Catálogo de publicaciones - libros

Water is vital to sustainability and liveability of cities and the peri-urban river systems play an important role in the supply of water for domestic use, agriculture, commerce, industry and the environment. It is therefore essential that peri-urban river systems are properly used and managed, especially under the pressure of urbanisation. Using the Hawkesbury-Nepean River system as an example, in this Chapter we discuss how management of the river system evolves under changing circumstances. We then examine the complexity of managing peri-urban river system and discuss a multitude of challenges and issues that have to be resolved to achieve sustainability of water resources in peri-urban landscapes. We also identify actions, engagement strategies and governance mechanisms that influence the outcomes of water resources management in a peri-urban context. Genuine engagement of community, government agencies and other stakeholders is an important vehicle to establish dialogue and achieve effective and long-term water resources planning at a regional scale. However, the engagement and programs for securing water futures in peri-urban landscapes is made more difficult due to a large number of stakeholders, agencies and interests involved and the changing roles of participants as government policy changes.

The Hawkesbury River is a valuable community asset. In the last 200 years there have been continuous and significant changes which have resulted in declining river health and impacts on community values. Management processes which purport to arrest this decline and provide protection or improvements to the quality of the Hawkesbury River were reviewed in light of community concerns and available water quality analysis data. Clear responses in waterway condition can be linked to catchment activities and some management processes to improve river health. It appears however, many such management practices have not been assessed or are not capable of assessment. The development of a framework to assess future management proposals for protection and remediation of the Hawkesbury River is proposed.

In this chapter we take a multidisciplinary approach to evaluating planning for coastal development, particularly in peri-urban areas. We consider ecosystem services and disservices and how, in the past, much development was at the expense of coastal wetlands. We then focus on mosquito production as a wetland related disservice that affects residents and imposes costs on individuals and government from both a health and management perspective. Most coastal peri-urban areas including adjacent wetland sites retain legacy infrastructures and landforms that degrade wetland function and often exacerbate the mosquito hazard. Rehabilitating coastal wetlands can improve wetland function while also reducing the mosquito hazard. Yet examination of rehabilitation and mosquito management within the existing planning framework found deficiencies and complexity. In particular, coastal wetlands are almost always overlaid with a number of different zone and ownership boundaries that increase complexity of both mosquito management and wetland rehabilitation actions. We illustrate the issues with two case studies from northern New South Wales (NSW), Australia: a greenfield development located in Ballina and a retrofitted site at Banora Point near Tweed Heads. We recommend land use planning frameworks incorporate a trigger for both assessment of adjacent coastal wetland ecosystem function and restoration of wetland ecological processes that includes provision for habitat based source control of mosquito hazard and coastal wetland rehabilitation.

Designing sustainable urban development is a multi-dimensional and multi-disciplinary challenge that can benefit from next-generation modelling tools to achieve high performance outcomes and integrated assessments. This chapter presents and demonstrates the use of ‘MUtopia’, an information modelling platform for assessing alternative urban development scenarios. The use of the platform is illustrated through the application to a peri-urban development in the city of Melbourne, Australia. The modelling platform allows simulation of various transition and future scenarios at the precinct level. The platform is capable of extracting data to assist in developing and assessing the performance of different components (land use, individual buildings and infrastructure related to energy and water supply and use, waste management and transport systems) by taking advantage of the platform’s unique scalability. The selected case study is a 31.5 ha Parcel of land, a typical peri-urban development in Melbourne’s fringe located in West Cranbourne. A key aspect of the development is the design of a sustainable precinct that is affordable, provides a greater level of amenity and incorporates biolink corridors and natural open spaces critical to the preservation of native biodiversity. As a low rise suburban development this project presents a unique opportunity for the application of the MUtopia platform and to demonstrate how the tool can lead to optimum design parameters for achieving sustainable development. This chapter also describes how MUtopia can be used to optimise the selection and design of sustainable and resilient energy, water and waste infrastructure and its integration with existing infrastructure.

This chapter provides a snapshot of what is covered in the preceding chapters on options and strategies for balanced development leading to liveable cities. The chapters are organized under nine sections, including peri-urbanization; culture and social economy; land use planning; water security; wastewater and irrigation; urban agriculture and food security; impact of climate change and adaptation; legal, policy and institutional framework; and integrated urban development. The chapters under these sections cover a broad range of issues for the planning of future cities and peri-urban regions with respect to (1) balanced urban development policies and institutions for future cities; (2) understanding the effects of land use change, population increase, and water demand for the liveability of cities; (3) long-term planning needs and transboundary approaches to ensure secured future for generations ahead; and (4) strategies for optimal land, water, and energy uses for viable and liveable cities. The book emphasizes integrated planning for future development of liveable, resilient, and sustainable cities and peri-urban areas.