It's sustainable, too - urban sprawl can be a lesson for the world


By Justin Norrie, Sydney Morning Herald., December 10, 2004

Source:
http://www.smh.com.au/news/National/Its-sustainable-too--urban-sprawl-can-be
-a-lesson-for-the-world/2004/12/09/1102182427854.html?oneclick=true

This year he questioned the Carr Government's spending on motorways at the
expense of sustainable development in a city that was reaching its limits.

But this week, the state's first sustainability commissioner, Peter Newman,
applauded its sweeping land release program for Sydney's western fringes and
said the rest of the city could learn from the example.

In a letter to the Department of Infrastructure, Planning and Natural
Resources, Professor Newman said the $8 billion development would help make
the city more sustainable.

Under eight sustainability criteria, he rated the project as employing close
to or exceeding world's best practice in six areas.

The land release areas exceeded the world's best practice in providing
quality places to live and play, "as there is very high quality in all
aspects of spatial design", Professor Newman said.

The development rated "OK to good" practice in providing accessibility
between homes, jobs, services and recreation, and "good to best practice" on
the issues of quality and equity in services, including health, education ,
security and community development.

"There are important innovations in each of the sustainability criteria, in
particular in biodiversity, urban design, housing diversity and governance
through the Development Commission and its up-front funded infrastructure
and services," Professor Newman said.

"These will make the land release areas an object of considerable
international and national interest. I look forward to seeing how the rest
of the city can be given such a careful sustainability makeover as has been
the focus [here]."

Professor Newman posed the question of whether it was possible to stop the
city spreading, but said he did not know of any mechanism to halt growth.

The 150,000 house blocks in the land release areas were needed because
almost no land was available for development in Sydney's outskirts, even
though

the sprawl was likely to pose problems associated with dependency on cars.

"Although the western areas will not be a sink for air pollutants ... there
will be an increase in motor vehicles and Sydney's air will move close to
exceeding air quality targets," Professor Newman wrote.

Sound planning should reduce the necessity for travelling and would require
a good public transport system and paths to encourage cycling and walking.





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