Abstract
AbstractHealthy urban ecosystems are increasingly recognised as important for resilient cities and need to be considered as part of GPR. Urban nature-based solutions (NBS) comprising green (vegetation) and blue (water) infrastructure need to be considered at multiple scales from the bioregions, through to catchments, neighbourhoods/precincts, blocks, streets, and buildings, including linkages through and in GPR areas. This chapter describes how climate change—particularly extreme urban heat—is expected to affect Australian cities, and how green and blue infrastructure can help GPR to be incorporated into urban adaptation and mitigation solutions. Topics covered include water-sensitive urban design, nature-based solutions, and urban cooling. The chapter outlines how nature-based solutions can be incorporated into higher-density regenerative urban redevelopment through new technologies and supported by planning models, many of which can be best designed and managed at precinct scale. The ‘additionality’ of green and blue nature-based solutions can offer residents of GPR areas increased liveability and enhanced resilience in both normal and extreme weather.
Highlights
IntroductionMost major Australian metropolitan planning schemes support infill as small-lot subdivision with an emphasis on aspects other than urban green space, so it is not unexpected to find that the redevelopment of greyfields has come to represent a loss of natural qualities
This chapter examines whether it is possible to densify greyfields, as outlined in the model in this book, but to do it in a way that regenerates the natural qualities of the areas being developed—to improve liveability and to build resilience to climate change
The recent spate of highly damaging extreme events experienced by Australians in recent times—heatwaves, bushfires, droughts, flooding, and coastal erosion—illustrate the threat multipliers of climate change (Newton et al, 2018) and are demonstrating to the nation’s population as never before the severity of such shocks to built environments and human well-being
Summary
Most major Australian metropolitan planning schemes support infill as small-lot subdivision with an emphasis on aspects other than urban green space, so it is not unexpected to find that the redevelopment of greyfields has come to represent a loss of natural qualities. It is only recently, as governments around the world have recognised the critical role that urban nature can play in climate- change mitigation and climate adaptation, that there has been a surge of urban-planning interest to include nature more explicitly in future city redevelopment. This chapter describes risks and opportunities climate change presents to urban areas and how nature-based solutions can support GPR, place-activated GPR, to minimise climate vulnerability while maximising liveability
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