Page 50 - Climate Control News Magazine Feb 2021

Temperature Gauge
HATCH ROBERTSDAY URBAN DESIGNER, PETER CIEMITIS, WARNS THAT DESPITE A SHIFT TOWARDS SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT, GREEN SPACES HAVE DECLINED IN 69 PER CENT OF URBAN AREAS, PRECIPITATING DANGEROUS TEMPERATURE INCREASES.[1].
Dangerous decline in urban green spaces
By working with councils quickly and early in a project, developers can avoid excessive and un- necessary tree removal that would occur if they simply complied with policy.
With developers favouring apartments over single-occupancy homes, the average home lot size has declined by 16 per cent since 2009.[2]
“TREE CANOPIES WILL REDUCE THE URBAN HEAT ISLAND EFFECT.”
Shrinking backyards require an increase in the number of ‘community backyards,’ in the form of high-quality community green spaces and neighbourhood parks. However, neigh- bourhood parks tend be ‘cookie cutter’ spaces lacking a sense of destination, walking and cy- cling tracks, playgrounds and a body of water. Greater emphasis should be placed on creating more small, green parks within walking dis- tance to residential properties, rather than a handful of large open spaces for each suburb. These parks can bring relief and amenity to al- most every street in a neighbourhood and, of course, more trees.
Planting trees should be a community-wide endeavour to ensure residents are well-informed and aware of the importance of urban canopy in their neighbourhoods.
Take advantage of government initiatives to increase tree cover. Local governments across the country are implementing initiatives includ- ing the NSW government which plans to in- crease tree canopies across Greater Sydney to 40 percentby2030. ✺
[1] Greenlife Industry Australia, 2020 https:// www.greenerspacesbetterplaces.com.au/ media/163315/where-will-all-the-trees-be- benchmarking-report-2020.pdf
[2] Housing Industry Association, 2020 https:// hia.com.au/-/media/HIA-Website/Files/ IndustryBusiness/Economic/fact-sheet/ window-into-housing.ashx?la=en&hash=984BFC 3393B3F2F997E099A71545B151044C2B50
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Peter is senior associate and lead urban designer in the Hatch Robertsday Perth Studio. He brings 37 years of knowledge and acclaimed expertise in the design
and delivery of TOD activity centres, urban infill, waterfronts and residential development.
CURRENT ENVIRONMENTAL PLANNING
and engineering standards have unintentionally resulted in a dangerous reduction in urban tree canopies and green spaces.
Developers and planners need to prioritise ur- ban tree canopies in their projects to increase the livability of Australia’s cities and reduce the urban heat island effect.
There is a growing urgency to mitigate the ur- ban heat island effect, and tree canopies are a vi- tal component to ensure we can reduce tempera- tures across the country.
The Black Saturday bushfires in 2009, for ex- ample, sadly resulted in 173 deaths, however, many are unaware that 374 deaths occurred due to heat during that same week.
Those deaths were clustered in Melbourne’s northern and western suburbs where there are fewer, or no trees at all. Similarly, suburbs in Syd- ney’s west grow hotter every year, with some ar- eas reporting temperatures above 50 degrees.
We will begin to see a knock-on effect through- out Australia if we do not act quickly to reduce heat in communities.
Most modern land development practices fa- vour earthworks, whereby trees and other natu- ral plantations are cleared away to level the land for development.
However, planning and design should start with identification of the best trees for retention, then ensure these govern the rest of the design process.
Developers should focus on retaining trees in parks, streets, and other public spaces to create a permanent urban canopy.
Local council policy prescribes minimum dis- tances that street trees can be planted from drain- age pits, light standards, crossovers and street corners. However, these rules can reduce the number of trees that developers may have other- wise planned to establish. Developers could com- municate with local councils to determine ways to vary standards to prioritise tree retention.
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