:ƵŶĐƟŽŶ &ƵƚƵƌĞƐWĂƌƚŶĞƌƐŚŝƉ Global views, local potential ͻ KǀĞƌϮϭ͘ϰŵŝůůŝŽŶƉĞŽƉůĞǀŝƐŝƚŽŶĚŝ:ƵŶĐƟŽŶĞĂĐŚLJĞĂƌ ͻ ĞǀĞůŽƉŝŶŐĂŶĞĐŽŶŽŵŝĐƐƚƌĂƚĞŐLJƚŽƉƌŽŵŽƚĞĂŵŝdžŽĨƐĞƌǀŝĐĞƐ ͻ ŽŶĚŝ:ƵŶĐƟŽŶŚĂƐϲϱйŵŽƌĞƉĞĚĞƐƚƌŝĂŶƐƚŚĂŶŝƌĐƵůĂƌYƵĂLJ ĂŶĚĂĐƟǀŝƟĞƐ On the Importance of Cities page 112 ͻ KdžĨŽƌĚ^ƚƌĞĞƚ͕ŽŶĚŝ:ƵŶĐƟŽŶŝƐƚŚĞŶŝŶƚŚďƵƐŝĞƐƚďŝŬĞƌŽƵƚĞ ͻ WƌŽŵŽƟŶŐďƵŝůĚŝŶŐĚĞƐŝŐŶĞdžĐĞůůĞŶĐĞ ŝŶƵƐƚƌĂůŝĂ͘ ͻ džƉĂŶĚŝŶŐĂīŽƌĚĂďůĞŚŽƵƐŝŶŐ͘ A Sustainable Precinct Opportunity Ready to Go page 120 dŚĞƐĞĂƌĞũƵƐƚĂĨĞǁĞdžĂŵƉůĞƐŽĨtĂǀĞƌůĞLJŽƵŶĐŝů͛ƐĐŽŵŵŝƚŵĞŶƚ ƚŽƌĞĂůŝƐŝŶŐƚŚĞƉŽƚĞŶƟĂůŽĨŽŶĚŝ:ƵŶĐƟŽŶ͘ Key Precincts Under Development page 124

&ŽƌŵŽƌĞŝŶĨŽƌŵĂƟŽŶĂďŽƵƚƉƌŽũĞĐƚƐŚĂƉƉĞŶŝŶŐŝŶŽŶĚŝ:ƵŶĐƟŽŶ͕ĐŽŶƚĂĐƚ͗ 'ƌĞĞŶ/ŶĨƌĂƐƚƌƵĐƚƵƌĞWƌŽũĞĐƚDĂŶĂŐĞƌ W͗ϬϮϵϯϲϵϴϭϭϵ͗ŐĞŶĞǀŝĞǀĞ͘ǁŝůƐŽŶΛǁĂǀĞƌůĞLJ͘ŶƐǁ͘ŐŽǀ͘ĂƵ ŽƌǀŝƐŝƚ͗ǁǁǁ͘ǁĂǀĞƌůĞLJ͘ŶƐǁ͘ŐŽǀ͘ĂƵ Sustainable precincts in cities of the future

By Lynne Blundell 10 11 An artist’s impression of the Green Square precinct development in Sydney (front).

By 2030 the number of people living in cities globally is expected to be around five billion.

most pressing problems by taking the pressure of existing energy, water and transport infrastructure and helping to lower carbon emissions.

Jorge Chapa, the Green Building Council of Australia’s executive director, Green Star, says the number of large master planned developments will continue to grow as urban pressures increase. The truly sustainable ones Global urbanisation is growing at Precincts are popping up across expected to generate more than 40,000 will stand out as much for their social an unprecedented rate and, with Australia. In Sydney there are several jobs during construction and beyond. outcomes as environmental ones. it, pressure on city infrastructure being developed in the inner city, systems and natural environments. including Barangaroo, Central Park In Darwin a large urban renewal project, The GBCA’s Communities rating tool is and Green Square, with others in the Avenue, will be the city’s first aimed at both measuring and encouraging By 2030 the number of people living in the planning stage, such as Central sustainable precinct. And Canberra’s these outcomes. There are 38 indicators cities globally is expected to be around to Eveleigh and AMP Capital’s Quay 40,000 square metre precinct for measuring sustainability of precincts, five billion; in Australia our population is Quarter precinct. The latest to be development by Rock Development or master planned developments, as the forecast to grow to 35 million by 2050, announced, the Bays Precinct, will see Group, the loop, features rooftop solar GBCA prefers to call them. with 85 per cent of people living in cities. vast tracts of industrial land in Sydney’s panels, advanced geothermal systems, Sustainable precincts that generate their inner west transformed into housing, water harvesting and rooftop gardens. “If we look at what we are trying to own power, recycle water and waste commercial and retail space. achieve overall it is creating places for and have high aspirations for social It is a trend that is likely to accelerate. people,” Chapa says. “They must be outcomes such as affordable housing In Queensland Stockland’s mega Developers, city councils and urban economically sustainable, liveable, well and public transport could be the key to precinct development at Caloundra planners believe precincts could designed, minimise their environmental sustaining mega cities of the future. South covers 2310 hectares and is provide many of the answers to our impact and be managed well long term.” 12 13 Left: Jorge Chapa, GBCA Places must be economically sustainable, The program aims to reduce The plan is to develop integrated tools for the carbon footprint of precinct demand forecasting at the precinct level, liveable, well designed, infrastructure through the development covering energy, transport, waste and minimise environmental of better tools and planning techniques water and design and assessment tools that will make low carbon infrastructure for precincts, focusing on low carbon impact and be managed valuable and desirable to buyers. The performance. This will be followed with well long term. hope is that this will assist property analysis of the health and productivity developers and local government benefits of low carbon precincts. partners to provide new low carbon infrastructure as well as to redevelop and retrofit existing developments. A sustainable precinct tries The CRCLCL is focusing on better to create amenity, a sense education and training in building of place and be resilient information modelling (BIM) and Unlike a typical development of 1000 Adelaide, the University of Melbourne and extending the technology to a new economically and to dwellings, a sustainable precinct would RMIT. The first rating was awarded to precinct scale (PIM) platform. try to create amenity, a sense of place Brisbane Airport in December 2014. climate change. and be resilient economically and to climate change, Chapa says. “We’re hoping that once we get some results out there more of the big “For example, in terms of economic developers will come on board, that ones viability, we look at factors such as who may not have thought it was for whether it relies on being located near them will see the benefit,” Chapa says. one industry such as the car industry. What happens if that closes?” The Cooperative Research Centre for Low Carbon Living, or CRCLCL, The tool encourages a balanced which brings together property outcome, with developments having to development, planning, engineering achieve a minimum number of points and policy organisations with leading in each category. It is not possible Australian researchers, has a number to balance poor performance in one of research projects in the pipeline area with higher points in another. relating to precincts, one on low Participants must be reassessed every carbon precincts and another on five years to make sure they have engaged communities. achieved and maintained their targets. The Low Carbon Precincts program Still in its pilot phase, the Communities tool focuses on reducing the carbon footprint so far has 20 registered projects, including of urban systems, with an emphasis on developments such as Barangaroo, the interlinked aspects of energy, water, Caloundra South, Bowden Village in waste, transport and buildings. 14 15 Left: Professor Deo Prasad, CRC for Low Carbon Living. Centre: Dr Ed Blakely, US Studies Centre. Right: The Bo01 precinct in the city of Malmö, Sweden.

As part of its research, the CRC has stakeholders in developing a vision of concerns, the more likely you are to sustainable precincts by reinforcing been running workshops with key how future cities should be is vital. They have good outcomes,” Blakely says. existing districts. The first development, stakeholders in capital cities to visualise must then find a way to make these Bo01, was designed to use and what low carbon cities will look like in cities a reality. Anchoring precincts with infrastructure produce 100 per cent locally renewable 2040. In the Sydney and Melbourne such as a sporting stadium, shopping energy over the course of a year. workshops participants had identical These visions may also “flag disruptive centre, commercial area or educational Buildings receive energy from solar, wind visions of their future cities – ones innovations that, like the steam engine, institution can create a social hub. and a heat pump that extracts heat from could completely change the way we live”. with decentralised and more socially “That’s what we’re doing in [the an aquifer, facilitating seasonal storage engaged precincts where people “This visionary process will provide a redevelopment of] Parramatta Square – of heat and cold water in the limestone actively participate in government. better understanding of how our cities will we’re creating a commercial precinct,” strata underground. Project leader and director of the Victorian evolve and what the research, capacity Blakely says. Fort Collins in the US and areas of New Ecoinnovation Lab (VEIL) Professor building and policy needs are required to York City have created sustainable make this transition,” Prasad says. Looking to other countries and cities Chris Ryan says leading urban planners where precincts have already proved precincts through retrofits, while from each city believed that to be resilient successful could also help their in Europe new villages and towns to extreme weather and to become low Put people first development here. The city of Malmö in have been developed as sustainable carbon both cities need to move away precincts. In Seattle and Oregon in the Dr Ed Blakely, honorary professor of southern Sweden has been transformed from the centralised management under US, areas have been nominated for the urban policy, US Studies Centre, says from an industrial city into a series of which they currently operate. development of low energy precincts. precincts are important for future cities “Ultimately social networks will be because they provide the necessary “They always start with energy and water different as we will change the way we scale to put in place decentralised – the natural processes – [which] can be build and operate as a society – which water, energy and waste services. But linked together. Portland [Oregon] is doing will be more networked and localised he firmly believes that getting the social The way you connect a lot of this. In fact they have created a infrastructure right first is essential when with decentralised systems of transport, up physical forms precincts institution that is putting together energy, food and water supply with creating any kind of sustainable precinct. precincts districts anwd issuing green localised economies,” Ryan says. such as energy is not bonds so that precinct infrastructure can “People’s behaviour at the end of the be funded,” Blakely says. According to chief executive for the day is really what determines what necessarily the way CRCLCL Professor Deo Prasad, our environment will be. The more you you connect up people, “For the most part development of engaging planners and other integrate people into the environmental precincts around the world is taking says Ed Blakely. 16 17 Left: Monica Barone, City of Sydney.

Right: Bruce Taper, Kinesis. a very physical form. But the way you “We’ll have a combination of solar connect up physical forms such as power and battery storage. And energy energy is not necessarily the way you from commercial buildings will be used connect up people.” by residential areas when nobody is in the office buildings,” Blakely says. So far in Australia the ability of precincts to create their own power and water networks has been hampered by Precincts the key to dense It’s time to build a business case to convince regulators and existing regulations and governments cities of the future politicians on the value of precincts, Monica Barone says. slow to set sustainability targets, Monica Barone, chief executive officer environmental or social. at the City of Sydney, says precincts are key to the dense, diverse, varied cities we need. They house the labour force In Australia the ability needed for cities and provide the type of process for every site confuses people. engage the community to say these of precincts to create amenity people want. If planned properly If you go to a developer and say, ‘What are our expectations and we expect no they provide the opportunity to export do you want to put here?’, they’ll just less? This then pushes politicians to put their own power and energy and recycled water and remove put what they want on a piece of land. in place the legislation that enables it.” water networks has been some of the burden from existing But if you tell them they have to be centralise water and energy networks. carbon positive and water positive and Barriers are philosophical hampered by existing have 10 per cent affordable housing regulations. To achieve this, however, state that’s what they’ll do. And that is what not technical governments need to have clear targets they do in other parts of the world Bruce Taper, director at Kinesis, for energy, water, social housing, because they’re made to,” Barone says. says the barriers to achieving truly affordable housing, jobs and active Ed Blakely believes existing energy and sustainable precincts are not technical transport. States and cities need to set targets but philosophical. In some cases energy water providers will probably fight to for what they want to achieve and then the bitter end but that decentralised As part of its 2030 plan, the City providers or network owners may resist develop methodology to achieve those new ways of connecting power to systems are inevitable. He sees the of Sydney has ambitions to create targets. Local government can only coal industry as another major obstacle sustainable precincts across the city, precincts simply because it differs to enact laws that are already there so their usual protocols. Companies such to moving to cleaner forms of energy, particularly in the numerous urban if state or federal governments don’t particularly with its ongoing support renewal sites such as Green Square as Kinesis often act as a go-between in have clear targets for sustainability it such cases. from government. and Barangaroo. At Green Square the impedes progress. City’s preferred option of a trigeneration “They might resist because what is But we are on the brink of a new era power plant had to be abandoned due It is time, Barone says, to build a where our garbage will go down chutes being proposed is not the norm but if to regulatory obstacles. business case to convince regulators you talk to them it is often possible to into gardens to be recycled, we’ll and politicians on the value of precincts. harvest and recycle water and put our “At the moment there is no agreed find solutions. Most technical issues are excess back into the system, just as we urban renewal methodology so we “How do we build a call to action and resolvable if the information is on the will with power. start from scratch each time. A different then a policy around that? How do we table,” Taper says. 18 19 Activating precincts: Art, Not Apart at the New Acton precinct in Canberra. Image: Alex Moffatt. James Rosenwax, managing director will increase as car use decreases. Design + Planning at AECOM, believes it Gen Y are much more concerned is from the local, or community level, that with connecting on social media or real progress will come for sustainable exchanging and collaborating virtually precinct development. Precincts by their rather than sitting in a car and in traffic,” nature fit in with many current trends, Rosenwax says. such as collective ways of thinking about Precincts provide an collaborating and sharing, common to That attitude also extends to how open Gen Y and younger generations. space is used, hence the demand for opportunity to build the laneway revitalisation, small bars, pop- social infrastructure needed “It’s all about scale,” Rosenwax up shops and collective ownership. says. “There’s greater opportunity to for high-density living. achieve outcomes for society and the And the time may not be too far off community if we look at things at scale when people become tired of waiting for rather than at an individual allotment. governments to get funding together for There are critical mass benefits in terms improving open space and building new of energy, the way we share energy, and infrastructure. Precincts should not be treated like precinct ecosystems where the waste “Collective ownership is huge. There islands but have to connect with the of one can go to the benefit of another. is an upsurge around the world of infrastructure and systems around them. Plus public open space can be better crowd sourcing and crowd funding to By aggregating the big picture of what planned to allow for changing needs improve open space without waiting for should be happening within an area, and to meet generational expectations.” local government or the public sector such as the inner city, it is then possible to do it. It’s like the guerrilla gardening to do strategic planning. Collective ownership movement that appeared a few years “There are so many examples of missed will drive change ago – at first local government pushed opportunities where a silo approach was He points out generational expectations adopted and developers only focused are driving demand for apartment living on their particular interest. That’s totally White Bay power station, and denser cities. Precincts are an obvious Bays Precinct The key is to have information ready early. understandable because they were only fit, providing an opportunity to build both Often the request for some technical required to focus on what they were the social and other infrastructure needed aspect of a development comes too late doing,” Taper says. for high density living. Vertical services and in the day. Things like predictive analytics facilities and childcare and schools are helps people from each side talk to each The state government has a role in easy to incorporate. other and to plan early. investing in public infrastructure that will make precincts work, possibly in “Younger generations are less “If you come in at the last moment and partnership with the private sector. It concerned with physical assets like say you need a connection for a high is also necessary for cities and state owning the best car available. They’re pressure gas main or to connect to a governments to line up their goals and much more concerned with the large fuel cell you’re likely to come up visions to achieve better outcomes at a experience, so public transport use against resistance,” Taper says. local level. 20 21 back on that but then they realised “We need to provide a structure that We need to work the benefits and developed a policy to allows for future commercial but allow people to operate gardens on responds to the immediate needs, out how we access government-owned land. which are potentially residential and superannuation funds retail. Adaptability in the structure to allow the mums plans, the master plans and also in the Community and buildings is essential. The buildings and dads to invest. Or in precincts need to be able to be through green bonds. stakeholder engagement retrofitted for change of use.” is probably our biggest The backbone of the precinct, transport challenge in the short term. and access is less flexible and lasts four or five generations. But it is critical and government must invest in this “I think as the demand of the local infrastructure if precincts are to work. community increases Council will adopt policy to allow people to take “Funding is an obstacle. We ownership of not only the creation need to work out how we access and use of open space but also the superannuation funds to allow the operation of open space.” mums and dads to invest. Or through green bonds,” Rosenwax says. Traditionally contractors took on this role but scarce local government Conflicting land ownership and use resources is likely to see the trend is also a major roadblock, and to increase. Body corporates within overcome this government must precincts could take on responsibility for engage with different authorities and public amenities and spaces. local communities to communicate the benefits of urban renewal and infill Pushing through the development. barriers “Community and stakeholder Mr Rosenwax nominated some key engagement is probably our biggest barriers and some ideas for pushing challenge in the short term. Getting forward. Adaptability is critical for community and ministerial buy-in precincts. For example, in the Central for developments such as the Bays to Eveleigh precinct development, it is Precinct, where there are numerous unlikely that commercial space will be competing land use interests, is viable from day one due to the large challenging. But engagement is very number of developments taking place important for communicating the within the city, including massive ones benefits to the community beyond such as Barangaroo. the precinct.” 22 23 The Fifth Estate Salon on Sustainable Precincts

Sydney 31 July 2014 24 25 On 31 July 2014 The Fifth Estate Many felt the private sector would have Guests (pictured, left to right): The Fifth hosted The Salon on Sustainable to take the lead and just “do it” anyway, Precincts in Sydney. rather than waiting for government to • James Rosenwax – Managing find the will. Director, Design + Planning, AECOM Estate Salon The event brought together a group • Monica Barone – Chief Executive of people with considerable clout on Sustainable Some predicted communities would Officer, City of Sydney in the creation of sustainable urban take ownership of public space, using • Terry Leckie – Founder and precincts – places that aim to use crowd sourcing and funding to get the Managing Director, Flow Systems Precincts less power and water, create less sort of urban environments they want. By Lynne Blundell waste and have high aspirations for • Peter Monks, Director Planning and social equity, including better public And others believed new funding models Environmental Services, Waverley transport and affordable housing. such as green bonds are needed to Council overcome the lack of public funding for • Dr Ed Blakely – Honorary Professor Guests at the salon were developers, urban precincts and new cleaner energy, of Urban Policy, US Studies Centre urban planners, administrators and water and transport infrastructure. experts on sustainable delivery of • David Rolls – Chief Executive water, power and transport. They were It was a night full of debate, ideas and, Officer – Commercial, Mirvac passionate in their views about the at times, frustration. Ultimately it was • Michelle Tabet, placemaking need for leadership from government a chance for like minded people to consultant come together and try to find solutions and better planning policy for more • Jonathan Emery, Managing Director, for better ways of creating sustainable sustainable cities. Urban Regeneration, Lend Lease urban environments. • Bruce Taper – Director, Kinesis 26 27 Monica Barone

let you build beyond the line and think and interconnectedness is important. It about surrounding precincts. can be defined by performance targets for emissions, water, affordability and I think we should agree that precincts connectivity. Then you design it to can’t be isolated because a whole achieve those objectives. lot of problems come out of isolated precincts. You can cannibalise on It’s finding the scale to achieve the a precinct, which is not healthy for outcome you want that defines it. anyone economically or socially. You will have multiple outcomes. For example if you want to establish People talk about a precinct as a decentralised energy plants you will community, but a building can be a need a certain scale to achieve that. community. Perhaps that’s not the Boundaries are fluid – for example you right definition. But then think about may shop and work in one street but diversity – that’s kind of getting towards use a childcare centre in another. a precinct. Then scale – scale has been very important to precincts – where Peter Monks: Monica Barone, City of “What are the issues we see coming out you can begin to operate beyond the Once you start drawing lines on a map Sydney chief executive officer, of new precincts such as Barangaroo, single lot and gain a net benefit, a net it’s a limiting thing rather than an opened proceedings with an Green Square and Central Park? What community benefit from interrelated empowering thing. It’s more important acknowledgement of country. are the trends and the lessons from connections. You can’t define it by that you work out what it is you’re around the world? size. It’s an interconnected system that trying to do and have a conversation Terry Leckie, on behalf of co-lead derives benefit from being connected. with the community and get everyone sponsor Flow Systems, thanked guests “This opportunity to talk with a whole as much in the right direction as you for attending and outlined the thoughts lot of like-minded people is fantastic. Monica Barone: can possibly get and then be very behind the Precincts Salon. He talked There’s a whole host of views in the Another way of looking at it is by the organic with the process. of the need to understand the real room I’m sure, and I’m quite excited things you want to achieve. I think scale meaning of sustainable precincts and about the prospect of that.” Bruce Taper: The precinct boundary allows you to get the systems that support them. The James Rosenwax Salon, Terry said, was an opportunity Defining precincts focus but you’re always looking outside for those involved in creating precincts Before the discussion got into full to share ideas and lessons learnt so that swing guests agreed it was important barriers could be more easily overcome. to define exactly what was meant by a We should agree that “As an industry, we’re on to about precinct. When setting boundaries for precincts can’t be our second or third generation a precinct, “How far do you go beyond learnings,” he said. “How do we share the building?” Ed Blakely asked. isolated, because a whole those lessons learnt with others that lot of problems come out James Rosenwax: have gone through the same process, The problem is the dictionary talks about of isolated precincts. so as an industry we can accelerate a precinct as being defined by a line or the implementation of thriving and boundary and that’s where precincts fail progressive precincts? when you have a hard line. That doesn’t 28 29 Terry Leckie

of that… I think what Peter [Monks] If we want to get from BAU to the kind regulators. Here are some examples and said is important – keep the boundaries of city and the kind of future we want, this is how it’s working, and now we’re fluid depending on what you want to we’re not going to do it by waiting for going to apply it to Green Square.” achieve. There’s a difference between every layer of government to understand Ed Blakely: land use precinct planning and mega the idea. We’ve got to get in a room and They can stop a good initiative like projects. A mega project does have a do it together. It’s collaborative. you’re talking about by pointing out line on a map. But part of the success [First you need to share a vision, but that the law says such and such. With of innovators like Terry [Leckie] and that is far too rare, others in the room water they make you pay [for going others like Mirvac and Lend Lease said. “What’s missing is a target for outside the system] so it gets to the when working with cities like City of decentralised energy, or a target for point [where] you almost have to take Sydney or Waverley is that there’s integrated precincts, or affordable the water they provide rather than use broader thinking outside of the property housing.” A shared vision would see the water that comes out of the sky. boundaries to actually make things sing so much more energy pumped into that wouldn’t work otherwise. outcomes. If we want to get from BAU Working outside the square [Unique opportunities for world’s best to the kind of future we Many of the guests were deeply practice urban renewal precincts are here regulator and they’re trying to catch now, the room heard. What’s needed troubled by the lack of leadership up. Governments and planners should want, we’re not going to from government in planning more is for the developers, government and focus on trying to make things happen government agencies to change the rules do it by waiting for every sustainable cities. And the drive to take rather than how to regulate and contain the lead and just “do it” anyway, rather for a particular site and see whether it layer of government to innovation in a framework. works, then maybe the new rules could than waiting for government to find the understand. We’ve got to get will, was palpable. Ed Blakely: be rolled out elsewhere. For example, But people get penalised for not if there is no rule for thermal energy in a room and do it together. James Rosenwax: following regulations. meters, let’s use the regulations used For generations, we’ve relied on the in some other country – England, for public sector to provide planning Terry Leckie: instance. You could have similar trials David Rolls: and information for us – they’re But there are ways of not getting for decentralised water. But government [When setting up] a private energy there to upgrade our streetscape or penalised – you work with it. There’s an agencies don’t think like that, so it network you have to pay for the profit parking. I think other forces are at evolution and we come up with solutions. doesn’t happen, the room heard.] loss to the energy supplier… play now. Technological advances are Technology is helping us with that. transforming how we live and interact Terry Leckie: Bruce Taper: within our communities. When we Monica Barone: That’s the brick wall. But what we’ve And technically in many ways the grid’s think about precincts, it’s technology What you’re describing is exactly had to do is deliver a solution and say, your friend. I think the problem for you that is contributing to a greater sense how it should happen. It is how the “What about this?”. The regulators guys is the regulation is patchy. In WA, of ownership by communities of how City of Sydney tries to work. We say, almost have to run to keep up. Think a project in Perth we kicked off with the space can be best used. “Here is where we’d like to be.” We about Central Park in Chippendale, utility was going to put money on the look at where BAU will get us in terms Sydney. Its already got thermal meters table to encourage a bunch of private Terry Leckie: of emissions and water and energy. and we’re billing off them. Very soon sector developers. On one of the projects Certainly in private water, given What’s the gap between BAU and where Barangaroo will be doing that as we’re working on with one of the it’s a new area, we’re ahead of the we want to get? What are the barriers? well. And so you say, “Hang on you regional authorities they actually offered 30 31 a lowered fixed tariff for anyone within And this is the hard bit where the private sector should be ahead of the of sustainable precincts and yet right the physical boundaries of that project… leadership falls down for people. Public regulator, working outside the power in our back yard we have some really sector utilities are going to have to grid and current water network to push great examples. There are so many Terry Leckie: move fast, create new revenue streams, innovation, some suggested. opportunities with the number of Was that because of the constraint innovate with technology and treat developments going on. within the network, or they would have customers like there is no longer a The view was that state and federal had to invest? monopoly. I believe the politicians and governments don’t share city councils’ vision of sustainable Bruce Taper: the governments are starting to get it but Public sector utilities are the regulatory framework to make that cities and do not have targets for Well I would argue it was because of going to have to move work for public and private utilities alike decentralised energy, integrated beautiful analytics but the reality of precincts or affordable housing. it was I think we got away from the is still a long way off. fast, create new revenue message that we were trying to take Terry Leckie: Terry Leckie: streams, innovate with over the grid. Here the city of Perth It’s a bit of a shift because with I think you’ve got to take the problem technology and treat was saying: “We want to conceive off-grid. Go to a licenced utility and sustainability we have infrastructure the possibility of our city having the guarantee no outages. Then invest in all that is different and traditional utilities customers like there is no commercial advantage of a lower fixed the infrastructure needed to meet your are not wanting to be involved in it. One longer a monopoly. energy cost coupled with reduced guarantee, off-grid, and show government of the things we are doing is innovating emissions. [The utility company] was that their concerns are just nonsense. to put sustainability into practice. We very clear and identified an investment have a range of greenfields and vertical Bruce Taper: strategy in the hundreds of million Changing the mindset communities and, taking all the theory of dollars. We want to delay capital that we have in the industry, we try to You’re committed to learning Terry, expenditure and find ways to avoid Rather than try to change government put that into practice. Getting down and whereas the public utilities have some of that.” or wait for it to regulate effectively, the dirty in the detail, such as where and stopped learning. They’ve got a model what type of meter we use, is tough. I’d and it’s been very secure under the like to say we’ve got all the answers but regulations that exist and even if they Bruce Taper and Lynne Blundell we haven’t. do something like the $100 million smart meters project, it’s artificially When you start building a sustainable funded, it’s not liked by the CEO approach into all different types of and it’s not dedicated to sustainable infrastructure and overlay it with issues principles. Flow [Systems] is two or of ownership, operation and keeping three steps ahead and you do things costs down, it becomes a struggle. And I that compensate for the fact we don’t think Lend Lease and Mirvac have gone have the culture of district heating, through this for a decade and learned a we don’t have the culture of all these whole lot of lessons. things, but you’re committed to it. You’re working to balance sheets on a I’m interested in how we bring this few projects but generally the concept’s together to create lessons learned, or sound… Treasury dumbs it down to one guides; some opportunities to share plus one cost–benefit analysis that is so to help the industry accelerate. We lacking in fine grain of the value of all can look to the world for examples the different parts of all these projects. 32 33 Ed Blakely

It doesn’t matter how just did a story on climate bonds, or things can’t happen. Some of the ones beautiful the building is; green bonds. They’re very interesting – we did do have a bit of Terry’s attitude I’m not in love with it if the they’re looking at 20 and 30 year periods of “I’ll break it if I can”. It’s definitely return is under seven per and they’re trying to tap the institutional not a technology problem. The grid’s money that’s running around the pretty smart as it is – putting in a little cent. That’s what we’re world – 70 or 90 trillion dollars – that’s bit more sophistication that allows for a dealing with: returns. looking for a home. And they have the lot more is not hard. Changing business capability to think long term but they’re as usual is hard in any field. Land use not going to do it unless the demand planners have a long history of planning is asking them to. The client, whose for precincts but Treasury has ignored That combination of rich data and money it is, must say, “I don’t want you them. Just think of NSW – every metro predictive analytics is what I think the to invest in coal fired power stations. strategy has said the right things. private sector needs to provide the I don’t want you to invest in nuclear. I public sector so they can understand want my money for me and my children The Fifth Estate: everything. Not just the energy to be in clean power.” The technology is So why is Treasury ignoring them? and water but the other things like there; what we don’t have is the way to Bruce Taper: affordability and mobility and the mix manipulate it or drive it and connect it, I think the profession hasn’t the of all those things that create great The Fifth Estate: but it is happening. acumen that, say, a Mirvac or a Lend cities. And I think we can do that in It’s about manipulating demand. Lease or a Flow has where they actually the 21st century – the fact that the Bruce Taper: Ed Blakely: put down a very fine grain business planning profession hasn’t got to the We write barrier summaries for a lot No, it’s not demand. When you localise plan. So when we do the metro plan 21st century yet has been a real factor of our clients but instinctively I hate demand and supply you cut out the we’re not allowed to talk transport in us not progressing in Australia. writing barrier reports about why middleman. if you work for the Department of Planning, historically. I think it’s Ed Blakely: Terry Leckie: probably better now under the new These firms have huge sunken Well, yes and no, because you can David Rolls and government than it was previously. investment with a net expected return. increase returns in a multitude of Michelle Tabet When I did BASIX for the NSW state Super funds, for example, expect a different ways. For owners it’s about government we conceived the precinct certain return, and if that return doesn’t stickability with tenants so if you can model of urban growth, and all the materialise… It’s got nothing to do with reduce the costs for the tenant to be GLOs that some of you guys use, back electricity or the provider, this is all cash there then you’ll get longevity… flow. You buy cash flows, not buildings. in 1999. But back then the department It doesn’t matter how beautiful the Ed Blakely: was reluctant to extend the scope of building is; I’m not in love with it if the But what is long term? The capital planners to the big picture things such return is under seven per cent. That’s markets have a different view of long as transport. I think those things will what we’re dealing with: returns. And term. change when the arguments against how can we get that if we’re feeding BAU is more sophisticated. I think the electricity back into the grid? The Fifth Estate: public sector needs the private sector But they’re changing aren’t they? We to build the mega project and fix the regulations to fit. 34 35 We need state planning NSW that’s interesting, but in lots of methodology and targets places that’s just normal. When I was Inertia and resistance to change within a child growing up in Canberra and existing utilities and regulators was a my father worked for public works, major barrier to creating private power at the weekend we’d go and look at and water networks that bypass the subdivisions. That was in the days established networks, said another when the roads and footpaths and the guest. But often it is not utilities or stormwater was all laid out and then network facilitators that resist the the developer came in… change, but those in charge of investing One of the problems in NSW is that we taxpayers’ capital into the existing grid don’t have an agreed or transparent to keep it churning money. methodology. We need to agree on a Planning methodology and methodology so we don’t have to have sustainability targets within state the arguments over and again. The first governments are also severely lacking. thing about the methodology is that we have to say, “What is this land meant to Ed Blakely: serve?”, not, “How can this land serve Here we are bemoaning the past the developer?” or “What can we build when there is great opportunity for here in the short term to cut a ribbon?”, the future. And we’re not taking the but, “Who and what does this land have opportunity to sculpt the future by to serve in the long term?” bemoaning the past.

David Rolls: Here we are bemoaning the Let’s take an example of that – the Bays Precinct. White Bay was a power past when there is great station – what if it became a green opportunity for the future. power station? And that became its history and its future.

Monica Barone: Take something as significant as the Taking up Ed’s point, this is the Bays Precinct or Eveleigh to Central – conversation that I’m having a lot these are major, significant sites. The with state government departments first question you have to be able to and authorities. Tina, you said in your answer as a community and as leaders opening comments that you went to is what’s it here to serve – it has to a talk and they talked about looking provide jobs, it has to provide housing, at an urban renewal area by looking it has to provide connectivity and at where the transport goes and transport and it has to contribute to our where the open space goes first. And economy in a deep and multi-layered you thought that was interesting. In way. So if it has to do that, not for 10 36 37 years but for hundreds of years, what and achieving all of these targets. Do are the targets you have? you know why they’re doing it? Because they have to. They know how to do it – If it has to serve the economy into don’t be afraid to ask. the future then clearly it has to have affordable housing because where are the people who are going to come to the Developers in other parts city [to work] going to live? So if it has to serve the future, define that, then say of the world are including if it’s going to serve that purpose, how many of these targets, are people going to get in and out of it? Let’s then start to draw some lines. And including affordable where are they going to recreate – let’s housing. Do you know why put in some green space and so on and so forth and take the community on they’re doing it? Because that journey… they have to. ways to do it. Our livelihoods depend Jonathan Emery: on us finding ways to respond positively Obviously you have to meet a target And then you have to have the and I think you’ll find the development that’s minimum requirement but I environmental targets and you say if The Fifth Estate: community here is up to the challenge think you’ll find most will try to go this place is going to support what we Jonathan [Emery] has to come in on the whole and will actually add to further and innovate around those desire then this is its water target and here because in our briefing you were the debate. Give us a target and I think spaces to create market opportunity, this is its emissions target? talking about overseas having to we’ll find innovative ways to make that brand differentiation and attract the This is the other point… the developers have targets and having mandatory happen and even embellish it. best talent as well. who are doing things in our city are outcomes, because we were looking Certainly I’ve found that community Terry Leckie: doing things in other parts of the world at what’s happening in Fishermen’s housing or affordable housing is a When you were meeting those targets with much more affordable housing Bend in Victoria – in Melbourne, in the CBD, a 40-year development and the classic area where it is a challenge to do did that involve setting up your own government has put in one paragraph it. In the UK it is highly regulated and utilities, infrastructure or systems? Jonathan Emery about sustainability and said, “It’s not over time those targets have increased Jonathan Emery: mandatory, just a suggestion – if you in complexity and numbers and yet the I’ve looked at businesses in the like.” Would that happen in the UK? development industry and the housing corporation – public and private – UK and certainly in the Middle Jonathan Emery: have found ways to make that work. East where utilities and provision They wouldn’t be allowed to because They actually see the benefit of mixed of infrastructure is completely there are standards – national communities. You actually start to see deficient. If you don’t get it there is no standards. I think they understand the benefits of different types of markets development. Self generation is the the drivers of regeneration, the policy and diversity – risk diversity, career only way – you’re building in remote drivers. From my conversations they’re diversity, different retail. It works. places where this none. ready and able to step up. We’re all Terry Leckie: well-travelled people – we understand The Fifth Estate: So there’s no regulation protecting the the King’s Crosses [UK], the Hudson And it enhances the brand of the national supplier? Yards [New York], and we’ll work out developer? 38 39 David Rolls

Jonathan Emery: precinct developments because of the No, it’s please come and develop our lower payback for developers. Jonathan country – a very different approach. Emery talked about how the UK has It’s very hard for the I’ve worked on major projects and the done it – by having strict targets for number of times that they’ve actually affordable housing that developers private sector to bid on the invested in utilities infrastructure in must comply with. open market on a piece of our redline precincts, which are multi- billion – they’ve done it once. It just Jonathan Emery: dirt that has no affordable is really, really tough, and the best If we’re doing anything in East London housing targets. things are where there’s been a wider now it is a target of 45 per cent. The precinct infrastructure put in, usually issue with that is it’s great but it’s so by public authorities, and they invest in simplistic that it’s a straight jacket and a waste plant or district heating system there’s no flexibility with the providers and someone visionary off the back of who we work with to make it work. these has found the money to invest James Rosenwax: in a plant and then said, “Okay, I’m So in the UK the target of 30 or 40 per and people learn to make it work and David Rolls: going to connect up six councils or local cent and the requirement for diverse then they start to see the benefits. You It’s very hard for the private sector to authority buildings.” And then they mix of occupants gives you clarity to learn how to use it and to build things bid on the open market on a piece of mandated developers to connect into buy the land and find partners. around it. dirt that has no affordable housing the system. That has worked. And when targets… We just did something in you’re talking city wide… that works. Ed Blakely: David Rolls: Waterloo – a showcase project where The US is the same. Both state and It forces the private sector to joint we said this is what we want to do. Terry Leckie: national law in the US – 20 per cent venture with the public housing sector The KPIs for that project were about But that’s because it was an economic affordability is required by law. to create it. I think in Greenwich it is 38 how you partnered, what the social model, wasn’t it? per cent and you have to do deals with outcomes were. They’re not all about Jonathan Emery: the Peabody Group or whoever. land price – with a really amazing Jonathan Emery: Now you have to properly do the mix Someone starts off with a vision and Jonathan Emery: result. So how do we do that? then has to attract a commercial These are some of the most innovative Monica Barone: operator, but they have to guarantee Terry Leckie developers – these are very clever people. We can’t mandate that here. An use of it and then they go and mandate and Peter Monks example was we said for a development developers. That happened in three Ed Blakely: of so many square metres you have to cities we worked in and the developers It’s not just about affordable housing. put a childcare centre in and almost do get worried about what rates are What happens is jobs. They come up overnight we created 2000 childcare going to be charged, but you get over with job targets so people don’t think places. Nobody complained – they that and you plug in and it’s just plug they can’t move into the neighbourhood said, “Okay, we’ll sort it out.” And and play. And there are benefits. and end up unemployed. So early on it was the public sector setting targets for they did. What about affordable housing housing etc. But now the private sector targets? Ed Blakely: is into this saying these people live in So why are we so hesitant to do this? the neighbourhood so why not hire Affordable housing is one of the hardest them. If they live closer [to work] they’ll [What’s needed is the articulation by elements to ensure is included in take care of the property. It works. government of a plan to achieve the 40 41 outcomes that are wanted, such as The Fifth Estate: Ed Blakely: Bruce Taper: affordable housing, the room hears. As a property journalist for many As you know I lived in the United Remember when we did BASIX we said Not just the articulation of what was years in Australia, my experience is States for a long time and there’s a residential had no driver but commercial needed as if magically it would happen that any time there is a suggestion for body called the Urban Land Institute property did. The agreement was we’d of its own accord.] mandating anything in the property – ULI. ULI decided in the 1990s they observe the commercial sector and see sector there is the biggest lobbying should get ahead of the game. They if we wanted to break the building code Mandatory or voluntary effort and a very sophisticated one that should be the ones to set the targets because the states had to fight the feds targets? comes out of the Property Council, that for affordable housing, for green star to… I think it’s a missed opportunity comes out of the MBA when it comes to and so forth. By doing that they’ll get when you haven’t incrementally adapted Guests were divided over whether it was housing, and the UDIA. more work, not the other way around. to community expectations, technology better to have mandatory targets and So what we really need is you guys advancements. Building code is only for tighter regulation or rely on the market Bruce Taper: around the table to be the champions lowest practice, whereas I think that’s to work effectively to voluntary targets. When we did BASIX in 2004 Jeff for moving Australia ahead of the an oxymoron. Angel [Total Environment Centre] The Fifth Estate: rest of the world because there’s no said let’s capture the legacy of the The Fifth Estate: Jonathan, when these targets were set country in the world that wants to green days that Lend Lease and Mirvac But they’ve made it low on purpose. in the UK what was the reaction of the be last at sustainability, that wants showcased. If you start to think of the Whenever the building code tries to property industry? to be last in quality. The industry contractual obligations of Olympic Park should be setting the targets, not the improve itself, go to higher standards, Jonathan Emery: and Newington they were significant government. everybody fights it to keep it down It was a nightmare. When the building improvements on the Building Code of and then they complain that it’s only codes came in the targets the UK set and Australia… The Department of Planning The Fifth Estate: regulating out the worst practice. all of the premises around construction has often done its job but it’s not Why not mandate some minimum Ed Blakely: and energy consumed – they were supported by the government machine. standards? Why leave it all up to Why make the rules for the lowest not huge. Over the next 10 years we want The Property Council was probably the market? emissions to go down to a third. our biggest ally. BASIX had form and Everyone said it cannot be done and space targets that were mandatory and yet within a few weeks everyone was it has levelled the playing field. It didn’t thinking this is a market opportunity say you have to do all these things; it for us, this is how we are going to win just gave you a menu and pretty clever jobs… you adapt pretty quickly. model to do it. I think regulations are often done poorly and the property sector and private sector have every Regulation is often done right to blow up about over-regulation… I’m not saying it was perfect but it was a poorly and the property model created on evidence-based data. sector and private sector The Fifth Estate: have every right to blow up Australia has been ahead in terms about over-regulation. of sustainability in commercial but I just find there’s a reluctance to have mandates. People are scared of them – they’re worried it will be hard. 42 43 Jonathan Emery

Jonathan Emery: regulated minimum. Developers of high We’ve talked about These are serious competitors who are quality buildings say they can no longer being entertained by the government compete with these foreign developers. the pressure from regionally, locally, nationally, to government but there’s invest in this country, to create more Monica Barone: If you look at the City of Sydney, always an obligation competition, to bring in customers from different parts of the world. Now [almost] everything we accomplish is by for the development they will not compete on the same pure persuasion. There’s very little we can do to mandate – we can make you industry to put its best terms – they have different dynamics, seriously different costs of capital and put in a childcare centre, almost – but foot forward. they do not hold the same values that everything else is putting your foot in others do. So I’m afraid it’s a nice idea the door and saying, “Please could you [to try to set the targets rather than help us with this. Please put a cycleway regulation we’re now talking about government] but we will lose every in here, some affordable housing here.” driverless cars being regulated for road time – I’m talking about the more Lawyers at 10 paces. We’re doing it use in the UK and American cities and sophisticated developers coming into through sheer bloody mindedness. that’s a change over a relatively short this market on a big scale. They’re used [The salon heard about developers the highest? You’re really targeting the period of time. New energies, new to doing things on a mega scale – it is in Sydney wanting to convert lower end. The people at the top end technologies that’s driven an industry going to change things very rapidly. underutilised office buildings to are working in the US and Dubai – they that has huge investments in the residential for onsale to Chinese don’t have that adjustment to make. combustion engine and the plight of oil Ed Blakely: investors. But who will live in the – a huge lobby. So if that can happen Why couldn’t you and your colleagues buildings? The fear is that so many Jonathan Emery: what we’re talking about is possible. argue for standards to be raised There are so many models around in order to make sure Australian apartments are sold and kept vacant the world that developers can work developers are competitive globally? creating the eerie spectre of new but New market entrants are not empty buildings.] to to show how it is done. It’s not as if costing in sustainability it requires reinventing. We’ve talked Jonathan Emery: about the pressure from government There was much discussion of a new We’re relying on a sophisticated client. but I think there’s always an obligation threat to sustainable precincts – the There are different messages being sent for the development industry to put entry of foreign developers who do not out by different government agencies in its best foot forward. I’m not saying it have the same vision as local developers different regions. Melbourne has different all has to be regulated. There are some and can undercut on price every time. requirements… I’m not convinced that great things happening from developers This was not the fault of the developer placemaking is going to win out unless and the onus is on us to embrace this. but was a government-led trend with there is some clearer guidance. Change does attract resilient behaviour overseas developers encouraged to The Fifth Estate: – it always does. People have to invest and to bring in customers from Many apartment towers, in Melbourne assess what it means and go through different parts of the world. Without especially but also Sydney, are being the thinking and that way structure guidelines or sustainability targets from developed by overseas developers thought towards a target over time. government they would not compete on the same terms as local developers who building for an overseas investment If you look at another industry – the have built sustainability into their cost market, and who don’t care about car industry, a dinosaur. Through base, said guests. standards and outcomes beyond the 44 45 Bruce Taper: Competition is great – I don’t think Jonathan and David, is it possible, anyone would disagree with that – but given the status of the companies you [if you set targets and KPIs] those represent, given all the investment you parties would change the way they view did in Victoria at Vic Harbour… to say the opportunity. That’s all we want. We we would like those high standards used don’t want to discount people’s capital by Lend Lease and Mirvac to be BAU or investment; we just want to make for everyone and level the playing field? sure it’s a level playing field.

David Rolls: Monica Barone: It’s a hard one to answer because with a We’re making it easy for people to aim one-off building like in Waterloo where low – that’s what’s happening. it’s a private industrial project with a Chinese buyer, and they’re going to get Ed Blakely: away with whatever they can get away Shouldn’t governments be the with, it’s really hard, but when you’ve opposite? Don’t we want them to say, got city-making projects you can, and “Here’s a higher standard, a social that’s where you can create a level standard, a community standard and playing field and everyone’s happy to we’d like you to go there.”? compete on the same level because the outcomes are known. The Fifth Estate: But we have a philosophy here, don’t we, that it’s got to be market driven. We’re making it easy for And the market worked at the top end in commercial, it worked brilliantly people to aim low – that’s because there were the drivers – there what’s happening. was someone willing to pay to get really good product because their employees would be happy and work in a productive environment. There was a What’s happening with some commercial driver at the top end. Come governments – and Perth’s really down one or two notches to the B and C good at this where people like the grade and the drivers aren’t there. [Metropolitan Redevelopment Authority] actually published [Key James Rosenwax: Performance Indicators] of what I think they’re still there. It’s success looks like – it’s not all about generational expectations. Before this money… If you know what success conversation I was thinking about looks like and it’s about sustainability Fishermans Bend – where there and placemaking, it’s about the legacy is ongoing discussion around the you’re going to leave at the end, then sustainability merits of the project… that will change the way people work. the way we think about sustainability 46 47 Peter Monks

is essentially site optimisation and to set that on behalf of the community. complete lack of strategic planning good design these days; it’s using less They describe the public interest; that and I’m just astonished that there is no energy… The Australian market has determines the targets and parameters. requirement at any level of government expectations around sustainability. It’s So what happens here is the public has to have their layer of strategic plans in part of what we expect as a culture. But an expectation that the public interest place. People here still think strategic looking at the number of apartments will be protected in this way but the planning is an LEP or fighting over a in Melbourne being sold off the plan – standard, the policies you work to are development application. a large number to overseas investors down here, so you do your business [In four years that’s an idea that has not – and perhaps the market’s not the case to that level, then you get there progressed at all, the salon hears.] same now; perhaps we can’t rely on the and scramble to try and accommodate market to drive sustainability. [what the public actually expects]. It’s extraordinary – they’ve got through Then it costs more. a white paper, a green paper and they Jonathan Emery: still haven’t worked out what it’s all Regarding the global competition I’m Jonathan Emery: about, and I think if we don’t ever certainly not advocating protectionism We follow the brief and then when it is the environment, it’s really important get to deal with the bigger issues of and I think what’s also interesting is rejected the powers that be pressure you. to what this city is and what Australia sustainability unless you’re dealing some of these new market entrants is – they get it. So they get it but as a Monica Barone: with them in a systematic way. We’ve are also working in very sophisticated developer we’re not being motivated or Exactly. So it’s [the lowering of had a lot of discussion about ad hoc markets. One of them in particular is pushed to deliver what the community standards by government] – it’s not stuff and that’s happening due to a lack working in partnership on a very large wants. So we’re going to meet those fair on the community; it’s not fair on of a broad strategic framework. I was project in New York. It’s very similar to expectations and deliver what we’re developers because you’ve [created a always surprised the Green Building Central to Eveleigh and they’re doing asked to. If that isn’t up to the standard business case based on the parameters] Council of Australia, for example, were great work – so they can do it; it’s just the community wants and expects all and suddenly you’re getting all this never fighting for regulatory standards about what’s expected in the market. hell’s going to break loose. It’s never political pressure or community of Green Star ratings. If you want to get I think citizens and communities – going to get off the ground and when pressure – you try to adapt and add a level playing field you’d want to have there is an expectation – it’s global it gets halfway through and people things and it looks tokenistic so they some tools to get us there. citizenship. get upset it’s never going to be owned. say you’re the bad guy. And so the It’s not going to be part of that city. It leadership stuff is multi-faceted. Placemaking and creating will be a complete failure because the Sophisticated leadership understands a global city The Australian market community’s moved on and is expecting the framework but also understands Jonathan Emery: targets to be achieved and outcomes, the developer. This is the thing we have has expectations around Another topic that seems to be high which are not being asked for. to get across to the leaders because sustainability. It’s part on the agenda is Sydney and Australia they’re failing at every level – they’re as an attractor of global talent. I think of what we expect as a Monica Barone: failing at describing the public interest of placemaking and quality of living, It’s because you’re not required to. It’s and they’re failing at providing an culture. the ability to be able to move around not about who comes here or who the environment for good development. developer is; it’s about the framework and enjoy the lifestyle that is here that they’re required to work within. Peter Monks: and all the attributes, and attracting We’re not saying people here don’t The public interest is the framework What you’re describing is exactly my businesses to come here instead of aspire to sustainable solutions – it’s part they’re required to develop in and the observation of the most glaring gap other places. It’s placemaking and of life here. It’s noticeable – people enjoy government and leaders are supposed of NSW planning system. There is a these mega projects and our ability 48 49 Michelle Tabet

David Rolls: just investments, they’re not places Not that long ago Sydney had to live. Now New York City, where something like 5000 people in the CBD. I lived, the thing that bothered me Now I don’t know the numbers but most was that my neighbours were too it’s grown substantially… We’re now goddamned noisy. But that’s the sort at the point that at least 50 per cent of of neighbourhood you want to live in. what is being built in the city is high density, whereas pre-1980 it would Michelle Tabet: have been 80/20. So the developers are We talk about wanting Sydney to be responding to what is being demanded. a global city but with all due respect we’re just not there… There’s a lot of Ed Blakely: literature on what are the factors that Are we selling an asset or are we make a global city – the night time building a community because these economy, being 24/7, being able to get are different things. You could build your dry cleaning done but also having an asset and have nobody living in a number of international institutions it or you could build a community, based in your city. There’s a whole to shift the sections and realities of is not mandated. I have found a really which because of the diversity has bunch of indicators. If you look at the cities. BASIX and the [GBCA’s] deep level of sophistication around the people living in it. Is our property Sydney it doesn’t quite score. materials and precincts tools – have idea that there are definitely advantages the new coal mine in Australia? they the opportunity to create legacy in delivering a place or precinct that has Tonight in this city we can walk out The Fifth Estate: beyond the physical and start to diversity, that has affordable housing, of here and look up at the apartments Do we want that though? address the other challenges? although I haven’t seen it much as it has and there are no lights on. People Monica Barone: to stack up financially. This also works come once or twice a year and in Michelle Tabet: from an employee satisfaction point of Of course we do, and if you look at This is the whole thing. It’s not just Chatswood there are whole towers the City we watch how we score in view – people [who work for these sort where there are no lights. These are how you address the space between of developers] feel better about their those surveys. the buildings but it’s do you actually jobs if they think they are contributing create a genuine emotional connection to a better world. The fact is they’re also to the space? Unfortunately, if you doing this because it does help their sales look at a lot of these places – Green process – they’ve got people who are Square, for example – that’s still a well more engaged in the act of city making. off gentrified population. The challenge is how do we build in diversity and a For the first time in a long time we real city feel where you’ve got people are thinking about cities as a place to We talk about wanting from all walks of life… We’re building actually be happy. In the nineteenth emotional connections for a certain century the city was where you worked Sydney to be a global city type of demographic. and the twentieth century cities were but we’re just not there. where you went to be productive, not Having had the honour to work for where you were happy. So for the first both Jonathan and David, that level of time people are expecting this air of sophistication is there even though it happiness in cities. 50 51 resourced. At Liverpool they have Ed Blakely: The idea is to ask where on those visions for their city centres and they’re You’re right, and the thing that these surveys a city wants to sit. If you don’t doing good work, and Penrith, for the communities have to do is assume there sit where you want to you have an future of Penrith, it has to be a great is no help – you’ve got to do everything intervention. The two things where we place not just to visit, but to live. But yourself. score the least in Sydney is housing they’re totally under-resourced. It is the affordability and transport so clearly tyranny of politicians… Monica Barone: those are the two places you have to But they won’t be able to. We’ve all got have an intervention. We’ve just been to join together and advocate. rated the best city for international They announce the Ed Blakely: students, we do quite well for Ed Blakely and Bruce Taper Bays Precinct… but the They can’t do it but if they sit back liveability, we’re doing very well on and wait for the state government safety – and if you don’t do well on population of Sydney, the nothing’s going to happen. So we’re safety businesses won’t come. So we [But the market won’t take care of unemployed young people developing plans to say this is what we watch those surveys. affordable housing or transport – there need in order to get this and to get our has to be an intervention. of Sydney, are not going to You measure, monitor, then do unemployed people into a job. It’s a something – it’s basic maths 101. And we [Here’s a hypothetical question: get a look in on any of this. tough situation. do need to do that because investment what can the state government say comes with that. When you meet with to a 25-year-old unemployed person Influencing the agenda international events people they look living in western Sydney? How will Monica Barone: The Fifth Estate: at the survey and if the city is rated the planning strategy produce a job They announce the Bays Precinct… James, how does a company like yours as unsafe they don’t come. Business or a house for that person? Two- but the population of Sydney, the in the work you do deal with all these events are important to the economy. If thirds of Sydney – the West – is not unemployed young people of Sydney, are issues on a large scale? we don’t look after those international on the radar. Why not take half the not going to get a look in on any of this. tourists – education is our second Department of Planning out to the James Rosenwax: biggest export – we’re all in trouble. west and examine in fine details where For a company like AECOM, “large there could be jobs; how to create scale” is where we’re comfortable. The Fifth Estate: leverage from an airport or hospital. James Rosenwax We work through issues, seeking to So why is the state government not The potential is huge. Government influence at a policy level and a political behaving that way? ministers and bureaucrats need to go level in the best way we can. Any company the size of AECOM makes [The analysis from the group leans there and see it for themselves.] representations at policy level. We’re towards planning officials with the Ed Blakely: currently thinking about where we’re “best of intentions” but unsupported by They have only come to a few meetings. going to be in the next three years. people with a view of how other global We’re looking at what the government cities develop their planning strategies. Bruce Taper: is doing in South Australia, in Western The verdict on the current NSW state The tragedy of that is that we were Australian and NSW. We analyse government is that it’s performing a “far in Liverpool on Tuesday and Penrith trends and we analyse markets. That’s better job” than former governments today, and not only do the states what we do – we have to analyse trends but there’s perhaps too much reliance not turn up, the councils are just as and take positions to try to stay one on the market to take care of outcomes. empathetic as you but they’re under- step ahead. 52 53 Why are the UDIA and is almost silent or absent, the Urban a plan after we’ve worked out what Taskforce is really silent on the types of we want to achieve. That plan only The Fifth Estate: Urban Taskforce silent on things we’re talking about, like social happened through what you said, Ed. Do you try to influence the politicians topics like social integration? integration. Why can’t we get all these At the end of the day there is evidence and the authorities? groups together to say here are the that if you make enough noise things that Sydney needs to come up governments take notice. James Rosenwax: with targets? Absolutely. Discussing challenges and Ed Blakely: Ed Blakely: opportunities is part of business and we Well they present it to the government Michelle Tabet: I was naïve enough at the time to think want to keep the conversation going. but they present it to the entire The US is different because there’s not that if there’s popular support you’ll community and so people at grass roots such a strong history of government get things done but the government Ed Blakely: level so people will come to meetings delivering services directly to citizens. didn’t react enough to popular I mentioned the ULI [Urban Land holding the ULI and saying, “Why on There is no expectation of the support, it reacted to internal political Institute] a minute ago. ULI’s plan for earth have you blocked the transit system government taking charge – that’s why mandates. They had nothing to do with Dallas came out – and when I was in here?” They’ve created a political force… the sharing economy is big in the US what people on the outside wanted. Los Angeles, the plan for LA. The plan and why crowd sourcing and funding But back to precincts… can we talk for LA, the ULI plan – the bones of it Monica Barone: is big in the US. We’re not quite on that about targeting areas – the Bays are being implemented right now – That’s like with light rail. We presented model here. We have expectations of Precinct, Eveleigh to Central – are rapid transit system… the Urban Land a plan and showed the people. We government and we do have taxes for it, there ways that groups like this could Institute had more of a plan than the advocated. but that’s not how the US works – there use intellectual muscle to make sure City of Los Angeles. Ed Blakely: they say if we don’t do this as an industry these things turned out not as the best The Fifth Estate: But I’m wondering why our groups – group it’s never going to happen… possible rate of return but the best So the ULI develops the plan and well the Property Council does a pretty possible human development? The Fifth Estate: presents it to government? good job in that regard – but UDIA But that’s changing here, isn’t it? Are The Fifth Estate: we at that point now that we have to But isn’t that the potential of precincts? become empowered in the same way? Like with Greenland Tower – Sydney gets a $26 million cultural centre Michelle Tabet: donated to the people of Sydney You’d have to do it with much lower through a voluntary planning taxes. agreement. I asked, “What about Bruce Taper: environmental outcomes – could you The reality is the previous metro get some additional ones?” strategy [for NSW] was a function of Monica Barone: the lobbying of the Property Council We can ask for some things. We go and a whole lot of environmental in with a long long list and we beg groups to demand a metro plan. That and badger. [Developers want things was the reality. Maybe they lobbied because it might be good for their for the wrong question – maybe brand]. We do actually have plans for they should have lobbied for targets [a great deal] of the city and we try to straight up but said we’ll work out horse trade for the community – that’s 54 55 Monica Barone and Jonathan Emery

the phenomenon of urban regeneration If governments did their Places where projects as a tool to be used by cities to meet metropolitan planning work best is where their objectives. It’s being used in a similar way to PPP – it’s getting very properly, if they did their there is strong city common. The general public need economic spatial planning, governance. to accept it and like it, politicians are getting comfortable about it as a if they set some targets and mechanism and there are examples weathered the few weeks of where it’s been successful. It is an of grief they got while If you could measure the amount of time increasing phenomena we’re seeing and money wasted on that conversation! globally. I’m sure AECOM will talk everyone said this is going That’s what slows things down. about it as well. to be the end of the world as The Fifth Estate: In our analysis there is an opportunity we know it, then we could But I did get the sense that in a precinct to actually start to do this in other get on with it. like Green Square, where there is an places. So in our analysis we don’t look authority that runs it, you can get much at countries, we look at cities. Then okay, but it doesn’t get you the big bits better outcomes. Why can’t you? we go and talk to the money and the of infrastructure. money’s interested in cities. One of Monica Barone: Monica Barone: the thoughts is that you look at the The future is cities… All over the world It’s important to understand there’s Local government does not make any governance – here’s a city, and can you’ve got national and state/regional three levels of infrastructure you’ve laws. It can only put into place the it organise itself, is it empowered, is governments working in sectors or silos got to work on to make the city work – planning policy of the state. there clear policy and direction? Can and then you’ve got cities working in you’ve got the big licks like transport it support this, because these are big “places” and the solutions for urban The Fifth Estate: infrastructure provided largely by the things. We need to work with a partner areas are place-based. Half of the So it’s the state government where all of state and you’ve got the infrastructure that has the fire power to deliver what world’s population lives in cities so this goes. provided by local government – like it talks about and the clarity of purpose childcare, parks, local roads, cycleways. and the ammunition to support this. But there’s this huge layer missing in It’s cities that attract the And that goes through the analysis. the middle and it’s this layer that’s money, not countries stopping development happening, A fascinating topic that emerged was My experience is that the places where that’s slowing everything down. It’s that cities are setting the agenda for projects have worked best is where the argument like we had at Green future development, not countries. there is strong city governance. There Square – who’s going to pay for the Global developers are choosing to is no city where it is completely self trunk drainage when it’s unclear who’s create precincts and other mega governing but [it works best] where responsible? So that layer, because of projects on the basis of good city power has been devolved to the city. poor planning, isn’t on anyone’s list and governance and leadership. Not national, not state, but cities. They so nobody is raising money for it. So have the ability to influence and direct when you go to do your development, Jonathan Emery: their own futures and those become your precinct, you go, “Wait a minute! We’re doing some work with Lend attractive to money and to people who Who’s going to pay for this bit?” Lease as global custodian in looking at like doing what we do. 56 57 Terry Leckie

sustainable solution long term. I look at that allows the green utilities, the to getter better economies of scale? the Bays Precinct as a fantastic project. Mirvacs, the Flow Systems to fund There were examples presented of But we haven’t got an economic model closed systems in energy and water. [It energy network providers who see for the support services for our existing makes the precincts affordable from the benefits of funding closed private sustainable precincts sorted out. I a customer point of view and from networks in some locations. It means want us to back in what we already a developer point of view]… It’s all they don’t have to invest in expanding have in precincts, and create models theoretical at the moment. the traditional network and so save of sustainability from them before taxpayers’ money. we write for new ones like the Bays Bruce Taper: The State people who are working with Ed Blakely: Precinct. How do we get Barangaroo to Urban Growth to write the rules for the …I think local governments should be link into the CBD? How do we get the Bays Precinct – if they are talking about to the scale you can deal with them, UTS and Central Park link sorted out? partners they should be asking people not neighbourhoods. Money should How do we get Green Square’s utility like you what is the right number… The not be an issue. There’s startup and services established as model for the public utilities are not prepared to give ongoing money. You can borrow for City of Sydney and then extend that the solutions for the future are place away their profits to do things differently. startup and for ongoing do it through to others? We’ve created precincts in based and are all about collaborative payback. We’re doing that in Liverpool isolation without working through a interface. So the people who know how Terry Leckie: – we borrowed all of the city’s tax masterplan for them. to work in “place” and in “interface” Ideally if we had three or four examples revenues from their CBD now. Rather have the skills for the future. Those The Fifth Estate: – Barangaroo, Central Park, Green than waiting ten years we borrowed two other levels of government develop But what is the advantage in doing Square – and you could show the ten years worth of revenue and we’re policy and then it lands in place but what you’re doing [in creating private benefit, then you might just get someone starting projects now. Why can’t we do how it works is determined by the networks outside the traditional one?] with the appetite to invest in a renewable that all over? conditions in that place. If governments power station and then you might get Terry Leckie: the state government to set a target. did their metropolitan planning Terry Leckie: Because what we’re creating is a model properly, if they did their economic I disagree. If you haven’t got the spatial planning, if they set some revenue model to go with the borrowing In the end it’s all about targets and weathered the few weeks of then don’t borrow. Trying to think as a leadership grief they got while everyone said this utility is difficult and it’s always been a Monica Barone: is going to be the end of the world as we state government agency. If people who are assessing these things know it, then local government would do know what they’re doing they’re The Fifth Estate: be better able get on with it. not revealing the whole story… When How do you cope with the state energy providers put in a submission to government Terry? Getting economies of scale the regulator to increase prices so they and the right financial model Terry Leckie: could expand the network we put in a There was debate over how to get We just have to continue and create submission saying if you looked at the solutions that worked across local examples. You create the example energy efficiency gains that were possible government boundaries, that facilitated and then let the markets follow. It’s first you’d reduce the infrastructure new infrastructure for the benefit not about the legislation, it’s about need by this much. People who are of the whole city. Some thought the economics. You have to create responsible for the big infrastructure councils should be amalgamated an economic model that creates a plan should tell this story, but they don’t. 58 59 Bruce Taper: behalf of AECOM: Ed Blakely: David Rolls: The expectation at precinct level is that Working on projects every day I see It really comes down to individuals we’re going to do all this innovation “Tonight we talked about regulation that we don’t have creative people to and leadership. to sort out the problems on the grid and governance a lot. Something follow through [on our work]. Few city that’s really dawned on me is the Michelle Tabet: upstream. We’re putting all this cost bureaucrats care beyond their salaries of local infrastructure and bespoke importance of leadership. The here. In the US people are more likely Everything that we’ve been talking public sector really needs to take about is about leadership. Everything technology solutions onto the developer. to want to add value. If bureaucrats And yet if there was a business plan for a leadership position in setting did care we could be totally energy and that happens at Mirvac or Lend frameworks and a city vision – that’s Lease or at City of Sydney is because greening the grid and the government water independent. How can we get a was committed to make it happen we very clear. I think the private sector groundswell to make this happen? there’s someone willing to stick their seems to do that quite well. We agreed neck out for it. The people who do could make use of all this transitional infrastructure that we have already built, that the general public are now more Terry Leckie: the really brave thinking are those active as stakeholders in defining the It’s tough because they’re constrained who say, “You know, I could lose my which would see us doing wind and solar at scale. And it would be all green. agenda for new developments. We by historical thinking and they’ve been job over this.” In the public service also need to market ourselves better so beaten and worn down that they there’s not an emphasis on leadership And so ended a lively debate. as a country and, more importantly as can’t think outside the square. and what that means. James Rosenwax wrapped up on Jonathan points out, as cities.”

60 61 “I think there will be a greater trend Greater localism towards moving away from centrally Another trend coming out of the located places and a move towards a UK is the push for greater localism, networked spatial arrangement where Snow says. CONNECTIVITY: very active, vibrant, local and subregional centres have workplaces around them “That is about the greater devolution of Embracing the – in other words, where you work and power and on the part of, in particular where you live are hopefully going to be local government, to adopt more open 20-minute city a lot closer!” and transparent government,” he says. By Sandra Edmunds Responsive architecture Planning authorities are looking at the way communities are drawn into Snow says there is quite a strong the process – not at the end but at movement internationally to create more Australian cities need to embrace over how funding is directed to increase the beginning. Snow says Australian “responsive” architecture – where people 20-minute neighbourhoods where the liveability of their towns and cities. authorities need to tap into established can have greater choice about the form people work closer to their homes community networks both in the business “My definition of sustainable places is of their accommodation. People are and continue to live locally as they and community development sectors. something that can be measured not move through the stages of their able to move from a detached house just in terms of sustainable performance lives, says Malcolm Snow, chief to an apartment to ultimately aged “The value of that closer collaboration but also economically and socially,” executive of the National Capital accommodation without leaving their means that they can find solutions and get Snow says. “These are places that Authority, the ACT’s planning and neighbourhood. support for those approaches from the reduce dependency on car-based travel; community far more easily and quickly and development body. “I think that one of the big issues is that they offer communities lots of choices. avoid, perhaps, the long protracted battles we have an ageing population so the New systems thinking for sustainable that you see where, understandably, “I think the pressures are building in relation types of buildings that we are creating precincts – where planning authorities communities are often resistant to change to the cost of travel and the need for at the moment don’t support that consider and coordinate the social, but change has to happen.” greater social connectiveness,” Snow says. environmental and economic outcomes intergenerational change or shift and I of whole neighbourhoods, rather than think it is important,” he says. just singular developments – are being Sustainable places are “Many other cities around the world devised within Australia and overseas. are recognising that buildings need something that can be This new way of thinking requires to be much more flexibly designed changes within these organisations so measured not just in terms to accommodate the shift in lifestyle that the people have more control over of sustainable performance that people make. We can see neighbourhoods and places that are outcomes that directly affect their way but also economically of living. New governance models are supportive of a much broader social emerging to empower communities to and socially. spectrum and demographic than make a contribution and have some say perhaps they have in the past.” 62 63 Planning authorities seeing it as a threat – that there is more are looking at the way to be gained.” communities are drawn A rethink for local into the process – not at the government end but at the beginning. Across Australia there are really encouraging signs that local government is rethinking the whole way it plans and Those embracing greater localism are delivers its services to its community, setting up groups within the community Snow says. where discussions and debates about “There are a lot of local authorities taking the priorities of those communities can a leadership role in that space. Adelaide be held in a much more open way. is doing some good work. Sunshine “The challenge of that approach is that Coast Council in Queensland is another we are part of a democratic society… good example where I think they have we have elections regularly… to appoint had a longer history in considering place representatives that can make those in the way they plan design… The City of calls and judgements where the priorities Port Phillip in Melbourne is making some should be. And where the challenge strong moves in that area.” is emerging, and I think has been the Snow believes great examples experience in the UK, is that elected where sustainable precincts and new representatives perhaps are feeling governance models are more advanced slightly threatened by a more open have come out of special-purpose approach to community collaboration,” authorities that were created for urban Snow said. renewal such as the Metropolitan “It is going to take a greater acceptance Redevelopment Authority in Perth, the on the part of those elected to public South Bank Corporation in Brisbane office to realise that this approach does (where Snow was chief executive officer in fact have benefits and that if they for six years) and the Sydney Harbour choose to work with it – as opposed to Foreshore Authority. Sketch of Faraday Precinct, Johannesburg, courtesy of 64 MMA Design65 Studio. Artist’s impression of Buckhurst Street, Fishermans Bend.

employment, affordability of housing, The density of our neighbourhoods crime and safety, the food environment underpins this issue. and access to public transport. “We’ve had a habit of building low- “We are looking at what creates a density neighbourhoods on the fringe liveable city through a health lens,” she and we know that when you have low said. “We are going to link indicators density you don’t have shops and from each of those areas to health and services, which means you don’t walk,” wellbeing outcomes.” Giles-Corti says. “And the really critical factor is the connectivity of the street Giles-Corti says in our efforts to provide networks. So if you have somewhere affordable housing in Australia, we to walk to, adequately designed street have ignored the question of “what is networks can have a major impact.” the health impact of providing housing For people to start without the essential infrastructure?”. According to Giles-Corti, it’s only in the past decade that Australian planners have “The research tells us if people don’t walking, they need paid a lot of attention to walkability in have anywhere to walk to, they don’t cities. The McCaughey VicHealth Centre walk – so having places to walk to is a destination for Community Wellbeing has developed really critical. And I’m not just talking a walkability map of Melbourne. By Sandra Edmunds about recreational walking; I’m talking about transport walking. The beauty of transport walking is it’s habitual. People Billie Giles-Corti do it on a daily basis because they are We need to develop creative of Population Health at the University going somewhere. So things like access ways of building communities of Western Australia. She is now the to public transport, access to shops and so that workable and walkable director of the McCaughey VicHealth services are really critical.” neighbourhoods are not just Centre for Community Wellbeing, which accidental, according to Professor sits within the University of Melbourne’s Billie Giles-Corti. School of Population and Global Health. “When you have low The academic from Western Australia Giles-Corti’s team is developing a density you don’t have looks at ways to encourage people Liveability Index for Victoria, looking at a to live healthy lifestyles. Giles-Corti number of policy areas such as access shops and services, which established the Centre for the Built to shops and services, walkability, access means you don’t walk.” Environment and Health at the School to recreational opportunities, access to 66 67 The Commons, Melbourne. Image: Michael Downes.

“Inner Melbourne city is the picture- Ellenbrook as examples where perfect example of a highly walkable developers have had some success in environment – connected street creating sustainable precincts. networks, places to walk to, good public “Both Wellard and Clarkson are on train transport, and a mixture of densities. lines,” she says. Shops, services and And people walk,” Giles-Corti says. It is housing are clustered around the train when all those elements are no longer stations so that residents can easily combined that people no longer walk. access public transport and services.

A combination of “These are good examples of trying to the right elements bring a transit-oriented approach to it.” The Commons in Melbourne’s Brunswick While Ellenbrook isn’t on a train line, is a fine example, according to Giles-Corti. Giles-Corti says it was a masterplanned The apartment complex was recognised at community and has many design the 2014 National Architecture Awards for aspects that make it a sustainable Sustainable Architecture. The Commons precinct. It has a main street rather than is just six kilometres from the CBD and a “big block” shopping centre, a mixture has no car spaces allocated to the 24 of housing densities and connected apartments. Critical to the sustainability of street networks. the development is its proximity to the train line, other public transport options and the “What I like about Ellenbrook [is that] Sydney Road shops. Residents share the they are putting in high-density housing 65 bike spaces in the secure garage and – five storeys high – right in the main the GoGet car out the front. street,” she says. “So that will really help to get that community working because “I mean, this is the future,” Giles-Corti there will be lots of people there. It is says. “I’d really like to see developers not perfect but it has lots of elements. showing us their mettle. We could be They have lots of little cottage lots (with doing so much better; we could be terrace housing), which really challenged creating great sustainable urban design, the market… They tried it and actually it which is medium density, centred around was a huge success.” public transport. I’d much rather see that than just this continual urban sprawl.” Ellenbrook developers also followed the European practice of establishing key Giles-Corti also names the Perth infrastructure and temporary services while suburbs of Clarkson, Wellard and the development was under construction. 68 69 Clarkson, WA

“If you go to Europe what you find is that Developers should consider practices “I do think people are looking for For people living in smaller apartments, it’s when new developments are being built such as putting a temporary health something different and I would really also important to have recreational space. public transport goes in from the outset centre in a house so that the community like to see some brave developers and temporary schools and supermarkets doesn’t need to go elsewhere, Giles- getting out there and showing that it “What we are delivering in are established,” Giles-Corti says. “They Corti says. Or a corner store. For could be done,” she says. “What we terms of high-density, high- have higher density housing but they put example, the Ellenbrook developers are delivering in terms of high-density, those things in first so people don’t have opened a corner store and subsidised high-rise housing in [Melbourne] is just a rise housing in Melbourne to rely on one or two cars.” the operator during development. disaster from my perspective.” is just a disaster.”

At Ellenbrook, shops were built early “We need more of that sort of creative Many apartments are poorly “There needs to be thought given to and a temporary school was established way of building communities, so that you constructed, too small and some have the public open space within multi- in the shops. “So as the kids moved don’t just rely on it being accidental.” rooms without windows or ventilation. unit developments but also within the in they didn’t need to get transported local neighbourhood. Hopefully young “It is fantastic that the Office of the to a different community to go to people are going to be demanding it. Seeking brave developers Victorian Government Architect is school. They could go to school in their They don’t want these poky, silly little The big challenge for developers in putting out guidelines – the City of community. And the shops were located apartments that are being built, they the future, according to Giles-Corti, Melbourne is doing the same thing – right next to the oval so they had want decent apartments.” is building decent accommodation in about requiring decent accommodation somewhere to play sports.” medium-rise developments. for people,” Giles-Corti says.

70 71 placemaking: Times Square Times Square in New York was one businesses, encourages economic gives Adelaide of the inspirations for Adelaide City development and public improvements, Council to embark on its mission to and coordinates major events. inspiration ensure that placemaking is at the core of its operations. By Sandra Edmunds The city is a system and Chief executive Peter Smith, who is also the chair of Place Leaders Asia the public spaces are nodes Pacific, says he was inspired after in that system where visiting New York to see what former human exchange, social mayor Michael Bloomberg was doing in Broadway and Times Square. exchange and economic exchange occurs. “My understanding of it is the city is a system and the public spaces are nodes in that system where human exchange, social exchange and economic “They closed off Times Square and exchange occurs,” Smith says. “So Broadway and gave it back to the if you are not focusing on your public people and that in itself had all sorts spaces and what they mean for your of spin-offs for the attractiveness and city, I think you do a lot to erode the safety of the area,” Smith says. value of your city.”

Previously Times Square was a high- crime area and the world-renowned theatre industry was dying because people were wary of getting mugged. The non-profit Times Square Alliance formed to improve and promote this icon of entertainment. The alliance provides core neighbourhood services such as public safety and sanitation, and advocates for its constituents on public policy, planning and quality- of-life issues. In addition, it promotes

72 Peter Smith

Pitt Street, Adelaide

differently,’ you get a very different result. And we built up the trust and now when Adelaide’s placemaking we open up for expressions of interest in strategy seeks to develop that temporary activation program, we empowered communities get lots of ideas coming in… and strong partnerships. “The real value… is it taught us as an organisation that we could have government work in a very different One of the place pilots is focused around way with the community despite the Waymouth Street in the office district. constraints of probity and all the rules The area has lacked places for workers and everything else.” to gather and socialise at the end of the Adelaide has since developed and day. The council is now working with an adopted its Placemaking Strategy, innovative developer who has purchased which provides the framework to an unused office building. support the goal of “One City, Many “We are co-designing the public space Places”. It seeks to develop empowered outside and he is putting in a small bar,” communities and strong partnerships. Smith says. “That is almost the anchor The Adelaide CEO linked up with Adelaide City Council approached small This includes creating inclusive and place tenant to encourage others to Projects for Public Spaces and spent businesses, creative types and resident open governance arrangements that start opening up in the area as well.” time with Tim Tompkins, co-chair of the groups to create Splash! Adelaide, a encourage the Adelaide community, Business Improvement District Association temporary activation program, which businesses and interest groups to work Other ideas include removing all parking of Times Square. New York City has saw the CBD come alive with events with the council to produce positive on Friday and Saturday nights so the 68 Business Improvement Districts such as pop-up playgrounds, a roller outcomes for the city, district or place. street becomes a destination precinct in (BIDs), which are formal organisations derby and a twilight street party. the city. consisting of property owners and Adelaide and its “place users” will “In that first year for $150,000 we had commercial tenants that promote undertake three place pilots over The second pilot is Melbourne Street about 30-odd activities, which we business development and improve the the next two years. The pilots will in North Adelaide. “The Adelaide Oval had to program as a city government community’s quality of life. BIDs deliver experiment with new ways of operating has the potential to help that street or because I think there was a deep supplemental services such as sanitation using temporary approaches similar to destroy it… so it is pretty important that cynicism out there amongst small and maintenance, public safety and visitor Splash Adelaide as well as identifying we work with the traders and business business traders,” Smith said. “But three services, promotional programs, capital permanent and longer term actions. owners in that street,” Smith said. years on for same money we’ve got improvements and beautification. something close to 100 events. “And I thought: this is what we need in “So if the government opens its doors Adelaide!” Smith says. and says, ‘We want to do business 74 75 Smith says there was a lot of it… There is still hesitation but what that We see the city as like a public resistance as people usually means is they are able to spot synergies compete over public space instead of and opportunities. tapas bar… a good city collaborating over it – but there are early “And the owner of the public space, which has on their menu a lot signs of success. is the council, can say, ‘Okay, if you guys of different places where “We have building owners now sitting can do that with your privately owned people can create their own around the table… sharing their properties, how can we make public experiences together. development plans for their private space work for those?’ And that is the aim properties with each other, which is an of it, and the legacy will be long-lasting amazing conversation if you think about new forms of governance in place.” Smith says the place pilots will also test future place governance models.

“One of our aims through the place And the third one is Hindley Street governing is to get everyone who uses West, close to the late-night district. The that place or who has a stake in that university has opened a 24-hour learning place to come around the table,” he centre, and hospital and medical research says. “And that may be a challenge to centres are also being developed, which existing groups because they see that will bring a combined 10,000 people as a challenge to their role.” into the precinct on a daily basis. Smith says traders, property owners and the Smith says the whole aim of the place university were seeing the area as a governance approach was to build student/nurses/hospital precinct. precincts like Times Square.

“We see the city as like a tapas bar “A lot of the delegation of the New York and you know a good city has on their City government – the parking, the menu a lot of different places where franchises, cleaning, waste contracts people can create their own experiences – have all been devolved to the local together,” he says. “There is a place community group,” he says. “And the for students if they want a cheap night government does the stuff it must do out, a nice place to take the girlfriend, a and leaves the running of Times Square place for older people that is quieter or a to the community. We have one group high-end food/entertainment district. So close to that in Adelaide – the East End the place pilot is really trying to create Group – but some of the others are far Artist’s impression of Topham mall. that with the community.” from it.” 76 77 Nurturing culture on the Gold Coast By Sandra Edmunds

Many young people are by local artists. TWAS took a derelict Humanities and the Griffith Centre a sense of continuity and sustainability passionately resisting the Gold warehouse in an industrial area in Miami for Cultural Research, is interested was missing. She formed a committee Coast’s cultural stigma. The city and converted it into a contemporary art in the development of precincts that of artists, community workers, and sells itself as a leisure destination, space. The aim is to support artists to balance economic, cultural, social and researchers spanning disciplines with the tourist mecca drawing an present their work in a critical forum and environmental sustainability. Her thesis from design to cultural management. annual crowd of 10.5 million. to cultivate dialogues that engage their analyses how the commodification of Together they launched Sold Coast, a regional base. However, most Gold Coast youth do the city impacts cultural production on social change concept that seeks an not fit the “Schoolies” stereotype. These the Gold Coast. It looks at how tourism, amplified cultural identity and a vibrant, young people are asking whether there media and cultural policy have affected Sold Coast: creating a creative future for the Gold Coast. are more productive ways to collaborate notions of community and cultural identity. vibrant future for the “There is frustration in the way place is to achieve better social, cultural and Ditton is also a board member of Gold Coast being developed,” Ditton says. “A strong environmental outcomes for their city. The Walls Arts Space, a not-for- Creating critical conversations about economic profile and driver underpins Shanene Ditton, a PhD student profit organisation committed to the culture have been a focal point of every decision made. The focus needs at Griffith University in the School of development of innovative artworks Ditton’s doctoral research but she felt to be shifted to the cultural and social.” Images from the Sold Coast symposium.

space for more than 30 businesses. them in producing another event – a The shared office environment, which provocation on the council’s new 10- includes meeting rooms, kitchens and year culture strategy. a coffee shop, provides a space for “For council, this represents a turn businesses to connect and collaborate. towards more risky creative partnerships as well as more inclusive community Will the Gold Coast be a consultation,” Ditton says. “The council’s ghost town in 2063? new arts and culture team is really making In 2013 Sold Coast held a symposium some positive change, which is fantastic.” asking the question: What does the Ditton says with the Gold Coast Gold Coast look like in 50 years’ time? Commonwealth Games approaching in Twenty-one presenters explored an 2018 it is vital that we take a critical look enormous range of topics focused on at new developments and the impact the sustainability of the city by 2063. they will have on the city. The event was broadcast on radio and a robust Twitter conversation followed. “There tends to be the idea that Importantly, the City of Gold Coast anything about the Commonwealth invited Sold Coast to partner with Games takes precedence,” she says. “Money goes into developments without too much consultation. Shanene Ditton “We need to be very critical of what council to shut it down because it was in type of development happens – how Young people are asking the incorrect zone, and small restaurants and why. With it comes an enormous whether there are more struggled to obtain liquor licences. opportunity for a wonderful legacy. We don’t want there to be a horrid legacy or “There needs to be more flexibility in the productive ways to no legacy at all.” collaborate to achieve way they support cultural initiatives.” better social, cultural and Despite the hurdles, creative businesses are emerging on the Gold Coast. Dust There is frustration in environmental outcomes Temple, in Currumbin Waters, with its the way place is being for their city. gallery, coffee shop and charity events, developed… The focus needs is an up-and-coming incubator for the arts and culture scene. In Southport, to be shifted to the cultural For example, Ditton says, a cafe gallery Co Spaces restored the old ambulance and social. opened up in an industrial area only for the station and created a co-working

80 81 Precincts: It’s the economies of scale and defined boundaries of precincts that make them deliver – big enough to allow sustainability for the sharing of services and pooling of resources, but in seven steps small enough to facilitate innovative green technologies. Terry Leckie, Flow Systems

1. Think outside the building boundaries

Precincts lend themselves to sustainable An innovative approach to finance, development because of their size delivery, management and operation and mix, their ability to control product of sustainable infrastructure and lifecycle, influence behaviour change, services in precincts can make it extract value from waste products, and affordable to build green. because of their total purchasing power of the community. Key to overcoming market, regulatory, political and technical barriers – which While sustainability can be achieved in have historically prevented the take up individual buildings, it’s the economies of sustainable solutions and systems of scale and the defined boundaries in new developments – is an innovative of precincts that make them deliver – business model. big enough to allow for the sharing of services and pooling of resources that This model needs to: can bring down costs, but small enough • keep the long term benefit within the to facilitate innovative green technologies community and systems. The mix – or combination • extract value where there would of residential, commercial and typically be cost community buildings – is also essential, allowing demand/supply models • avoid a dependence on financial to be balanced. For example, too incentives or positive policy much commercial stock compared to frameworks residential leads to a lack of wastewater To begin a trend towards sustainable from which to generate recycled water. precinct development, there are seven The right mix of uses and producers is rules the industry and government required to deliver financially viable low authorities can follow: carbon energy solutions. Artist’s impression of the waterfront at Barangaroo South. Artist’s impression only, as at December 82 2014. Subject to planning approval and change. 83 The Bays Precinct

Soon you won’t build a precinct without an energy and water solution onsite – but it’s not just about sustainability; it will be driven by cost savings.

Centralised water and energy 2. Don’t accept BAU infrastructure costs too much to the economics. You have to create Traditional thinking separates the cost/benefits install and maintain, and is not easily an economic model that creates a management of each of these resources, Analysis of many precincts globally adaptable to sustainability. In addition, sustainable solution for the long term. but in precincts you can think about over the past two decades reveals public utilities are not prepared to give them together for greater efficiency. a reliance on government financing away their profits to do things differently. 3. Synergies or seed funding for project viability. What needs to be calculated is the Precincts permit synergies between 4. Set KPIs that define There are now opportunities to rethink benefit of precinct approaches to sustainable technologies. For example economic modelling around the delivery true value – sustainability, essential services. If you consider the the energy–water nexus – energy and management of essential services liveability, happiness full lifecycle management of products solutions are more cost effective coupled that can remove the dependency on a Many studies from heat island effect to from procurement to disposal it gives with recycled water, driving down costs. subsidy-based approach. sustainable design, prove the benefit you greater control over waste, water, Think about trigeneration. It increases of thinking wider than the financial KPIs Soon you won’t build a precinct without energy and telecommunications the local demand for water, just as local of building communities. For example, an energy and water solution onsite – systems. By controlling what goes in water production increases the energy studies in Melbourne looking at the but it’s not just about sustainability; it and what comes out of a community, it demand. Doing both is self-supporting. relationship between the heat of a city and will be driven by cost savings. And there is possible to improve efficiencies. Waste By having energy and water operated the health of constituents show a major are now enough global examples to products quickly become resources. in synergy within a precinct, you can impact of sustained heat on rates of death demonstrate precinct development will By mirroring nature’s own recycling optimise the use of both resources. in our community. The most effective not be viable without onsite energy and patterns, communities are able to live For example, if there is excess solar solution is urban design that incorporates water production. with minimum waste or carbon impact. generation in the middle of the day, but tree shade, increasing the amount of water If you look at the business as usual To demonstrate the effectiveness of this the sewage peaks in the morning and in an environment to create a cooling energy and water infrastructure, it’s not approach, we have to create examples, late afternoon, you can manage your effect and using soft rather than hard adding value for anyone – consumer, and then let the markets follow. It’s water production to take best advantage surfaces. Here is an example of how a environment or government. not about the legislation; it’s about of the solar power when it is available. KPI around healthier communities can 84 85 reduce heat-related deaths and improve and services that would not stack up the energy was carbon intensive. A local market in NSW, linking new sustainable health outcomes. Other studies focus in smaller developments. This power renewable energy network was set up to systems to existing centralised systems on the benefit of communal gardens, the also extends to community investment supply homes. This is a bold, sustainable and buildings is challenging governments walkability and greening of a community as models, which allow shareholdings best-practice precinct that demonstrates and regulators. It’s a bit like the Google factors enhancing liveability and happiness. in renewables, capable of generating the power of leaders to drive change driverless car. As they introduce it to new income from sales to the grid into the without government legislation. counties, government scrambles to control Allowing for broader KPIs will guarantee future. Here, homes and workplaces it. As a result of Google lobbying, though, innovation and can cement sustainability Visionary public authorities have also led become generators of energy and water four US States have passed laws allowing for future precincts. In Huntlee – a new the way in Australia by putting in precinct at a scale that can drive greater returns. driverless cars with the first licence for an sustainable precinct in the NSW Hunter infrastructure such as a waste plant or autonomous car issued in 2012. Valley – a free renewable energy model Once you generate energy and water in a district heating system; they can then will entice electric vehicle owners to visit precinct you are creating a revenue stream, connect other local authority or council the town centre for free charging. It’s which provides you with the opportunity buildings to the system guaranteeing 7. Share hoped this green driver initiative becomes to create a different community model. early adopters and revenue streams. Linking precincts means you don’t have a honeypot to other opportunities: This could translate into property value. This can inspire developers to follow suit. to overinvest to create redundancy in consider carbon neutral public transport A community business that homeowners For many local councils this is the only each community. If you are producing powered by renewable energy. have shares in, selling excess water and approach as they have little authority excess in a community, you can help energy, can generate dividends for the to mandate. So they lead by example other communities – by interlinking and 5. Ensure long term value entire community in the long-term. and persuade developers, utilities and sharing you reduce upfront spend and companies to join in the vision. risk. You increase efficiency, remove is weighted against risk 6. Don’t wait for redundancy and create communities that Precinct business models focus on Even with enabling regulations or work as a whole. It’s not about us and long-term gains traded against short- government targets – legislation, sustainable innovations are them. It is about us together. term returns. They factor in additional build it and they often ahead of the regulators. Looking values beyond financial, such as will come at the sustainable water and energy Terry Leckie is founder and enhanced liveability, ecology, innovation managing director of Flow Systems. In the UK and Middle East, where utilities and future proofing, and they often rely and provision of infrastructure is completely on future revenue streams to achieve deficient, the self-sufficiency model has Woking, UK is a global leader in viability. Importantly, they rely on the self- local green infrastructure. thrived. Here developers cannot wait for sufficiency of the community to extract government to supply infrastructure, so value. For example, waste products like they have turned to onsite generation. wastewater can deliver commercial rates of return on recycled water. Recycled Other drivers such as a desire for water can then be used for up to 70 per renewable energy and greater control has cent of household needs. led to the establishment of local green infrastructure: Woking in the UK is a global Precincts populations have unique best practice example of this. Here a purchasing power allowing a reduction in community decided it wanted to produce costs for proven sustainable technologies its own energy; bills were too high and 86 87 Vanessa Rauland

Mainstreaming Sustainable When progressive developers Precincts: sharing and early adopters attempt experiences to push boundaries and test innovative new approaches to Dr Vanessa Rauland and Giles Thomson, Curtin delivering precinct-scale eco- University Sustainability Policy (CUSP) Institute infrastructure, they invariably hit a range of obstacles.

The built environment has a long the complex network of interaction meant uptake of sustainable precinct False and misleading information history of planning and construction at between urban systems such as development remains slow in Australia, and negative narratives about such the precinct scale, dating back to the energy, water, food and transport that in and is far from mainstream. infrastructure projects “not working” birth of city planning as a profession. combination provide opportunities for an and being “plagued by problems” It is expected, when progressive integrated development.’’ are particularly damaging, and However, it is only more recently that developers and early adopters will stifle innovation and progress this scale has gained widespread Precinct-scale eco-infrastructure attempt to push boundaries and test towards delivering more sustainable interest for the potential it offers can help to address several of the innovative new approaches to delivering communities. for integrating urban planning and environmental challenges we face precinct-scale eco-infrastructure, they infrastructure delivery, and in particular, including climate change and resource invariably hit a range of obstacles Here we explore some examples of the potential of integrated sustainable depletion, due to the numerous carbon and stumbling blocks as they forge progressive projects and aspirational infrastructure, or eco-infrastructure, reduction opportunities and resource through largely unchartered territory. proposals for low carbon sustainable which can help reduce the ecological efficiencies associated with decentralised It is important, therefore, that we build precincts, which have experienced footprint of urban areas. infrastructure. But despite the existence on the knowledge gained from their or identified significant obstacles or of several promising demonstration experiences and mistakes to advance barriers. These examples provide As Newman and Kenworthy note, projects, institutional inertia and the our collective understanding in how to useful learning opportunities and help “precincts offer greater efficiencies than reluctance to shift from business-as-usual better deliver this infrastructure, rather to identify where further research and the individual household scale due to – largely due to a range of barriers – has than as a reason to dismiss it. creative solutions are needed. 88 89 The Dandenong Precinct Energy Project. Image: John Gollings

low carbon electricity through the local to a range of issues (some highlighted together with changes to a NABERS electricity distribution network via its below), connection has been lower rule that had assisted the PEP, made retail licence. than expected. Nevertheless, this may the PEP a challenge to operate and change in the future, as new developers OE’s proposals to connect to the Issues encountered and come to the site. cogeneration system perhaps less lessons learnt compelling. Certain measures will need Being the first project of its kind in Good governance and to be put in place to help to deal with Australia, PV and OE had to deal with a cultural change similar issues in future projects. variety of obstacles: It is important to ensure that knowledge and information is not lost with the Risk premiums for new approaches change of personnel. In the case of the It is important to ensure Due to a general lack of commercial Dandenong PEP, several key people that knowledge and understanding about how to deliver responsible for developing the project precinct-wide co- and trigeneration in the left after a few years (both from PV information is not lost with Australian context, PV struggled to find and to some extent at OE), inevitably the change of personnel. a consultant who could provide a cost- resulting in knowledge loss. To avoid this effective solution for delivering the project. in future projects, adequate protocols Dandenong Precinct As a result, PV ended up spending or governance arrangements need Benefit of demonstration projects considerable time understanding the to be in place to ensure successful Energy Project, Successful demonstration projects can technology and business case internally continued implementation. This issue of Melbourne, Victoria change or influence policy, regulation before proceeding. They ended up governance, together with considerable or political interest, in ways that The Dandenong Precinct Energy Project sourcing the technology and equipment unanticipated financial challenges untested concepts can not. We are in Victoria is Australia’s first multi-title, themselves directly from Europe. (highlighted below), may have now seeing some rules come in that low carbon energy precinct. Places contributed to a number of oversights Avoiding excessive requirements support embedded generation, and Victoria, the Victorian Government’s when selling the land, including issues on developers hopefully soon virtual net metering will land development agency, together with demarcation of easements. with Cogent Energy (owned by Origin Not wanting to put overly burdensome be available, which will assist many Energy), have been leading the requirements on developers to mandate Dealing with the unexpected community energy projects. innovative project, which was a key part “green buildings” or connection to The success of the gas-fired This project also highlighted the of the “Revitalising Central Dandenong” the system, PV needed to make it as cogeneration system was somewhat importance of getting the right Initiative. The project included the attractive as possible for developers to contingent on having a carbon price, governance structure in place in terms installation of a cogeneration plant in want to connect to the low carbon (and as well as a stable or increasing price of owning and operating the system. the centre of a new town square, and theoretically low cost) energy network. of electricity. Therefore, the repeal of Without an effective and experienced a network of thermal pipes to deliver PV thus highlighted the opportunity for the carbon price and decrease in the operator, there is risk of the system thermal energy to a number of sites obtaining “easy” Green Star points for cost of electricity (wholesale electricity becoming a stranded asset. located within the district. OE retails the connecting to the system. However, due prices have dropped 20-35 per cent),

90 91 Stirling City Centre, the responsibility for planning and delivery of the centre has reverted back to a Perth, WA Artist’s impression of the Scarborough multiplicity of agencies. Re-establishment Beach redevelopment in the City of Stirling, The City of Stirling, located of the traditional siloed approach of urban approximately 10 kilometres North governance has resulted in a much lower West of Perth’s CBD had bold plans level of co-ordination and collaboration. to develop a dense, integrated and modern mixed-use, transit-oriented centre around the Stirling train station. The main barrier identified Development plans included a population target of 25,000 residents was the fragmentation of and approximately 30,000 jobs mostly urban governance. located within 800 metres of the train station, as well as a range of district scale eco-utility services delivered Issues encountered and across multiple precincts. The relatively lessons learnt low-density site is currently dominated by single detached houses, light Fragmented urban governance industrial estates and box shopping and utility service provision centres and is largely car dependent. The main barrier Kovacs identified was the fragmentation of urban governance. In 2008, the city formed the Stirling City Kovacs highlights that land use plans Centre Alliance. This Alliance structure for urban regeneration areas are often ensured that key stakeholders (such as uncoupled from overarching infrastructure town planning, transportation and utility investment decision-making processes. providers, and development agencies) In the case of CoS, they were waiting for were part of the decision-making critical transport infrastructure funding, process and involved in providing a Regulatory barriers as this would form the backbone of their to reaching consensus on how the range of deliverables to the Western transit-oriented development. Without city centre could be serviced. While There are a number of regulatory issues Australian Planning Commission and this funding materialising, the project the formation of the SCCA was and barriers, ranging from the requirement the City of Stirling. However, after five eventually ran out of momentum. useful in getting key stakeholders to obtain licences from the Economic years and a number of setbacks, the and representatives from relevant Regulation Authority for provision of project has been shelved and the Alliance In terms of the delivery of decentralised departments and utilities in the room, it electricity and water services, to the disbanded. Stephen Kovacs, strategic eco-utility services, the fragmented failed to get full corporate “buy in” and absence of commercial feed-in-tariffs and planning officer at the City Stirling and ownership of the current services support from them. This is a key area the lack of regulation governing the use of integral member of the SCCA, notes that provision also posed a major impediment that needs creative solutions in the future. thermal energy in WA. Local Government 92 93 Act restrictions on investment in business council) inherits the assets and manages create a forum to progressively resolve Principal Rocio Bona identified several enterprise by local government also pose them as a council-owned District the issues highlighted above, which in obstacles that will need to be overcome a problem for Stirling. Utility Group. This would also allow the turn would ensure regulations are up to to ensure successful implementation authority or land developer to have the date and relevant to the needs of urban of the precinct-scale sustainability Having a clear government-led legal authority to apply the mechanism infill development in an ecologically initiatives and the overall innovative development proponent of levying developer contributions to sound manner. Greater Curtin Master Plan. They are Surprisingly, the project didn’t have a recover monies expended on building mostly legislative or financial in nature. clear development proponent, such the infrastructure (value capture). Greater Curtin, Curtin as the Metropolitan Redevelopment Changing the Curtin University of University, WA Authority or LandCorp, to deliver the A new forum to resolve issues Technology Act 1966 precinct-scale eco-infrastructure for Kovacs suggests the need for Curtin University is Western Australia’s One of the key legislative issues currently the large vacant government-owned an integrated approach to urban largest university with over 50,000 facing Curtin is the need to change the land. Kovacs suggests the idea of governance, with local authorities students. The main campus is located existing act governing the university, a model where a public authority working in close collaboration with approximately eight kilometres which limits the range and mix of uses (like MRA or Landcorp) takes on the planning and delivery agencies such as southeast of Perth’s city centre in the allowed on the site. This requires State land development and infrastructure WAPC and MRA/LandCorp as well as relatively low-density suburb of Bentley. Government approval. Changing the uses provision, and then a local authority (the public and private utilities. This would The campus is currently very car to enable residential and commercial dependent, although has decent bus development on the site will be central access. Taking a proactive stance to to transitioning from a purely educational Artist’s impression of Curtin’s Bentley coordinate future growth, the university campus redevelopment. university to vibrant “university city”. recently released the visionary Greater Curtin Master Plan to transform the Bentley campus from a largely mono- The plan intends to deliver functional educational use into a vibrant an innovative “network of “university city” complete with housing, light rail, civic, cultural, commercial and integrated infrastructure leisure activities. Significantly, the plan systems” to ensure future intends to deliver an innovative “network growth occurs in an efficient of integrated infrastructure systems” to ensure future growth occurs in an and sustainable manner. efficient and sustainable manner.

Issues encountered and Regulatory barriers to district energy anticipated Other legislative barriers include the lack Curtin University Properties, Facilities of community title in WA, which makes and Development staff director Andy it almost impossible for communities to Sharp and Strategic Asset Planning 94 95 Artist’s impression of Curtin’s Bentley campus redevelopment.

investment focused, but give much urban development provides abundant broader off balance-sheet returns, such opportunities for experimentation as the research benefits associated with a range of integrated eco- with delivering precinct energy. While infrastructure and service provisions financial modelling has demonstrated that offer unique efficiencies, as well that a trigeneration plant will provide as the ability to experiment with new much better returns down the track, it is forms of localised governance. about reaching the critical scale required to make it happen early on. Sharp suggests they are not far from it. As cities seek to transition toward low carbon find ways to maintain/service/own district This may have more promising results Key learnings communities, precinct-scale infrastructure. For example, the lack of in Curtin University’s case, as they are The case studies above demonstrate urban development provides physical and regulatory infrastructure currently seeking certification under the the need for strong leadership, for district heating (no legislation exists Green Building Council of Australia’s good initial and ongoing governance abundant opportunities for how privately generated thermal Green Star – Communities rating tool. structures and constant stakeholder for experimentation with energy could be passed through public engagement (particularly involving The low cost of electricity integrated eco-infrastructure infrastructure such as roads, nor any utilities, government departments, way of billing for thermal energy), limits Financial barriers are also a significant authorities and agencies, and local and service provisions that the practicality of providing district issue for Curtin University as it attempts developers) to ensure successful offer unique efficiencies. heating. There are also barriers around to implement alternative energy implementation of sustainable precincts getting developers to connect to low solutions on the campus. Curtin’s low and communities. Changes to regulation carbon district energy (including heating cost of electricity and the high price of are urgently required, which begs for It is critical we take a proactive and cooling) and water systems. gas in WA has a significant impact on greater communication and dialogue approach to analysing and addressing Restricting the choice of energy and/ the commercial viability of precinct-scale between key urban development the obstacles faced by those breaking or recycled water supply to developers co- and trigeneration systems. Further stakeholders and regulatory authorities new ground, to learn from their is not possible under current legislation. compounding the issue is the lack of in order to create new legislation that experiences, prevent their mistakes This is known as third line forcing and ability to export electricity across titles supports innovative eco-infrastructure. being repeated and together begin to is prohibited under the ACCC. and the cost associated with metering New funding and financing models are identify creative solutions and novel hot and chilled water supply (thermal also urgently required that can help approaches to deal with challenges. Curtin University will therefore need to energy) in residential dwellings. to spread the upfront capital costs of Only through this process will we look at alternative ways of encouraging sustainable district eco-infrastructure be able to advance our collective voluntary connection to alternative Moving beyond tradition ROIs (which provides lower ongoing costs) knowledge around delivering eco- district-scale schemes, such as the Fortunately, Sharp explains the over a longer time period. infrastructure at the precinct-level approach taken by the Dandenong university now has the ability to discuss and begin to mainstream low carbon, PEP initiative of promoting the benefits broader project benefits with the Curtin As cities seek to transition toward low sustainable communities. of achieving “easy” Green Star points. Council that are not purely return-on- carbon communities, precinct-scale 96 97 “Internet of Things” – the convergence name but a few, have presented for the of the communications, energy and past two or more decades. In essence, our logistics pillars into a super internet – that cities, which we’ve always understood as underpins the making of the contemporary powerful mediating elements in themselves, city and in turn the contemporary space of now comprise the means by which the capital exchange. power of mediation has been devolved. Technology has made everyone and every In essence, the material evidence of “thing” a potential mediator of relationships. the city is becoming less and less representative of the economy and Not all that long ago, television, therefore the social practices it harbours, newspapers and radio were the dominant and (urban) design, in an attempt to recall forms of media in which they would the good old days where architects and mediate the relationship we had with the like were the “authors” of the city’s each other and the rest of the world. future, is retreating into an entirely self- Now, technology has become a means enabling networks: referential mire becoming less relevant to by which we mediate relationships and the contemporary role of “design” as an enable the rapid disruption of traditional why we need to move “enabler” of city future’s. associations and in turn the rapid re- association of people and entities into new In his new book, The Zero Marginal productive relationships. on from precincts Cost Society: The internet of things, the collaborative commons, and the eclipse This point is important in the discussion By Ingo Kumic of capitalism, Rifkin lays out an intriguing about “sustainability” and what it is we narrative concerning the future of social think we’re building or enabling. As Rifkin systems in which he declares: “The I was recently asked whether I knew from our deterministic approach to the capitalist era is passing… not quickly, but Ingo Kumic of any contemporary examples of making of cities, an approach that reflects inevitably. A new economic paradigm – the “sustainable precincts” and without that we still regard a post-Cold War collaborative commons – is rising in its pause hit an intellectual impasse. capitalist economy as the dominant form wake… a hybrid economy, part capitalist of social behaviour, and that “property” market and part collaborative space… In part it was a reaction to what, with and “property developers” are the lead where billions of people engage in the the greatest respect, I regard as a variables in the regeneration process. deeply social aspects of life.” thoroughly outdated concept in this age of social disruption. But perhaps the Critically it is the immaterial evidence of the Rifkin’s work is a continuation of a broader greater visceral response was reserved city, its complex systems of communities stream of consciousness that he and other for the fact that the idea of a “precinct” and productive processes enabled commentators such as David Harvey, still suggests we have not moved on by what Jeremy Rifkin refers to as the Richard Sennett and Edward Soja, to 98 99 goes onto suggest, this new economic in consumption rather than in consuming calls to erect the facility again. In contrast, on a regular basis developed a business system – the collaborative commons – for its own sake. a later presentation by two University of model that would allow them to finance the “might bring marginal costs to near zero, Melbourne students, focused on a similar event themselves. This shift in economy should have profound problem of underutilised and quite hostile making goods and services priceless, There is a vanguard of designers and consequences for the way in which we space. The students, in contrast, enabled nearly free, and abundant, and no longer organisations who exemplify the pop-up see the contemporary city and our part in the community and other stakeholders – subject to market forces”. principle on a far grander scale and have its making. So as to respond to this new through design – to became authors of taken the contemporary challenge of and emerging economy, urban design their own a solution. Interestingly enough, building sustainable networks head on. must subordinate the technical challenge the solution proposed was also a “pop up” Urban design must Designers like Indy Johar (Architecture of building “sustainable” precincts facility that was to be a one-off, conducted 00), Dan Hill (Catapult), and Megan Antcliff subordinate the technical to the political challenge of enabling on a Saturday morning and which took the (South Australian Department of State challenge of building “sustainable” networks. That is to say that form of a small meet’n’greet venue where Development) embody the shift from author the sustainable performance of a city is neighbours who had never met could grab “sustainable” precincts to enabler, one which is an exemplar of entirely dependent on the emergence of a a coffee and get to know each other. This contemporary leadership in the building to the political challenge network of productive relationships that in solution was also a great success and with of empowered networks and complex of enabling “sustainable” themselves must be able to be sustained. many calling for it to be run again. This redefines the agency of the “designer” communities. There’s no point scouring networks. pretty pictures of precincts to discover their and assigns his or her value as someone Enabling a sustainable that enables the building of communities genius; that lies in the software. network We’re already seeing this play out across and not simply building in spite of them. Ingo Kumic has 20 years’ experience If one were to look at images of both the music, film and news industries. as a strategic design lead and This principle is best illustrated by a recent events, neither would appear to be Rifkin believes that this phenomenon strategist assisting city governments set of contrasting presentations on local demonstrably different from the other. And will help alleviate rather than exacerbate with the planning, programming and government and place management hosted yet, nothing could be further from the truth. sustainability challenges because integrated delivery of city futures. by the University of Melbourne. Leading The differences do not lie in the technical overconsumption is driven by a fear of off was a presentation by a colleague resolution of the pop-up itself but rather in scarcity and if we know we can have from the City of Monash. The emphasis of its political resolution. The former failed to whatever we want then fear and anxiety the presentation was to demonstrate the build a sustainable network of community, cease to become drivers of consumption. effectiveness of an unencumbered “design” and therefore benefactors, resulting in Furthermore, he suggests that “markets process in which the council’s design council having to finance the “pop-up” into are beginning to give way to networks, team, faced with an underutilised public perpetuity. It promoted consumption for ownership is becoming less important than space, took it upon themselves to author the sake of consumption and contributed access, and the traditional dream of rags to a design solution without involvement from little to the making of community. On the riches is being supplanted by a new dream the community or other stakeholders. The other hand, and in stark contrast, the two of a sustainable quality of life”. And driving solution took the form of a small “pop-up” students had enabled the emergence this are the Millennials who have already facility erected early Saturday morning and of a sustainable network of community come to the conclusion that freedom is dismantled again at the end of the day. members for a shared-productive purpose. not predicated on how much we can The “pop up” proved hugely successful These people became the stewards of accumulate but is instead based on and was well patronised, so much so their own pop-up facility and faced with developing networks and promoting equity that the council has been inundated with increasing demands to run the pop-up School of Life pop up space. 100 Image courtesy of CoDesign Studio. 101 Artist’s impression of Ferrars Street Precinct, Fishermans Bend.

Precincts and our health Professor Susan Thompson and Dr Greg Paine, City Futures Research Centre

To be sustainable, the precincts we These environmental and social create need to support our health conditions also contribute to and wellbeing in the same way greenhouse gas emissions, and on city as supporting our ecological and fringes impact on biodiversity and land economic imperatives – all of which available for growing food. Alternatively, To address the epidemic of lifestyle 1. Getting people active (incidental are, of course, closely intertwined. environments with residential densities diseases we need to shift our health and organised physical activity – supporting public transport, together focus to prevention, rather than rely to reduce obesity and the risk of There is now abundant evidence on with shops and homes within easy the link between the way we design on costly medical interventions once heart disease, some cancers and walking and cycling distance, make a we get sick. Our urban planning and depression). Key questions to ask and live in our cities and the increasing positive contribution to health. Such prevalence of “lifestyle diseases” acceptance of better, healthier models of precinct development are: neighbourhoods are also good for for the suburbs needs to catch- such as obesity, diabetes, coronary • Is the grouping, layout, travel and ecological sustainability. Providing public up. The best chance of success is and respiratory conditions, cancers, time between activities, particularly transport and easy access to shops through collaboration and knowledge depression and anxiety. destinations frequented on a daily selling healthy food up-front in new sharing – with health, built environment basis, conducive to “active transport” Reduced opportunity for daily physical residential precincts can avoid incoming professionals, precinct developers and (walking or cycling)? activity, car-dominated transport, easy residents adopting “unhealthy” habits residents all working together. availability of fast food relative to fresh that can then be difficult to reverse. • Is access to different destinations food, and lack of social connection are A wide range of research evidence easy using public transport, with all implicated. Housing distant from and “healthy built environment” design stops readily accessible by walking or commercial and cultural centres and jobs, In 2013 29 per cent of checklists and guidelines are available cycling? Are transport waiting shelters with low residential densities, segregated Australians ranked as to assist. Universities are also playing and bike racks provided? an important role. The Healthy Built land uses, disconnected street patterns, • Are walking and cycling routes obese (BMI ≥ 30), compared Environments Program in the City and limited public transport encourage comfortable, safe, convenient and to 16 per cent in 1980. Futures Research Centre at the University car-dependent, physically inactive and attractive, with seats, bike racks of NSW is one example. This Program has socially isolated lifestyles. All of which can and shade? make us unhealthy. identified three key domains that precincts Australian Health Survey, 2013 (ABS) need to address to support good health: • Does the design of public space invite

102 103 people to use it, as well as providing In 2011-12 26 per cent of for both moderate and intense trips under one kilometre physical activity? (within 15 minutes walk • Are commercial spaces available for other recreational physical activities, time) in Sydney were made with opening hours related to by car. residents’ needs? • Are stairs designed to encourage use NSW Bureau of Transport Statistics for those who are able-bodied, rather than a proliferation of lifts or escalators? 3. Providing healthy food options (nutrition – to reduce obesity 2. Connecting and strengthening and the risk of heart disease and community (incidental and organised some cancers). Key questions to social interaction – to reduce risk of ask of precinct development are: mental illness and depression). • Is there up-front provision of The Australian Heart Foundation: reference material, research work and Key questions to ask of precinct spaces to retail fresh foods, at • Substantial reference material, online lectures and resources. development are: guidelines and checklists for opening hours related to residents’ University of Melbourne Place, healthy urban design responses • Are public spaces and facilities needs? Are spaces for fresh food Health and Liveability Research and promotion of active living, both designed to be well-used, comfortable, community markets provided? Program: nationally and State-specific. safe and attractive? Do they cater • Is there a favourable balance • Lists key projects, research work for all neighbourhood groups, between commercial spaces and publications, including a major Healthy Places and Spaces: encouraging incidental social activity? retailing fresh food and energy- project on indicators of “community • Are other community spaces available dense, nutrient-poor foods? • A national website sponsored by the wellbeing” in Melbourne. Heart Foundation, Planning Institute for organised social activities on an • Are there opportunities for Australia and the Australian Local as-needs basis? residents to grow fresh food? University of Western Australia Government Association comprising • Are streets designed as public space • Is advertising of food and the visibility a guide to creating healthy spaces Centre for the Built Environment for all, not just for vehicular transport of food generally balanced between and places, and links to research and Health: (“complete streets”)? healthy and not-so healthy foods? and other work by others, including • Lists key projects, research work international and Australian State and contributions to healthy built • Are common areas of buildings Professor Susan Thompson and Government guides and checklists. environments guidelines and checklists. designed to encourage incidental Dr Greg Paine, Healthy Built social interaction? Environments Program, City Futures University of NSW Healthy Built Inquiry into Environmental Design • Are building frontages and public Research Centre, University Environments Program: and Public Health in Victoria: spaces designed with “active” uses to of New South Wales. encourage incidental social interaction? • An ongoing literature review on the links • By the Victorian Parliament, but between health and built environments, applicable generally. Comprehensive together with best-practice responses. summary of issues, health data, Fact sheets on key matters. Other desirable design responses and policy. 104 105 Regeneration of existing suburbs in Australia’s are now well established as a result major cities has, to date, of joint government-industry projects undertaken in the Better Cities initiatives been sub-optimal. of the 1990s. Performance criteria for this class of redevelopment are improving (for example, compare Regeneration of existing suburbs in Barangaroo and Docklands). Australia’s major cities has, to date, been sub-optimal. Extensions and renovations Regeneration: Greyfields is a term to describe to existing housing have been significant technologically outdated, tackling the greyfields – especially in inner city suburbs. environmentally and physically failing, They make no net contribution to new under-utilised real estate assets Professor Peter Newton housing stock, however. A change of where economic value lies in the planning and building regulations since land rather than the building. Unlike the early 1990s – designed to generate brownfields, there is usually no need for urban consolidation by an almost as- remediation. Greyfields reflect a greater A major challenge for urban Australia designed to address this challenge. Infill of-right ability to build two dwellings on development challenge than brownfields and its fast growing cities in particular targets, typically in the 50-70 per cent land parcels originally subdivided for one or greenfields, however: they are is the provision of an adequate supply range, are now integral to all capital city single, detached house plus garden (for localities with occupied housing stock of appropriately located, affordable planning strategies. example, Rescode in Victoria) – has and multiple property owners who will and sustainable housing across a Infill is a term that has been widely require an attractive value proposition range of dwelling types. ascribed to all urban redevelopment to consider releasing their land for A related challenge involves attempts occurring in the established suburbs. redevelopment – as precincts (which is by the metropolitan planning agencies Research by Newton and Glackin, possible with site consolidation). The in the capital cities to restrict residential however, has established that infill attraction of most greyfield housing from sprawl and deliver more compact cities: occurs in two distinct urban arenas: a redevelopment perspective is that it attracting built capital and population brownfields and greyfields. Brownfields lies within a radius of 5-25 kilometres inwards rather than outwards. are the now well-established locations from the CBD – the zones in most large for precinct scale regeneration of Australian cities that are public transport- Residential infill in the established abandoned industrial and commercial services-and-jobs rich compared to the suburbs has emerged as one of the sites in our cities. Development outer suburbs. Property prices reflect principal urban planning policies models for these types of precincts this higher amenity. 106 107 Modular construction represents evaluating the performance of any an emerging opportunity for more precinct development…as a basis for affordable housing as well as more rapid demonstrating value to governments, assembly of new dwellings in congested developers and potential occupants (see city neighbourhoods. Housing precincts here for a recent review). can also be better designed to reduce future heat island effects • Energy can be supplied in a manner The next level of innovation that can achieve carbon neutrality in built environment with the introduction of distributed sustainability requires renewable energy and storage as new elements of “hybrid buildings” a focus on precincts – in (energy efficient shell and appliances brownfields, greenfields and, plus distributed renewable generation; Figure 1: Innovation Arenas for Greyfield Precinct Regeneration. Source: Adapted from Newton et .al. (2011). in particular, greyfields. Newton and Tucker, 2011). Energy is generated for local use as well as delivered a fragmented process of infill A new greyfield residential precinct for the national grid development. This process of knock- redevelopment process is required It is now apparent that the next level down-rebuild has generated insufficient to unlock the regeneration potential • Water can be supplied via water of innovation in built environment net additions to housing stock relative that exists in the established middle sensitive urban design principles and sustainability requires a focus on to demand – typically between 2-4 ring suburbs of Australia’s cities. The practices capable of application at precincts – in brownfields, greenfields dwellings for each residential benefits of precinct scale residential precinct scale with an appropriate and, in particular, greyfields. The property demolished. redevelopment are considerable: mix of technologies for local water Australian Housing and Urban capture, storage, treatment and end- Research Institute’s greyfields project The challenge is to scale up greyfield • Housing can be designed to deliver use in an eco-efficient manner canvassed input from over 70 leading regeneration to precinct level. To a mix of dwelling types, styles and • Land previously dedicated to roads, academics and practitioners involved date, metropolitan strategic plans sizes, at higher density and greater verges, driveways and garaging can in city development, in relation to have attempted to accomplish this affordability, with some mixed land be reconfigured within a medium the challenge of regenerating the by encouraging more intensive use, while at the same time delivering density precinct for alternative uses, established suburbs of Australia’s major redevelopment around designated a more aesthetically pleasing and including housing, community spaces cities and attempted the articulation of activity centres and along major public higher amenity neighbourhood than and communal food cultivation a new model for greyfield residential transport corridors. Both of these are its predecessor. The precinct can also precinct regeneration. Much of the necessary but not sufficient… a majority be “wired” as an e-village to support A range of design assessment innovation needed was found to of infill redevelopment continues to neighbourhood engagement as well as and rating tools are now emerging be organisational, institutional and occur in a fragmented, suboptimal providing better access to information with a capability of more rapidly social in nature, supported by some fashion outside these designated areas. on a range of community services. 108 109 technological innovations. It concluded A new greyfield residential that innovation was required in four key precinct redevelopment arenas (see Figure 1), which were: process is required to • Identifying the most prospective unlock the regeneration locations which developers and planners should target for precinct potential that exists in the redevelopment (“where”) established middle ring • Improving the urban design processes suburbs of Australia’s cities. needed to achieve this (“what”) • Understanding contemporary and possible future housing and Applied research and development locational preferences in terms of on greyfields residential precinct framing the demand for medium redevelopment is now well advanced density living in established middle across all the innovation arenas listed ring suburbs (“who”) above, drawing upon precinct scale • Establishing new pathways for research being undertaken in all three achieving residential precinct Co-operative Research Centres that regeneration, including finance and focus on sustainable urban development: delivery, stakeholder engagement • CRC for Spatial Information (governments, community, developers) and new governance • CRC for Water Sensitive Cities processes for the creation of this new • CRC for Low Carbon Living urban product (“how”)

More detail is available on each of these Peter Newton is Research Professor innovation arenas in the links throughout in Sustainable Urbanism, Swinburne this article. University of Technology.

110 111 predicted it will cost us $20 billion by of public transport projects such as the 2020. One logical way to address this Melbourne Metro and Brisbane’s Cross- is with more affordable housing close to River Rail, and has stated it will be the city centre. investing only in roads.

On the most part, provision of key This single-focus approach has been worker housing has not occurred in most rejected in many other cities across the of our big cities where housing prices world The question is not how many continue to rise and affordable housing more cars can we move down this for workers is in gross undersupply. street, but how many more people. It’s an issue, and incentives like zoning concessions is one answer, but we need to work on better integration. “With one single rail line offering the same carrying Transport congestion capacity as a 10-lane Meanwhile, crowding on our urban rail highway, the future of systems during peak times in our major The importance of cities is now endemic, with at least our cities cannot simply 40 per cent of passengers forced to depend on building ever cities, and why we stand for half, or sometimes all, of their journey. Australian transport planners more roads.” need to do things have an enormous task to satisfy our need to get around our cities today, let More extensive and comprehensive differently alone into the future. public transport needs to be backed up with a well-developed pedestrian James Rosenwax, AECOM What is evident is that Australia and cycling network that services not must take a historic reappraisal of just the residents of our inner-cities, our infrastructure priorities. Yes, we but connects all our major rail, bus, Australians love our cars and the Australia, like every other developed Housing affordability educational and employment hubs. provision of safe high-standard roads country, is subject to emerging global makes economic sense challenges that need to be factored is crucial. But with one single rail line Right now, 85 per cent of short trips into our planning for cities and While our cities might be recognised as offering the same carrying capacity as a in Australia are still undertaken by car. precincts. This includes the need to desirable and successful, it doesn’t feel 10-lane highway, the future of our cities Imagine if just a fraction of these trips factor in climate change, the need for like that for everyone. cannot simply depend on building ever were done instead on foot or by bicycle. affordable housing near central urban more roads. As the Danish architect Jan It could mean walking or cycling to Congestion is one outcome of the nodes, transport and congestion Gehl correctly points out, build more the local railway station for the trip to disparate relationship between key issues, the potential of biomimicry, roads and they will soon fill with cars. work. Or using the bike basket rather worker jobs and affordable housing, and technology that is changing the than the car boot to carry home a few and now hangs like an anchor on our We all know this. Yet the current federal way we relate to each other. groceries. However, for there to be a productivity. If nothing is done it is government has cut funds to a range 112 113 widespread change in the travelling There are added benefits. Jan Gehl York has managed to halt the rise in In France, at the end of a prolonged habits of Australians, vast improvements argues that investing in pedestrian obesity by a government-wide effort to heatwave in 2003, an additional 15,000 are needed to get our cycling and and cycle paths makes cities friendlier build healthy design into all its decision- deaths were recorded. pedestrians pathways up to scratch. places. Gehl worked closely with the City making – simple things like signs The summer of 2013-14 in Australia of Melbourne and it is no accident that pointing out where the steps are in its People must feel safe and they will not recorded the hottest January, the hottest the laneway culture, the outdoor dining, office towers and installing lifts that stop feel safe if a cycle path is nothing more summer and the hottest day on record. the gradual erosion of the pre-eminence at only every third floor, encouraging than a painted line on a public road. of the car in favour of the pedestrian and people to climb a little. They have For the first time ever, there were seven For everyday Australians to hop on a cyclist have all combined to make the increased the number of water bubblers consecutive days of temperatures over bicycle, they need dedicated cycle paths City of Melbourne so liveable. so people have an alternative to soft 39 degrees right across the country. separated from car and bus traffic. drink. And they are encouraging people Responding to threats from climate But Gehl recalls walking through the New York, Portland, Stockholm, Berlin to walk by closing streets to cars, as we change and extreme weather events is deserted streets of Melbourne in the and Copenhagen are just some of the have seen in Times Square. new territory for governments and requires 1970s: “It was neutron-bombed, not a leading world cities that have embraced strong national leadership. The heating soul – not even a cat,” he says. this approach. Since 2007, New York Facing climate of cities is not just a health hazard, it also has built some 500 kilometres of cycle Yet when he proposed Melbourne follow uncertainty places great pressure on our energy paths and the proportion of people that the example of the grand boulevards of supplies. For example, a temperature People are often surprised to learn that ride to school or work as doubled since Paris and communal squares of Rome, rise of just one degree Celsius increases it is not fire or flood that are our biggest then. Portland has set itself a target of 25 he was ridiculed by those who pointed to airconditioning use by around five per cent. killers, but heatwaves. In Adelaide, our per cent bicycle mode share by 2030. a city famous for its icy southerlies and hottest and driest state capital, the Australian authorities are responding in a four seasons in a day. Melbourne today population is particularly vulnerable. variety of ways. In the City of Sydney, a has the highest proportion of street The severe heatwaves in Melbourne “cool roads” policy is being put in place In Sydney, every metre of furniture in the world with 600 outdoor and Adelaide in late January 2009 where paler road surfaces are being used cafes, compared to just 50 in 1990. new cycleway in our CBD caused 400 deaths above the average. to counter the heat island effect, caused has been hard fought for, We need to consider and replicate with enormous resistance the inspiration of cities such as inner Melbourne, Copenhagen and Stockholm from the pro-car lobby and wherever possible across our Australian local shock-jock. cities and suburbs. Local and state authorities must put the needs of people rather than the car at the heart of In Sydney, every metre of new cycleway decisions about how we use public space. in our CBD has been hard fought for, with enormous resistance from the pro- car lobby and local shock-jocks who Healthy cities fail to recognise that every person on Not only does placing humans first make a bicycle means one less car on our for more liveable neighbourhoods, it congested roads. also makes for healthier people. New 114 115 San Francisco-born low-cost travel The time of sharing alternative depends for its survival on everything, enabled by good customer service and allows passengers to deal directly with their technology, be it waste, driver, with the trip billed straight to a excess energy or a credit card and no hefty credit card fee. Interestingly, not only do you rate the screwdriver, is closer than driver, they also rate you. you think.

We’re seeing a similar phenomenon with Airbnb, which is challenging – This trend is also prompting a raft of new in a modest way – the conventional service industry jobs, perhaps replacing hotel market. Renting a spare room in those in older industries that relied upon someone’s home is, like Uber, often a the mass consumption and disposal cycle. much more authentic, personal and This begs the question, does the pleasing experience. by vast expanses of bitumen heating up about how we live and travel. For secret of the future city lie within the neighbourhoods. It is being aided by the example, fewer young people are This new era of internet-enabled past? As a modern population we planting of thousands of trees. choosing to drive. It is not just here intimacy is being described as not continue to propel forward in terms of but also in countries such as Germany, just an economic phenomenon, but a advancements in technology, but we are In Victoria, the City of Geelong found Japan and Korea. cultural one. As the online technology also rediscovering the age-old lessons that traditional tools were inadequate magazine Wired notedit is made of nature – to be more self-sufficient and in preparing authorities for the effects For young people, a car can be more possible by a sophisticated system of tread lightly on the planet? of climate change. In partnership with of a hassle than a convenience. Mobile mechanisms, algorithms and carefully RMIT, it has created a climate change devices mean they can use their calculated systems of rewards and Biomimicry adaptation toolkit that is online and travelling time more effectively on public punishments. This is technology that Biomimicry is the practice of seeing freely available to decision-makers. transport and the internet connects enables and encourages us to trust our them to friends without having to leave nature as a design partner to teach us Detailed climate change risk- fellow human beings. home. It’s a trend that has not been new techniques and technologies. One- management strategies must be front missed by manufacturers, with the These initiatives are in some ways off examples of biomimetrically themed and centre of all government and head of Toyota, Akio Toyoda, recently replicating the old-style village economy, products can be found in all corners of private-sector decision-making. These describing it as quite frustrating. where people dealt directly with each the our markets, like Panelite honeycomb no longer being an option, rather an other, creating mutually agreeable deals glazing, which uses nature’s bee hive intrinsic part of the design process. At the same time, we are seeing a and trades. honeycomb structure to redirect sunlight growth in car-share schemes such and reduce heat gain in buildings. City-shaping disruptions as GoGet and spectacular take- There is something very human, very up of the online car service Uber, ancient and very satisfying about this. It Does the next evolution of biomimicry We are seeing in our cities new ways which is sending a chill up the spine puts people in control and at the heart conceive of entire communities as of consuming and a change in mindset of the Australian taxi industry. This of decisions about their day-to-day lives. biometric systems, including businesses, 116 117 government bodies and the very products • a growing list of technology, Sydney how it is done, improving public • What if South Australia’s used to shape our built environment? bioscience and clean industry hubs, health at the same time. magnificent achievement with wind located often in the disused factories power prompted a determination by If we were to plan like this, we Let’s conclude with some futuristic of the past every other state to exceed it? would need to embrace upfront thoughts: complex modelling that looks at Despite its status as an alpha city, a global • And what if all of our capital cities • What if just some of the ever- balancing economic relationships, city, I suspect Sydney’s natural assets were led with a razor sharp vision growing money currently being energy, reappropriating waste, social have allowed it to shine far brighter than it that meant we all knew what our invested in roads was diverted interactions, land use and essential deserves. What is its vision? What does it potential was, and importantly towards an integrated, connected infrastructure provision – all while stand for? How seriously is it facing up to what our role was in helping to pedestrian and cycle network in every acknowledging the global market its inadequate and unconnected transport achieve this? major city? bearing down on us. networks, its growing congestion, its Cities are no different to companies, prohibitively expensive housing and • What if super funds were able to The time of sharing everything, enabled communities and sporting teams – it is its lack of jobs within a fair commuting invest in social infrastructure like by technology, be it waste, excess energy the leadership that makes them achieve distance of people’s homes? cycleways, public open space and or a screwdriver, is closer than you think. extraordinary feats. connected walkways and derive a Recently, a Metropolitan Strategy was return on this investment from the James Rosenwax is managing released that seeks to address these City branding and government which was equal to the director, Design + Planning at AECOM. chronic problems, at the same time leadership savings in public health costs? preparing the city (which is hemmed in by To drive the growth and prosperity of the ocean and a mountain range) for an any company, there needs to be a clear extra million-and-a-half people by 2031. purpose and vision that people align and deliver upon. Similarly, successful cities For Sydney to retain its status as a truly need to have a very clear purpose, vision global city, to continue to attract the and plan that guides them into the future. brightest and best minds from around the world, it will have to work harder to Adelaide is an example of an Australian address the threats to its productivity, city with a degree of vision lacking in sustainability and liveability. other Australian cities, such as Sydney. With globalisation, competition for It is clear what Adelaide stands for: human capital has never been greater. A seismic shift in thinking about how • a vigorous, well-recognised creative people get around Sydney is crucial – sector not just more heavy rail, light rail and • leadership in renewables – Adelaide rapid-transit buses – but safer pathways has the highest uptake in the nation so that people can safely walk and cycle of solar and gets more of its power if they choose. There is no shortage of from wind than coal cities around the world that can show

Image from the Visions and Pathways 2040 project. This work is copyright and was produced and licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution- 118 NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License for the Victorian Eco Innovation Lab [VEIL] and the CRC for Low Carbon Living [CRCLCL]. The work was created by Simon Cookes. Should you wish to reproduce this work, you must give appropriate credit to VEIL, CRCLCL and Simon Cookes. A sustainable

precinct Barangaroo, Central Park and Green an explosion of 25,000 new residents Square combined could become planned for the area over the next 20 opportunity Australia’s first renewable energy years. precinct – the opportunity is right in In just 5.5 kilometres you could service ready to go front of us now. hundreds of thousands of people with Terry Leckie, Flow Systems Today, three of Sydney’s largest renewable energy and recycled water, developments have an unprecedented bringing to life the vision of many of our opportunity to unite to form world first city planners, giving rise to a whole new sustainable green precincts stretching range of innovation and development through the city. Fed by renewable possibilities. energy, purified water and green innovation these sustainable arteries would become the new life source for a What we can deliver, with growing, thriving Sydney into the future. fresh thinking and this With commitment, a strong economic focused commitment, is a model and a coordinated approach robustness and resilience these developments have a real chance to leave a green legacy that will fulfil in sustainable energy and the collective vision of self-sufficient water that we just don’t communities – the long awaited break have right now. from carbon-intensive living.

Not only would this turn vision to reality, but it would catalyse much more. It These precincts provide the opportunity would create the first links in what could to create a spinal grid that could be a much longer chain of renewable power communities sustainably over energy and water supply from: generations. What we are talking Barangaroo to the new Entertainment about is the latest thinking about and Convention Centres; the modern cities, embracing cutting edge Powerhouse Museum and Ian Thorpe technology at a global scale. Aquatic Centre up to UTS; then Central Already, despite the lack of state or Park, Chippendale, through Central federal enabling legislation, leading to the Eveleigh corridor right up to utilities, developers and governments Green Square. Once there, these green have moved ahead through many energy and water arteries would feed 120 One Central Park 121 Barangaroo artist’s impression.

precincts that can export their energy and water resources to surrounding neighbourhoods, generating revenue for themselves and supporting a greater resilience in how our communities are resourced. It’s here we see the immense opportunity to link Sydney’s three largest developments.

barriers in the firm belief that sustainable And while this thinking is ahead of communities are both achievable and the market right now, developers, economically viable. governments and the community leaders should be taking up the Driving them is the fact that the next opportunity to turn ideas into reality. generation of homeowners and business leaders want to live sustainably, they want that choice available to them and A model for sustainable they want this through the essential services offered. With utility bills precincts and communities continuing to rise, consumers expect that are affordable and value add and they are just not getting it. easier to build is emerging. While there are barriers preventing It involves a blend of new investment in renewables and thinking, persuasion and sustainable technologies at a large scale, it’s at the precinct level that the hard-headed economics. barriers are being removed and the benchmarks are moving. Ultimately, it is a different economic Already in commercial buildings, with model, which will allow green utilities the implementation of NABERS, a 4.5 to fund closed systems in energy star rating is a minimum. Similarly, in and water that makes sustainable precincts, the new benchmark is for infrastructure affordable from a customer onsite water and energy supply. and developer point of view.

The next step in benchmarking is self- Terry Leckie is founder and sufficient precincts and from there, managing director of Flow Systems.

122 Green Square artist’s impression. 123 Artist’s impression of Caloundra South. Image courtesy of Leighton Properties. KEY PRECINCTS UNDER DEVELOPMENT

Elizabeth Quay, Perth Image courtesy of Metropolitan Redevelopment Authority.

Central Park, Sydney Urban gardens at the Tonsley Parramatta Square, Sydney The Nishi building, part of the New Acton precinct, Canberra. redevelopment, Adelaide. Image courtesy of Molonglo Group.

Fishermans Bend, Melbourne

Kurilpa, Brisbane

Our pick of the most exciting, integrated mixed-use precincts currently under development. 124 125 STATE/ Proponents and NAME DESCRIPTION Sustainability highlights TERRITORY Partners 22 ha site on Sydney Harbour featuring Central Barangaroo – 5.2 Goal to be “climate positive” – to generate more energy than ha with recreational, residential, retail and commercial; Barangaroo Barangaroo Delivery used, recycle and export more water than is used, and recycle NSW South – 7.7 ha with commercial, residential, hotel and cultural Authority; Lend Lease, Barangaroo more waste from the city than is generated. Affordable housing facilities; and Barangaroo Point – restored headland and public park. Barangaroo South provided to key workers. Project scheduled for completion in 2022. On-site trigeneration plant and water recycling plant. Minimum 5.8 ha multi-stage mixed use urban renewal project in Chippendale 5 Star Green Star ratings for buildings. Extensive green wall on Frasers Property and NSW with residential, commercial, retail and the possibility of hotel Central Park One Central Park tower. Car share facilities to reduce private Sekisui House accommodation. vehicle use. $32 million contributed to affordable housing. 2 km west of Sydney CBD, the Bays Precinct comprises 80 ha TBC. A recent summit called for sustainability outcomes. NSW of land and 94 ha of water to turn into new housing and areas for Led by UrbanGrowth NSW Bays Precinct See our stories. recreation, retail, tourism, commercial and maritime use. 3 ha mixed-use redevelopment located in the Parramatta CBD. Six Registered for Green Star – Communities, with all buildings built City of Parramatta; Leighton Parramatta Square NSW stages that will feature commercial, retail, residential, civic facilities to 5 Star Green Star standards. Properties and public space. Aims to reduce emissions by 30 per cent by 2020. Sustainable The Bondi Junction 2030 strategy aims to create a sustainable NSW solutions under investigation include underground waste Waverley Council Bondi Junction precinct with active streets, accessible transport and efficient buildings. collection, distributed energy and water systems, and light rail. Urban Growth NSW and the Green Square Consortium A 14 ha precinct in Green Square at the heart of a 278 ha urban Stormwater drainage and recycling system; trigeneration plant (Mirvac Green Square) NSW renewal project, comprising residential commercial and retail built and “private wire” system to share electricity. Three per cent of Green Square Town Centre delivering ~40 per cent of around a series of public plazas, parks and community facilities. residential floor area must be affordable housing. private buildings; City of Sydney Mixed-use urban renewal project 2 km west of Melbourne's CBD with residential, commercial and retail over 190 hectares, including Features highest concentration of Green Star projects. Victoria 44 hectares of water. Precincts include Waterfront City, Digital Places Victoria Docklands Mandatory minimum ESD guidelines for all projects. Harbour, NewQuay, Central Pier, Victoria Harbour, Yarra’s Edge, Stadium Precinct and Batman’s Hill. Due for completion in 2025. The former Coalition government did not commit to sustainable Metropolitan Planning development benchmarks above required minimum in code, An industrial area near Port Melbourne being transformed into a 248 Authority, City of Port Phillip, Victoria though a previous Places Victoria plan imagined affordable Fishermans Bend ha mixed use precinct to be progressively developed over 40 years. City of Melbourne, Places housing, sustainable housing and integrated public transport, and Victoria the City of Port Phillip is pushing for better sustainability outcomes. Seeking a Green Star – Communities rating. Sustainability A 61 ha site agricultural and industrial site 12 km from Adelaide features include adaptive reuse of existing buildings and South Australia CBD to become combined industrial, commercial, education and RenewalSA Tonsley materials, minimisation of waste and maximisation of water and residential precinct expected to house around 1500 people. energy efficiency, mix of densities public transport connection. Seeking a Green Star – Communities rating. All buildings will use sustainable design principles with regard to solar access, A 16.3 ha site on the edge of Adelaide's CBD being developed into South Australia ventilation, and resource, energy and water efficiency. All RenewalSA Bowden a sustainable community with a focus on placemaking. buildings will meet 5 Star Green Star standards. Bikes and public transport as primary transport mode. Mixed use multistage development in Brighton, Adelaide designed Master plan embeds sustainability, including energy efficiency, around the needs of people with intellectual disabilities and the South Australia vegetation protection and enhancement, and wetland Minda Minda aged, accessible to the broader community. Includes residential, stormwater capture and purification scheme. commercial, retail and lifestyle activities. STATE/ Proponents and NAME DESCRIPTION Sustainability highlights TERRITORY Partners 25 ha of land and 1 km of river frontage home to industrial to Draft master plan says climate resilience to be embedded into Kurilpa Riverfront Renewal Brisbane City Council and Queensland be transformed into a mix of commercial, retail and residential buildings through passive solar design and natural ventilation, as Queensland government Project development with public space. Final master plan due mid-2015. well as community gardens and green roofs/walls. Queensland government says it is committed to ensuring 304 ha site with 2.5 km of riverfront 6 km north-east of the CBD to ecological sustainability is incorporated into planning and Economic Development Queensland be turned into residential, commercial, retail, community events and Northshore Hamilton development activities. Awarded UDIA EnvironDevelopment Queensland public space. certification. Seeking a Green Star – Communities rating. 700 ha to be A masterplanned community to be built on a 2310 ha former set aside for conservation. Stockland intends to implement a forestry site on the Sunshine Coast. Marketed as a community whole-of-site integrated water management system including Queensland of interconnected villages with local hubs comprised of parks, Stockland Caloundra South water capture and reuse, and stormwater treatment through community services, retail and schools. Developer Stockland says it rain gardens. Will also encourage renewable energy, alternative can achieve self-sufficiency in jobs, education and services. transport and waste management. A 40 ha develoopment with a mix of residential, commercial and Waterbank will seek a Green Star – Communities rating, with Metropolitan public spaces. Key precinct is Lend Lease’s 6 ha Waterbank, built buildings designed to 5 or 6 Star Green Star. Blackwater Western Australia Redevelopment Authority; Riverside on a reclaimed landfill site, which will feature green space, wetlands recycling, green roofs, waste management systems and climate Lend Lease and a beach. adaptation measures will be built in. Urban transformation of 13.5 ha of rail corridor, vacant land and All commercial buildings in Kings Square seeking 5 Star Green MRA, Public Transport old building stock, reconnecting the Perth CBD with Northbridge. A Western Australia Star ratings, using lifecycle analysis. Light rail connection Authority, City of Perth; Perth City Link mix of mix of retail, housing, entertainment and commercial venues. planned, though has been delayed. Leighton Properties. Mirvac Kings Square to be a key commercial precinct. Extensive green space and native vegetation. Elements to 10 ha of public green space, high-density residential, hospitality and reflect tradition owners, the Noongar people. Prioritising public Western Australia MRA Elizabeth Quay commercial office space on Perth waterfront. transport, walking and cycling. Waster sensitive urban design. Minimum 5 Star Green Star or equivalent. 114 ha site to transform into integrated city home to education, Public space to encourage connectivity, light rail connection, Greater Curtin Western Australia business, housing, public transport, arts and community space at innovative sustainable buildings, integrated biodiversity, water Curtin University Curtin’s Bentley campus. sensitive urban design, low embodied energy. First sustainable precinct in Darwin. Has UDIA Masterplanned, mixed-use precinct over 1.7 ha in Darwin featuring EnviroDevelopment accreditation. Centralised chilled water The Avenue Northern Territory residential apartments, strata-titled commercial tenancies, airconditioning systems with waste heat used for hot water and Osborne Family Holdings entertainment and retail. condensation used for irrigation. Edible gardens, solar, lighting control and LED lighting. Mixed use precinct incorporating landscaped gardens, art, retail, Nishi delivers an average 8 star NatHERS rating, with efficient residential and commercial space close to Lake Burley Griffin. Focus appliances, fittings and fixtures. Features solar thermal hot water, ACT Molonglo Group New Acton on placemaking. Features energy efficient Nishi building – home to passive solar design, natural ventilation, rainwater collection and hotelhotel, commercial space and residential apartments. high-performance glazing. Community-oriented, with shared paths, public transport, A 40,000 sq m mixed-use development in Canberra combining community gardens and BBQ areas. Rooftop solar, wind power The Loop ACT apartments, retail and office space designed to be a socially, and geothermal systems. Waste water treated and returned to Rock Development Group economically and environmentally sustainable community. precinct. Residents can monitor energy use with precinct-wide energy management system. Plug-in points for electric vehicles. THE FIFTH ESTATE'S CREATING SUSTAINABLE PRECINCTS

DECEMBER 2014 © 2014 The Fifth Estate www.thefifthestate.com.au PO Box 563 Glebe NSW 2037 Sydney Australia

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