WORKING ON GREEN INFRASTRUCTURE
Wednesday 17th & Thursday 18th May 2011
In May 2011, the Australian Institute of Landscape Architects held a one day seminar and workshop to debate how green infrastructure and landscape-based can strategies be incorporated into urban design projects to prepare for climate change adaptation.
A seminar in the morning, presented by David Yocca from the Conservation Design Forum in USA and Cathryn Chatburn from AECOM Design + Planning, provided a snapshot of leading international research and practice in this area including tools and case studies. The afternoon workshop explored how these design tools and strategies could be applied in the Australian context and in particular, how to work with green infrastructure in urban renewal projects.
Workshop participants worked with David Yocca and Cathryn Chatburn on a real urban design project which focussed on the North Canberra suburb of Dickson. The Australian Institute of Landscape Architects has a commitment to engaging with communities, to driving discussion and new ways of thinking about urban sustainability.
Members of the local Dickson Precinct Group attended the seminar and participated in the afternoon’s design workshop.
The one day seminar and workshop was organised through the AILA ACT Chapter.
The event comprised three parts:
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Wednesday 17th May 2011: a morning seminar and afternoon workshop
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Thursday 18th May 2011: a half day site visit.
Full Report on the workshop and recommendations (PDF)
Seminar Speakers
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David Yocca
Landscape architect and planner David Yocca from Conservation Design Forum (CDF) in the USA is principal landscape architect for many of CDF’s pioneering, high profile sustainable/restorative projects, including the celebrated Chicago City Hall Demonstration Green Roof, one of the nation’s first ecological green roof applications.
He has developed land use master plans for parks, greenways, conservation villages and urban neighborhoods, and participated in the visioning, design, entitlement and implementation process for numerous ecologically-based sites, neighbourhoods and communities located in the Midwest and elsewhere.
David is fluent in a wide range of green building and site development strategies, and in his role at CDF, collaborates regularly with similarly aligned design professionals and clients. He is a LEED Accredited Professional and serves on the Technical Core Committee for SITES (the Sustainable Sites Initiative), a new green |
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Cathryn Chatburn
Cathryn Chatburn, Practice Director at AECOM Design + Planning, is an enthusiastic and creative designer with a diverse portfolio, including large–scale urban regeneration projects, gained over 19 years of practice across the United Kingdom and Australia. Throughout her career she has actively pursued her interest in the emerging sustainability agenda. Cathryn has headed a number of sustainability ‘think tanks’.
Cathryn has worked on a variety of projects, for both public sector and private clients. In project work she ensures that design thinking seeks to secure the delivery of exemplar sustainable design within the context of large-scale master planning and regeneration projects. Projects include urban design for Constitution Avenue (Canberra), the Eastern Corridor Renewal Strategy (Brisbane), Parramatta Small Spaces and Laneways Project, Bath Western Riverside brown fields masterplanning (UK), the Victoria Station Urban Design Strategy (UK) and the Ipswich Town Centre Expansion Study (UK). She has extensive experience working with and effectively engaging stakeholders and the general public in the process of design development. |
Cathryn Chatburn presented a paper Nature versus Narrative: Balancing community, culture, ecology and economies in frameworks to guide sustainable change.
Through case studies across a range of project types and scales Cathryn expanded on her ideas, experiences, and processes to shape and define frameworks for sustainable growth. She also dealt with issues around engagement and the challenge of encouraging behavioural change across practitioners, clients and stakeholders.
The second presentation was by David Yocca, principal landscape architect and planner with Conservation Design Forum. His presentation Water-Centric Design – the Path to Restorative Places and Positive Change, used a series of case studies and examples to help illustrate the principles and application of ecologically-based practice in a variety of settings with a focus on urban contexts.
Both presentations were followed by lively discussions with overall agreement in the value of demonstration projects as a way to move forward.
WORKSHOP
WORKING ON GREEN INFRASTRUCTURE
The case study used for the workshop was Dickson, a suburb of inner Canberra
Introduction & Key Issues to be Addressed
The afternoon workshop explored opportunities for introducing green infrastructure and integrated design strategies within a real urban design context –the inner suburb of Dickson, North Canberra – a suburb about to undergo redevelopment.
Through a series of rotating working groups, participants explored a broad range of urban design opportunities for Dickson, including:
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how public green infrastructure could be integrated into the neighbourhood, including streets, in a way that also supports regional plants & animals
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key gaps and opportunities for implementing enhanced ecosystem services approaches throughout Dickson
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how full block development could incorporate and enhance green infrastructure in a meaningful way
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how plot-scale development could be integrated with neighbourhood strategies
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how capacity for productive landscapes – including food production and urban forestry - could be increased in the public realm.
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how community engagement could be assisted by a landscape approach, including valuing and maintaining green infrastructure in the public and private domain, and integrating green infrastructure performance with social outcomes.
Full Report on the workshop and recommendations - available here (PDF)
Report on the Thursday Walking Tour
David Yocca: a pdf of his presentation (27MB) - it may take a moment or two to download
The second speaker presentation may be uploaded here at a later date
