Sustainable Canberra - Research Proposal Example

Strategic Planning: Sustainable Canberra 2030 Name of Student: Student No: Date: Name of Supervisor: Mission Statement The launch of Canberra 2030- Time to Talk, by the ACT Government which calls for an involved conversation with the Canberra community on the type of city they wish to live in, in twenty years, calls for the inception of a strategic plan. According to the brief given by the Government, there are ten aspects to consider towards this initiative; population, water, Canberra Homes, Getting Around, Land Use and Planning, City Form, Liveability and Wellbeing, Environmental Sustainability, Living in the Nation’s Capital and Who Pays? With the initiative wanting to get as much input as possible from different Canberrans, using various means, as a planner, I came up with a sustainable model to present with focus on the main areas of sustainability; transport, climate change, population, housing, planning and open space and the challenges therein. Vision Statement A need for change in Canberra has been identified by its people. Canberra needs to become more sustainable, accessible and affordable. Change must be strategic, with various factors taken into account. This includes respecting the landscape, support of sustainable transport that is also convenient, promotion of healthy living and demographic, cultural and environmental diversity in a way that will make Canberra a regional leader. Guiding Principles The future of Canberra is at stake and Canberra 2030 is the plan that would be utilised to ensure that this future is sustainable which the environment can comfortably cater for. This strategic plan is aimed at ensuring that this plan can be realistically achieved. SWOT Analysis Strengths According to the ACT government strategic plan for 2011, Canberra can be counted as the main hub of south-east NSW. It provides differing services such as healthcare and education of high quality, is a critical source of regional employment and has access to a major airport, cultural, recreational and retail facilities. Weaknesses Due to the lack of a defined boundary for the region, the demographic composition of the population becomes difficult to profile. This could be a challenge when planning for the future. Opportunities It has been recognised that Canberra needs to enact more regional interaction in order to realise important benefits both for the ACT and the surrounding regions. This has led to the formation of partnerships and agreements across the board such as the ACT Natural Resource Management Plan: The Bush Capital Legacy (2011); ACT Regional Strategic Plan (2010); Transport Eastern Regional Taskforce (2010); MOU between ACT Health and Greater Southern Area Health (2008) among others. As a regional source of employment and services, it needs to engage more actively with regional players in order to attract highly skilled labour. Other opportunities are better transport facilities between Canberra and outlying towns, recognition of ACT’s role as support in education, health and disability facilities for the region, construction of pathways to the region, and research activities (Regional Development Australia Southern Inland Region, 2010). Threats The 2008-2009 ecological footprint for Canberra indicated that the population was taking up fourteen times its administrative boundaries. This is serious because sustainability is a pillar of policy when planning for the future social, economic and ecological concerns of Canberra and the surroundings. There are also several environmental concerns as pointed out in the RSOE report of 2009; these include weed management and salinity and whether the soil capacity and land use is well matched were highlighted as issues of land management. The same report pointed out that there was a problem with information within the region casting doubt on their ability to maintain the remaining biodiversity. According to the ACT government Climate change is also a big threat with agricultural industries under siege from the dictates of temperature and rainfall. Winter tourism may also be affected by climate change over the Snowy Mountains and other alpine ecosystems. Competitive Advantage Location Figure 1: Google maps of Canberra Canberra is the regional hub for the S-E NSW region. It has access to a major airport and communicates effectively with other regions through its road network as can be observed from the map. According to the strategic plan for 2011-2, the tertiary education sector is the regions second biggest export earner. This is assisted by Canberra’s reputation as a centre of educational excellence as well as excellence in governance. It has a very vibrant knowledge economy, with key research finding emanating from here. The problem is translating this knowledge into commercial use. Strategic Objectives The aims of this strategic plan are to: Foster partnership between Government, business and other stakeholders in order to form useful partnerships designed to face future challenges as a unit. These challenges include growth of the population and attendant needs of the very young and very old; resource management; affordable diverse housing; sustainable, integrated transport; urban development; regional participation. Ensure that the growth currently taking place in Canberra which is strong when measured against the national average, is maintained in the face of climate change, shifts in demography, infrastructural requirements and the limits of resources. Identify the best practise to build a more sustainable city and manage growth. Strategies Many strategies already exist to take Canberra forward to the next level. This plan intends to break down the issues into individual sectors to come up with ways of dealing with these individually but in a way that is integrated and self sustaining. Population In an effort to empower the community it is important to come up with strategies to effectively plan for the growth and ageing of the population. The ACT currently has a population of 360,000 according to ABS, (2011) which according to predictions is set to increase by 80,000 persons in the next twenty years. In order to plan effectively for this projected rise, it is necessary to conduct a demographic study to finally chart the demographic landscape of Canberra and it surroundings. Once this is done, individual aspects of the demography can be studied with a view to assessing how to optimise the situation. The size of the population impacts heavily on other aspects such as housing, sustainability, land use, etc and therefore it is important to have the study done first. Water The Murray Darling Basin Plan is the determinant of the water allocation for ACT from the river source. It is important to secure water supply and this is even more essential for the smaller towns. Incentives are necessary to encourage households and businesses to install storage facilities for water that are of superior quality in terms of use, management, techniques and processes. Such incentives could include education on the savings that would accrue from the reduction of waste and more efficient use of water. Tax breaks for those businesses and individuals who choose to upgrade could be considered. Canberra Homes Canberra already boasts some of the most affordable home loans in the country and the ACT government through its Affordable Housing Action Plan of April 2007, plans to decrease homelessness by increasing the accessibility and affordability of houses. With many people commuting to the city from surrounding areas, the issue of adequate housing may not be a pressing issue in the greater scheme of things but it is necessary to ensure that this housing is sustainable by encouraging proliferation of eco-friendly housing. Getting Around The Canberra Spatial Plan of 2004 reported that residents felt that getting around Canberra was very easy. This is due to its effective roadways and the proliferation of cars. However, sustainability demands that fewer cars are present on the roads in order to reduce green house gas emissions. Canberra has been reported to have a high utilisation of bicycles as well as walking and public transport is well utilised. It is necessary to encourage this trend in order to reduce congestion and traffic with its attendant economic costs as well as pollution. Land Use and Planning It is well known that Canberra is a planned city. The pattern of land use within the city is dispersed and incompatible uses separated unlike other Australian cities. This implies residential areas with amenities and continuous investment in infrastructure. The character of the city is urban despite its location in the ‘bush’ and therefore efficient use of land demands high density usage. The population of the area is comparatively low however for the size of the area. The ACT covers about 2,352km2, but the area suitable for urbanisation is about a quarter of this. While this creates some issues, this is an advantage when planning for future expansion because there is a lot of room for manoeuvre. The Canberra Spatial Plan for 2004 states that half of all new houses should be built within Civic. The crucial issue is to designate residential and non-residential areas and leave room for expansion of these as the population increases. City Form According to Carrera (1998), the city form can be defined as its structure and activity. These of course, can significantly impact the sustainability of the city and must be taken into account when planning. The overarching form of Canberra is a suburbia whose character has not changed much in two decades. As stated earlier, the density is very low and use of land is efficient. This must be maintained if sustainability is to be kept up. There is however less public open space per person than other cities of similar form and three times the number of roads. One of the aims of Canberra 2030 is to reduce the use of cars and therefore expansion of road networks would not be advisable. There is less choice in housing and amount of water used is twice that of other similar city forms. As stated earlier, carbon emissions are high. These trends must be checked through education, establishment of new trends that would reduce carbon footprint and utilisation of ‘green’ technology at the household and business levels. Liveability and Wellbeing The Mercer Worldwide Quality of Living Survey 2010 which had its first Eco city index ranked Canberra at 21st as well as being the 26th most liveable city. The ABS defines liveability as the quality of life which can also be referred to as well being and can collectively refer to how well society satisfies the needs and wants of inhabitants. Canberra is doing well in this regard in comparison to other cities but again, car travel as the major mode of transport is causing problems such as obesity and pollution. It is crucial to step up promotion of other means of transport especially cycling and walking within the city that would address these two issues. Environmental Sustainability This is a factor in all the other facets of planning. Each facet must be planned with sustainability in mind, especially of the environment. The GHG emissions as has been noted, are much too high to be sustainable and every effort must be made to reduce this by conversion to greener gases, more efficient use of water and other natural resources, increased recycling, conversion from a car-based transport system to light rail, bicycles and foot traffic. Sustainable housing policies need to be entrenched so as to ensure that all new houses built comply with environmental standards and older houses are retrofitted to comply with the same. Living in the Nation’s Capital The point of Canberra was to be the seat of the Federal Government, chosen as a compromise site between Sydney and Melbourne, Australia’s largest cities. Its main industries are service and administration and with the presence of the federal government come other entities such as the Commonwealth Government, embassies, other national bodies and associated business and industries. This gives residents unique opportunities to participate in research, international networking and development issues. As such, it occupies a unique niche in the growth of Australia and can almost serve as a test case of how well a planned city could work. Because of the split responsibility between Commonwealth and Federal Government for the planning and management of land use, a unique system must be utilised to ensure maximum benefit to the territory. The two arms of government would be well advised to form a joint task force that would chart the planning of the city, which would then divide responsibilities as best suited to each arm. Goals The goals of this strategic plan are as follows: Known as the ‘Capital in the Bush’ by Canberrans, this city is reputed to have clean air, open spaces and convenience. The clean, green image that Canberra has will be the central theme of its renaissance, offering itself as the regional hub for highly skilled labour in an environmentally friendly ambience. In addition, the open spaces are attractive for social activities between family, friend and neighbours. Lowering Carbon emissions is a major goal for Canberra 2030. This will be done through investment in sustainable transport and infrastructure. The current emphasis on travel by motor vehicle will be superseded by more environmentally friendly options such as walking, cycling, rail transport or electric cars. Incentives will be provided and planning codes enacted to promote sustainable use of resources such as energy and water in housing with already built houses being retrofitted to accommodate these facilities and optimise their environmental friendliness. This will lead to new avenues of employment in the ‘green’ sector. Coordinated leadership initiatives across public and private sector guided by economic sustainability policies shaped with the input of all stakeholders. Action Plans Marketing Of Canberra Regionally To Attract Skilled Labour. Canberra has a lot to offer any individual who is skilled in areas of technology, research, administration and other areas. In addition to being a desirable city to live in with a low population density and a good transport network. Opportunities in construction also exist especially for proponents of green housing technology and architecture. This is due to the limited choice in housing currently available which could use some expansion. For families seeking family-friendly communities with fully equipped residential areas complete with amenities and adequate greenery, Canberra is an attractive destination. Availability of affordable housing could also be a selling point. Expansion of suburbia to surrounding towns and cities can be done by consolidating rail travel and enabling more individuals living in neighbouring towns to commute daily in and out of Canberra. A competition could be held for the best marketing campaign with a cash prize for the winner as well as having their campaign adopted by the city. This will ensure maximised community participation and the tapping of a wider pool of talent without significant capital outlay. Reduction of Carbon Footprint The first and most obvious way to do this is to reduce the number of cars on the road. This could be done by making it more expensive to drive as opposed to using public transport or cycling or walking. Parking charges and other car-related levies could be adopted or increased as appropriate. The efficiency of public transport needs to be increased simultaneously. A shift to emphasis on eco-friendly housing and retrofitting old houses to comply with policy on environmental friendliness should be promoted. This should be done simultaneously with public education on the advantages of eco-friendly housing such as savings on utility bills, increased usage from the same amount of resource, healthier lifestyle, and a more sustainable future. The promotion of activities such as recycling, encouragement for individuals to discover their personal carbon footprint in order to determine how much or little they are contributing to the problem, and offer solutions to counter this. Formulation of Sustainability Policies. The Canberra 2030 initiative is the beginning of collaboration that would eventually see the public and private sector come together to agree on policies that would drive the economy of Canberra toward a more sustainable path. Scorecard It is important to identify the parameters with which to measure the success or failure of the strategic plan. Certain outcomes that will be observed must include; A clearly defined demographic profile for Canberra and its surrounding regions. Increase in the population of the city as a result of influx of skilled labour. Increased economic growth and expansion in industry through the presence of skilled labour. Proliferation of green technology evident in design and construction of homes and businesses as well as other enterprises that promote ‘greening’ of the environment. Reduced carbon footprint to more sustainable levels. Distribution of land use in appropriate ways that are integrative and synergistic. Increased health outcomes in the population. Conclusion Canberra 2030 is about going forward with a clear plan as to the desired outlook for the city in two decades. It involves formulation of policy decisions in the present that will be used as a guideline for the creation of the future city that is desired. It will involve various agencies who deal with spatial planning, infrastructure and the environment that will look into the technical details of bringing the plan to life. This must focus on the needs of the population, especially the very young and very old, the proper management of resources such as water, air, energy, land, etc. affordable and diverse housing is an important aspect of any city and Canberra is in need of this as well as an integrated and sustainable transport system. This would lead to the emergence of a compact city with quality urban development in which residents would be eager to live. Lastly, the role of Canberra as a regional hub cannot be overlooked because the region has to develop as a unit for sustainability to be realistic. References ACT Natural Resource Management Council. (2011). The Bush Capital Legacy. Retrieved 24th November, 2011 from http://www.environment.act.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0010/168526/NRM_plan.pdf Carrera, F. (1998). Imaging the City: The Place of Media in City Design and Development. Massachusetts Institute of Technology Dept. of Urban Studies and Planning. Massachusetts Ave., Cambridge, MA. Retrieved 24th November, 2011 from http://www.environment.nsw.gov.au/resources/climatechange/08507SouthEast.pdf Quality of living worldwide city rankings 2010 – Mercer survey. (2010). Retrieved 24th November, 2011 from http://www.mercer.com/press-releases/quality-of-living-report-2010 Regional Development Australia Southern Inland Region. (2010). Southern Inland Regional Development Plan 2010-2015 p. 12- 16 RSOE. (2009). Regional State of the Environment Report. Retrieved 24th November, 2011 from http://www.envcomm.act.gov.au/soe/rsoe2009/harden/issues/biodiversity.shtml The 2008-09 Ecological Footprint of the population of the Australian Capital Territory. (2009). Retrieved 24th November, 2011 from http://www.environmentcommissioner.act.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0015/211182/ACT_Ecological_Footprint_08-09_final_report.pdf Read More