 21 July 2010, Brisbane, Australia
We’d like to acknowledge the traditional owners of this place, who looked after it as custodians for so long before we came along.
Welcome to all, and our thanks to all of you for attending this seminar – instigated and organised by the AILA Regional Landscapes Group, and conducted jointly with UDAL.
My name is Catherine Brouwer, - I’m a landscape architect and landscape planner, and chair of the Regional Landscapes Group for at least 2 years now.
I’ll introduce our Seminar and guide us through the afternoon until our Workshop. Sian Crawford will then take over to facilitate that important session.
This has been a Seminar a long time in gestation and then planning, so we are very happy that it is under way, and that so many share our considerable interest in this aspect of landscape planning, particularly for its implementation here in South East Queensland.
It promises to be a most stimulating afternoon with our high calibre of speakers. And I encourage all of you to stay and participate in the Workshop.
A Brief Background to the Seminar
Myself, and a couple of other members of the Group, represented AILA on the Steering Committee during the development of the scenic amenity assessment methodology –subsequently expanded as Implementation Guideline 8 Identifying and Protecting Scenic Amenity Values, referred to in the South East Queensland (SEQ) Regional Plan.
The Group has since conducted 2 Workshops –in 2008 and 2009, on landscape scenic amenity and the Methodology, and made submissions to the RLOSAC and the Department welcoming both the advances of the Methodology, while also expressing our concerns.
The Group also made a detailed submission last year to the Draft SEQ Regional Plan 2009 - 2031, focusing on the Desired Regional Outcome of Regional Landscape, which includes sections of Scenic Amenity, Landscape Heritage, and the Regional Open Space Network.
Note that scenic amenity in the SEQ Plan is narrowly defined – our 1st session speakers will be touching on that issue.
The Scenic Amenity DRO list of programs includes “3.5.6 Investigate approaches to the evaluation of scenic amenity in urban areas.” With this background, and our objective to broaden our professional network to include planners and urban designers, our group planned this seminar and workshop, approaching UDAL for a partnership.
This Seminar expresses our professional interest and commitment for best practice to be achieved in Queensland in the planning and management of scenic landscape amenity – within a broad assessment and community involvement.
Briefly, a few more words to give background and a broad context to our thoughts today on Scenic Amenity, Cultural Landscapes, & Landscape Identity.
Ann Spirn quote:
In the 70s and 80s the visual assessment method developed by the US Forest Service was widely studied and adapted – also in Australia. For my landscape architecture graduate thesis on visual landscape assessment I investigated both the US methods and those of the then Countryside Commission in the UK. We were reading Kevin Lynch, who showed us cultural patterns in the landscape and urban form, and our particular bias in landscape perceptions in The View from the Road,
- and reading John Stilgoe and Ann Spirn, who described the everyday landscapes, the cultural landscapes, and landscape identity that people highly valued, but which were rarely able to be translated into protection and management measures.
Planning schemes here through the 80s and 90s described the Shire landscape character, and aimed for the protection of Shire landscape identity.
However, the development assessment measures and controls were substantially ineffective, except for high, steep hillsides - which were, in any case, often naturally protected from substantial change.
about the European Landscape Convention
To the past 10 or so years – there have been many advances in approaches. The European Landscape Convention has generated considerable advances in the wholistic approach and inclusion of the aesthetic values in landscape planning
throughout Europe.
I attended a Conference in Europe 2 years ago and heard of the considerable degree of implementation of landscape assessment studies and planning applications from the eastern countries across to Spain, in all the Mediterranean and the Scandinavian countries, and throughout Great Britain. The landscape character assessment and planning procedures there, undertaken by government bodies such as English Heritage, Natural England, and the Irish Heritage Council, have been stimulated to a broader approach and community involvement in part by the European Landscape Convention.
Wendy and Rachael in our 1st session will be covering the UK approaches.
Burra Charter Setting article 8
Heritage practitioners have a well established field of assessing cultural landscapes. Australia ICOMOS’s Burra Charter identifies the integral heritage value of the setting of a place.
This approach is applicable and translatable for the urban edges and inter urban spaces.
Cultural landscape definition
Our speakers will be showing us a breadth of perceptions and methodologies for managing the landscape scenic amenity of the urban edges, the landscape corridors, the inter-urban breaks, and the transition areas between our more densely developed areas and the open spaces of our cities and the region.
So, after that broad context setting, I would like to introduce our first speaker.
Tony Prineas has worked extensively in local and State government in managing, planning and design roles relating to State forests, the regional landscape and public open space.
He has been instrumental in formulating and implementing broader valued and community inclusive approaches in managing such areas.
He was responsible for mapping the scenic quality of the wet tropics of North Queensland through developing a predictive GIS model based on community preferences.
In 1995 he was largely responsible for mapping the ROSS – the regional Open Space System for south east Queensland.
He has advocated for and developed practical yet comprehensive approaches for planning State forests, city wide and regional park networks recognising economic, environmental and social determinants.
More recently he has drafted Brisbane City Council’s Priority Infrastructure Plan for public parks and community facilities.
Tony has represented AILA on the Regional Landscapes and Open Space Advisory Committee for a number of years.
Presentation by Tony Prineas
Alan Chenoweth is principal of Chenoweth Environmental Planning & Landscape Architecture, with over 30 years experience in plant sciences, landscape design, conservation and land development, environmental impacts, visual assessment, park management and generally in the integration of ecological and landscape studies with town planning.
With qualifications in agricultural science, landscape architecture and planning, expertise in plant ecology, conservation and environmental planning, a Churchill Fellowship and Fellowships of four professional Institutes, Alan brings a multidisciplinary approach to resource assessment.
He has particular expertise in evaluation of coastal landscapes, wetlands and remnant vegetation, and has won several planning awards for innovative approaches to ‘green planning’.
Presentation by Alan Chenoweth
Wendy Davies is an Associate Landscape Planner at AECOM Design + Planning.
Wendy worked in London for eight years, firstly for Land Use Consultants (LUC) - the company that jointly authored the Landscape Character Assessment Guidance for England and Wales on behalf of The Countryside Agency and Scottish Natural Heritage - then for the Barton Willmore Planning Partnership.
At LUC, Wendy undertook a number of landscape characterisation studies for local and regional planning authorities encompassing both the built and rural landscape, a number of which were adopted as Supplementary Planning Guidance.
At Barton Willmore she was responsible for providing landscape planning advice to assist major developers navigate significant projects through the planning system.
Wendy will discuss a range of current UK approaches to assessing and addressing issues associated with scenic amenity in the urban and peri-urban area and will consider their potential applicability to the Australian context.
Presentation by Wendy Davies
Rachael Piper is an Associate Landscape Planner at AECOM Design + Planning. She has been with AECOM D+P in Australia for four years, after working for over seven years in the UK at ENTEC and Solihull Metropolitan Borough Council.
Rachael is a specialist in landscape planning work such as landscape and visual assessments, visual analysis and landscape character assessments in both rural and urban situations.
Recently Rachael conducted a three month placement with the AECOM team in Scotland (UK), assessing the impact assessment of wind farms on landscape and visual values.
Presentation by Rachael Piper
Martin Reason is an urban planner with ten years experience in Australia, the UK, and the People’s Republic of China. His background is in urban design, urban regeneration and strategic infrastructure planning.
Martin returned from the UK in January 2010 after spending a number of years working for the Mayor of London’s strategic planning agency, the Greater London Authority. In this role, Martin prepared the urban design, tall building, place-shaping and view management policies of the Mayor’s draft replacement London Plan, which is currently
under public review.
In 2008 and 2009 Martin partnered with leading landscape and visual assessment consultancy, Miller Hare, to redraft the London View Management Framework (LVMF).
Presentation by Martin Reason
Peter Richards is a registered architect with a Masters in Urban Design. He is Managing Director of Deicke Richards, an adjunct professor at QUT, and is Chair of the Board of the Centre for Subtropical Design.
Peter has developed a wide range of design, visualisation, and implementation skills in projects of all scales and complexity – from community facilities to housing complexes, from neighbourhoods to town design throughout Australia.
He is known for his collaborative design processes and methods. His research projects include urban structure and form, and urban quality and sense of place. He understands urban quality and the relationship between people, structure and place within regional sustainable urbanism.
Presentation by Peter Richards
John Clarke is an Architect and Urban Designer with over 20 years experience as a Practicing Architect in Queensland and elsewhere with over 300 completed projects. He has been a past Director of the Architectural Practice Academy and is currently Principal of City Projects & Urban Design at Brisbane City Council.
His experience runs across a broad field in health architecture and campus planning, Multi Unit housing, Universal Design, Heritage and Conservation and Urban Design.
He is currently the Secretary of the Urban Design Alliance of Queensland, a senior counselor for Design Risk Management, and Fellow of the Royal Australian Institute of Architects, and as a Queensland Chapter Councilor represents the interests of Urban Design for the RAIA in Queensland.
John’s presentation examines and compares some Australian cities that have obvious and essential architectural qualities that underpin the wider aesthetic experience.
Presentation by John Clarke
The Workshop, chaired by Sian Crawford, followed.
|
