Prof Chris Pettit & Dr Ori Gudes,
City Futures, University of New South Wales
Matthew Sales, Blacktown City Council
Dr Stephen Glackin, Centre for Urban Transitions, Swinburne University of Technology
Greening the Greyfields – a new approach for community co-design
BackgroundAims Importance of the studyRationalProgress to date / workflowPlanning Support Systems (PSS)
and scenario planning toolsBlacktown case studyOur design vision and principlesWhere to from here
Overview
“Today, Greater Sydney isone of the top 10 fastest-growing regions in theWestern world and by 2036is projected to be home toanother 1.7 million people(approx. 5 million now), or3.2 million more people by2056.”
Greater Sydney Commission, Greater Sydney
Region Plan 2018
Background
The projected high population growth rates in Australia’s cities indicates that more needs to be done to unlock the regeneration potential of especially the established suburbs.
Aims To encourage medium-density living solutions through “precinct” scale
development; and
To utilise a data-driven and scenario planning approach underpinned by Geographic Information System (GIS) functionality.
Importance of the study
Data-driven approaches
Environmental Performance
Development Transparency
Collaborative Development/planning
The study promotes…
Where existing houses are often subject to:
– Knock-down
– granny flats
– Dual occupancies (single lot, two dwellings)
– Subdivisions
– Small townhouse strata/community title schemes
Characteristics of Grey fields
Greenfield Brownfield Greyfield
2005200620072008200920102011201220132014Rationale cont.
Rationale cont.
This is what WILL occur:BAU scenario: lot-by-lot development.
Current development patterns and Business as Usual Encourage monotonous low performance developments with limited building types.
This is what COULD occur:Precinct-scale development
Progress To Date
Initial engagement activities to find a
suitable case study and obtain
support
PSS
Site analysis
Designscenarios
Methodological approach workflow cont.
Feasibility assessment
Community engagement
Land zone change and
implementation
City data – Blacktown group
Planning Support Systems (PSS) Envision
Enables exploration of a city in order to identify locations that are suitable for densification / development
– Multi-criteria analysis to map composite indices of demographic data
– Query tool to identify re-developable properties
– Viability tool to assess the financial return of re-development options
• For more information, see http://www.greyfieldplanning.com.au/
ESP – Envision Scenario Planning
• Enables precinct-scale scenario planning (demo)
Demo
Series of training, design workshop, and evaluation
Blacktown overview
Why Blacktown?
Why Blacktown?
Why Blacktown?
Design Principles
Hypothetical site
• Ageing housing stock – circa
1950s
• Disjointed public parks and
recreation areas which are
underutilised
• Existing creek line serves a
drainage function only.
• High noise levels adjacent to
main arterial road
Road patterns & transport
• Ageing housing stock – circa
1950s
• Disjointed public parks and
recreation areas which are
underutilised
• Existing creek line serves a
drainage function only.
• High noise levels adjacent to
main arterial road
• Lack of permeability and
accessibility throughout the
precinct
• Isolated areas because of cul-
de-sac subdivisions
• Difficult to access and
underutilised spaces.
• High dependence on private
vehicular transport.
• Close proximity to the CBD
Road patterns & transport
Density distribution
To identify appropriate methods forincreasing density which encouragecommunity benefits while minimisingpotential impacts. The key considerationsused to guide the design of built form are:
• Rational positioning of higher densityzones: creating a High DensityResidential zone with buildingheights ranging from 6 to 9 storeysalong with a Medium DensityResidential zone with buildingheights ranging from 3 to 6 storeys.
• A range of building typologies frommultistorey apartments to terraces.
• Creating streetscapes with a diverserange of frontages and styles.Distribution of building height anddensity to enable good solar accessin the buildings and across key areasof public domain.
Typology: 6-9 Storey ResidentialBuilding Footprint: 2000 sqm to 2400 sqm
Typology: 4 Storey ResidentialBuilding Footprint: 1800 sqm to 2000 sqm
Typology: 3 Storey Residential multi-occupancyBuilding Footprint: 800 sqm
Built form
Masterplan
Built form
Waterways
Transport + Movement
Open space
Masterplan
ExistingNo. of dwellings: 166Building footprint: 31,000 sqmPublic landscaped area: 80,000 sqm
ProposedNo. of dwellings: 1230
Building footprint: 29,800 sqmPublic landscaped area: 110,000 sqm
Where to from here?
PSS should be further refined for different projects, locations, governments, scopes and communities. The study provides insights and a solid basis for urban planners to improve their practice through the implementation of PSS
Further apply the PSS working with the local community to effect change in precinct planning as part of a co-design approach
Detailed design report and additional feasibility assessment are required
Commencing engagement with the community to start a co-design phase
Achievements / awards
• The project was one of the 8 finalists in the 2018 UDIA award
• The project was shortlisted for the Research and innovation fund by NSW LGA https://www.lgnsw.org.au/key-initiatives/research-and-innovation-fund
Publication and impact
Smart engagement (2018 )The Committee of Sydney Smart engagement report
Gudes, O., Glackin, S., Pettit, C. (2018). Designing precincts in the densifying city - the role of planning support systems. 3rd International Conference on Smart Data and Smart Cities. Delft, Netherlands: 4–5 October 2018.
Newsletter, September 2018: "Smart Engagement in Blacktown" CFRC Newsletter, March 2018: "Taking City Analytics, ESP and EVISION out west"
Gudes, O., Pettit, C., Glackin, S. & Leith, A. (2017). A data-driven collaborative-planning approach for developing sustainable medium-density housing in cities. State of Australian Cities National Conference. Adelaide, Australia: University of Adelaide, 28–30 November.
Glackin, S. Gudes, O. (2017) Full-stack engagement: vertical integration and process/precursors that promote bottom-up urban transformation. State of Australian Cities Conference. University of Adelaide, Adelaide, 28-30 November 2017.
