Planning Blog 6: Coping with disaster: Victorian Bushfire 2009

This seminar was one of the most interesting of them all because it explored a concept of planning that I have not thought about before. The seminar was based on the 2009 Victorian bushfires that killed 173 people and left 3,500 structures in the areas destroyed. This occurred because of the drought facing Australia at the time coupled with February 7^th being the hottest day in Melbourne to date and strong winds reaching up to 115km/h (Bureau of Meteorology 2009). All these factors led to this large bushfire that cost 4 billion dollars in damages.

As the seminar presenter discussed there were fire policies that were in place but were not adequate enough to predict and cope with such a disaster. One of the major policies that was in place was the idea of stay and defend or leave early policy. But this idea did not really work because it leads people to stay and see what happens, which means they could leave too late. Also there was lack communication and many people did not have a plan of their own in case of a bushfires (Royal Commission 2010a). A lot of these factors led to the death of many individuals. 

There were a couple of interesting planning ideas that the presenter mentioned. One was the introduction of multi-tiered fire areas, meaning a much more comprehensive map of the most fire prone areas. There was also the idea of using incentives to make people not want to live in very fire prone areas. Almost half of the deaths were aged less than 12 and more than 70, leading to the idea of making high risk buildings such as schools, child care centres, hospitals and aged cared facilities to be fire proof (Royal Commission 2010b). This would help these at risk people survive better and also create safe haven. This topic was very interesting and I would like to explore disaster planning more.

Bibliography

Bureau of Meteorology, (2009). Bureau of Meteorology, Fire Weather Forecast. [online] Available at: http://www.royalcommission.vic.gov.au/Documents/Document-files/Exhibits/WIT-004-001-0493.pdf [Accessed 4 May. 2014].

Royal Commission, (2010a). 2009 VBRC - Final Report - Summary - Interactive Version. [online] Available at: http://www.royalcommission.vic.gov.au/Commission-Reports/Final-Report/Summary/Interactive-Version [Accessed 8 May. 2014].

Royal Commission, (2010b). 2009 VBRC - Final Report - Vol 2 - Introduction. [online] Available at: http://www.royalcommission.vic.gov.au/Commission-Reports/Final-Report/Volume-2/Intro-pages/Introduction [Accessed 9 May. 2014].

Planning Blog 5: Planning for adaptation: Batemans Bay

Batemans Bay is an interesting case study to look at for planning for adaption. It is placed basically at a T intersection, where it has Canberra to the west, Sydney to the north and more of the south coast to the south. Therefore it makes it a holiday destination for a lot of people in the summer. But during the winter months many people still live in the area. The seminar presentation mentioned slowing the growth of urban sprawl to help keep the town at a sustainable level (Development Contributions Plan 2007). This idea is very important in this area where ecology can be affected easily. 

One the major points that was discussed during the seminar was how climate change could affect the environment of the area. With global temperatures rising this could make sea levels rise in the Eurobella Shire by 3mm. This could have detrimental impact on the urban landscape of Batemans Bay and affect land prices (Irby 2012). A combination of a king tide and a storm surge could lead to large scale damage to the township because of just 3mm rise in sea levels. No major plans are in place to combat this issue but the seminar did mention a few ideas that could help such as, renewable energy, increasing the size of the rock wall, relocation of the town and other planning ideas.

Another issue that the seminar discussed was the concept of coastal erosion. This is where by natural forces continuously invade the shoreline and take away earth material leaving only the water to continue to encroach on the Land. The idea of reestablishing mangroves is a really good idea because it is a natural way of stopping erosion and helps in creating a diverse ecosystem where fauna and flora can flourish. Cullendulla Creek Nature Reserve is perfect example of maintaining mangroves to help keeping erosion at bay (National Parks 2014).

 

Mangrove Walk

Source: National Parks, Cullendulla Creek Nature Reserve 2014

 

Bibliography

 

Development Contributions Plan. (2007). 1st ed. [ebook] Eurobodalla Shire Council: NSW Government. Available at: http://www.esc.nsw.gov.au/development-and-planning/tools/development-contributions-plans/s94_development_contributions_plan.pdf [Accessed 27 Apr. 2014].

Irby, R. (2012). Sea rise predictions sink land values. [online] Bay Post. Available at: http://www.batemansbaypost.com.au/story/1039262/sea-rise-predictions-sink-land-values/ [Accessed 27 Apr. 2014].

National Parks, (2014). Mangrove walk | NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service. [online] Available at: http://www.nationalparks.nsw.gov.au/cullendulla-creek-nature-reserve/mangrove-walk/walking [Accessed 28 Apr. 2014].

 

Planning Blog 4: Urban redevelopment- Docklands, Melbourne

One of the most interesting things that was found when doing the research for this case study was the two main plans and a construction standard’s document used for the development of the Melbourne Docklands. These documents were the Docklands Community and Place Plan, the Docklands Public Realm Plan and the Docklands Design and Construction Standards. 

The Docklands Community and Place Plan was a broad plan on what the community wanted to see for the developing area of Melbourne Docklands. It had three main themes and underlying each of those themes were three strategic directions as shown by the diagram below. One of the major themes that intrigued me the most was the theme of creating 21st Century City and more specifically the strategic direction of an Eco Docklands. It was interesting to know that Docklands had the highest green star accredited commercial buildings in Australia. Showing Australia, it’s a leader in green infrastructure. The community priorities for this area was to continue this Eco Docklands (Docklands 2014).

Source: The Docklands Community and Place Plan 2014

The second plan was a much more in depth and detailed document. It was the Docklands Public Realm Plan, and one of the main aspects that was really well done in this plan was highlighting specific public space areas such as the example used in the presentation which was Quay Park, NewQuay. This in depth examining of specific areas helped to get an understanding of what the plan wanted for the area in the future and how the plan was hoping to achieve those aims (Victorian Government 2014).  

The last document was less relevant because it was basically more for developers and the code of the building decisions in Docklands. This document was called the Docklands Design and Construction Standards. It went into thorough detail of what developers could or could not do in the Docklands area (Victorian Government 2014). All of these plans and documents were very interesting and I recommend everyone should have a read of them.

 

 

 

Bibliography

Docklands, (2014). Melbourne Docklands is the largest urban renewal development in Australia under construction. It is managed by Places Victoria.. [online] Available at: http://www.docklands.com/cs/Satellite?pagename=Docklands2 [Accessed 22 Apr. 2014].

Victorian Government, (2014). Docklands Community and Place Plan - City of Melbourne. [online] Available at: https://www.melbourne.vic.gov.au/AboutMelbourne/PrecinctsandSuburbs/Docklands/Pages/DocklandsCommunityPlacePlan.aspx [Accessed 26 Apr. 2014].

Victorian Government, (2014). Docklands Design and Construction Standards - City of Melbourne. [online] Available at: https://www.melbourne.vic.gov.au/AboutMelbourne/PrecinctsandSuburbs/Docklands/Pages/DocklandsDesignConstructionStandards.aspx [Accessed 22 Apr. 2014].

Victorian Government, (2014). Docklands Public Realm Plan - City of Melbourne. [online] Available at: https://www.melbourne.vic.gov.au/AboutMelbourne/PrecinctsandSuburbs/Docklands/Pages/DocklandsPublicRealmPlan.aspx [Accessed 27 Apr. 2014].

 

 

Planning Blog 3: Case study 1 Local Planning in NSW – Queanbeyan

The seminar that looked at local planning in Qeanbeyan was done in thorough detail by the presenters; they even went out to Queanbeyan and interviewed residents about the local plan. There were three key points that they discussed that intrigued me and they were transport in the area, heritage and what the residents thought of the plan.

 

Firstly they discussed how Queanbeyan is a car orientated town and that it has a high commuter rate, low local employment and a suburban lifestyle which make it perfect for cars. In the plan it suggested not for new and innovative public transport ideas for the township but more commuter corridors for the residents such as the Edwin Land Parkway that connects both Jerrabomberra to Queanbeyan. There seems to be a need to rethink the transport planning in the town.

Edwin Land Parkway (Google Maps 2014)

 

Heritage was another intriguing point that was discussed during the seminar. Thirty locations are listed on the heritage list in Queanbeayan. Though one of the great things that Queanbeyan is planning in their Development Control Plan is integration between heritage and new development. For example there is a plan for Furlong House built in the1850s to be revitalised, so it can be used in the 21^st century as well as keeping its historic heritage (Hanna, Adkins & Ellis 2014). 

 

The interviews of the actual residents was very intriguing because it gave a very personal feel of what the residents felt about their town. There was actually one interview that could not be shown because the resident did not want to speak out against the council. Showing that there are issues between residents and council about planning in the town. Other residents also talked about the lack of public transport in the area, making it a struggle to get into the city of Canberra (Hanna 2014). This seminar was very interesting and I discovered new things about Queanbeyan that I did not before.

 

 

Bibliography

 

Google Maps, (2014). Edwin Land Parkway. [image] Available at: https://www.google.com.au/search?q=edwin+land+parkway&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ei=UrJkU6q2CYTCkQWMs4Ew&ved=0CAcQ_AUoAg&biw=1366&bih=627#imgdii=_ [Accessed 10 Apr. 2014].

Hanna, B., Adkins, A. and Ellis, M. (2014). Local Planning in NSW:. [online] prezi.com. Available at: http://prezi.com/qkwexcnunbdv/local-planning-in-nsw/?utm_campaign=share&utm_medium=copy [Accessed 15 Apr. 2014].

Hanna, B. (2014). Queanbeyan Day Trip. [image] Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2hzM9Hi-ko8 [Accessed 13 Apr. 2014].

 

Planning Blog 2: Summary of Planning System in Australia

The planning system in Australia is a fundamental part of the creation of well-designed urban spaces in Australia. The planning system in Australia is based on the different levels of government that can be found in Australia. The Planning system is dependent on the tiers of government from Federal Government, to State Government and then too Local Government. This hierarchal system of planning in Australia allows for different concentrations on differing issues (UNSWTV 2010). For example the federal system of planning looks at holistic planning concepts for Australia, while the local system has plans that a part of the local area. An example of major commonwealth plan is the National Urban Policy. This sets out goals for the entirety of Australia that relate to sustainability, liability and productivity, important concepts when considering a plan.

 

The interesting system that Australia uses for planning means that different levels of planning authorities and governments need to work together. Such as the states with the federal government. This is usually done through the Council of Australian Governments (COAG). Though one of the most interesting systems that was found in the readings was the dual system of planning found in Canberra. Canberra is planned by two different categories the National Capital Authority (NCA) and the Australian Capital Territory Planning and Land Authority (ACTPLA). The NCA has control over certain areas that have importance in the national capital such the Parliamentary triangle and major thoroughfares in and out of Canberra. ACTPLA controls the rest of the territory (Pitts & Miller n.d.). Both authorities have to work to together when plans intertwine between both organisations. This means that both authorities communicate and work together in some situations to create plans. The Planning system in Australia is an interesting and somewhat complex system that helps to create an ideal urban environment in Australia

 

 

Bibliography

Pitts, J. and Miller, K. (n.d.). Planning, a dual challenge. 1st ed. pp.12-24.

UNSWTV, (2010). Utzon Lecture Series: Robert Freestone. [video] Available at:

         http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KbsjsAmHz_Q [Accessed 7 Apr. 2014].