5. SUSTAINABLE ACTION PLAN

Vision: Cool, Healthy and Welcoming

This Sustainability Action Plan has a vision to create a cooler, healthier city. The focus of this plan is to regulate and control the Urban Heat island effect, with an aim to improve community awareness on a broader sense to participate in the planning, decision taking as well as working towards achieving a cooler neighbourhood. The site should be welcoming and a comfortable area for the community and all age groups to enjoy the spaces outside and not be tied down to spending their time indoors during the summer because of the weather.

To guide the vision and objectives for this action plan the following documents were referred to:

- Collaboration Area: Camperdown–Ultimo Place Strategy

- City Plan 2036: Local Strategic Planning StatemenT

- Sustainable Sydney 2030: Community strategic plan

- Greening Sydney Strategy

- Sydney Green Grid (Central District): Spatial Framework & Project Opportunities

- Guide to Urban Cooling Strategies

- Cooling Common Spaces in Densifying Urban Environments

- Comparative Analysis of Surface Urban Heat Island Effect in Central Sydney

Listed below are the actions that need to be taken to achieve the vision of cooler places by reducing the effects of Urban Heat and making it a place for the community and people to enjoy outside without putting any pressure on the energy systems.

1. Increase in Urban Vegetation

Target:

Target to reach 30–40 percent canopy cover for heat and community health. Reach a overall increase in green-cover of 40% by 2050 (City of Sydney 2021).

Action:

The site has a dire need to increase tree cover on this site, majority of the site has only 10% vegetation.

1. Increasing canopy cover:

Majority of the site is barren, Cleaveland street, Abercrombie street and Hudson streets pose as an opportunity to increase the street canopy cover on their footpaths, creating shaded walkways. These streets have high vehicular movement and thus vegetation is needed along these streets to cool down the area and reduce the heat emitted here.

2. Linking to the Sydney Green Grid:

There is an existing green grid proposed for the city of Sydney. This site is a part of the green grid but is currently not being utilised to its full potential. There isn’t enough tree canopy cover here, and must further be worked on to be integrated into the grid. Shading through trees on pavements can be added to make the spaces more usable and friendly during the harsh summers for the community and vulnerable population.

2. Reduce Carbon Emission

Target:

The target is a s Long Term Emissions Reduction Plan that states 70 per cent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions based on 2006 levels will be achieved by 2030 and by 2050, it will turn into a zero emissions neighbourhood (City of Sydney 2017). Action:

There are a lot of tall buildings on the site which are above 16meters in height which increase the load, and increases the heat around these structures specially because urban materials tend to absorb more heat as compared to rural areas.

1. Building Strategies:

Buildings can adapt strategies to reduce the use of appliances thus reducing the emissions, strategies like green roofs, and green walls. These systems are beneficial for reducing the temperatures around the building as well as indoors. Green roofs can also act like community spaces for people to enjoy nature and the outdoors at a cooler temperature. There need to be regulations for new developments to incorporate these strategies.

2. Transportation:

It is necessary to promote public transport and promote walkability and cycling, This can be done by adding vegetation and shading by trees on the cycle paths and footpaths. Another way of absorbing carbon emissions is by increasing green cover along roads and railway lines, this green vegetation will absorb the emissions given out by cars etc. and improve temperatures all around through evapotranspiration.

3. Reduce Energy Consumption

Target:

Aims to achieve zero energy and carbon-ready commercial and residential buildings in Australia. It is a key initiative to address Australia’s 40% energy productivity improvement target by 2030 (City of Sydney 2017).

Action:

Types of building materials can have a positive impact on teperatures inside buildings reducing the need to put pressure on the energy resources and reducing consumptions.

1. Building Material: The materials used on many of the buildings on site are built using materials that absorb heat like darker surfaces, steel facade envelopes, glass facades and roofs that absorb heat as well. Many of the buildings have northern facades that are exposed to maximum sunlight made up of materials that absorb a lot of heat. it is necessary to be thoughtful about the materials used that are cooling and reflective reducing the ambient temperatures within the structure and overcoming the dependency on air conditioners and other appliances.

2. Alternative Sources of Energy:

Use of renewable resources of energy like solar power, solar water heating will reduce pressure on the main producers of energy and reduce output of emissions. In the end reducing the affect of Urban Heat Island.

4. Improve Health and Well-being

Target:

The target is to reduce the number of deaths caused by heat stress, reduce illnesses that are caused by heat and pollution that usually lead to respiratory problems in the most vulnerable like children and elderly.

Action:

Due to severe rise in heat and a related increase in pollution people with health problems and the vulnerable face issues related to their health and the comfort of the people is affected with a rise in temperatures.

1. Community spaces:

Its necessary to provide green spaces for communities in the outdoors to relax and do activies and interact with one another. Since thevsite does not have many open spaces and is quite dense, rooftops and car parks can be used for these spaces.

2. Walkable streets

The streets and footpaths provided need to be pedestrian and cycle friendly with enough shade from trees making temperatures lower. Provide enough resting spots for the elderly and children.

3. Water features

Water features along walkways like water spray machines that instantly cool down temperatures and improve air quality.

Major Problems Addressed

As seen in the actions above it is necessary to address the scorching hot streets that have no canopy cover as seen on Cleaveland street, Eveleigh street and Hudson street. It is also paramount to look at the building facades and reduce the use of darker materials on the north facade or materials that will absorb more heat making the conditions difficult and uncomfortable to be in. This increase in heat make the neighbourhood an unappealing place to live in. Thus reducing the need to use alliances and promoting outdoor activities is the first step that needs to be achieved by increasing green cover and, using renewable energy and the correct building strategies to combat the Heat Island Effect.

Implementation and Monitoring

The DCP or LEP which are one of the major documents made by the government for planning do not address the issues of the heat island effect, the DCP must include strategies and minimum requirements for neighbourhoods and buildings that will lead to decrease in temperature and an increase in green cover. Further more involvement at a community level will improve liveability conditions. The community living in this neigbourhoods will directly be able to address the issues and work together towards improving them. The stakeholders for the neighbourhood can include the local council planning authorities along with the cafe/ restaurant owners, and residents of the area that also include students, children and the elderly. It is imperative to address the issues at a human scale and then move up from there.

Two major tools can be used for implementing strategies and monitoring the heat and moving towards a greener, healthier neighbourhood.

Green Factor Tool: This tool calculates and evaluates the amount and quality of greening that is required for a specific area. It is designed to promote greening as part of new and old developments in the built environment. this monitoring strategy can have larger community outcomes. It has particular planning controls that will help designers developers and homeowners to make decisions about the amount and type of greening required.

It addresses the different kinds of vegetation required as well , for example larger trees provide more benefit as compared to lawns, the tool therefore helps planners decide and come up with plans to meet the property and cities needs.

Temperature Monitoring System:

Geo-thermal sensors can be used to monitor the heat regularly at a neighbourhood scale and make sure there isn’t a spike in temperatures especially during the summer seasons. Through this systems parts and areas of the neighbourhood can be identified that are getting heated. If there is an increase in temperature in certain areas they can be addressed by using the various strategies that have been mentioned above. The community can take a major role in monitoring the heat and noting down areas that are getting uncomfortable because of the heat.

So the community can join hands with the local planning council and take action when and where required taking up an active role in their own well being.

6. CONCLUSION

To conclude, with the growth in urbanisation there are denser neighbourhoods leading to lesser vegetation and tree cover, this leads to a rise in temperatures thus to combat the Urban Heat Island Effect an Action plan is required. The action plan the was devised after studying the site carefully through the lens of the urban heat island effect. The site is a part of the Camperdown-Ultimo Collaboration precinct. The site is one of the major hotspots in the precinct and is 9 degrees Celsius above the base temperatures putting the vulnerable population in that area at risk of illnesses and even deaths. Strategies are made and aims are created that need to be met to reduce and combat rising temperatures. The Goals for this site aim to provide for a comfortable and healthier environment to live in by mitigating the Urban heat Island effect. The major goals consist of- Increase in Urban Vegetation, Reduce Carbon Emission, Reduce Energy Consumption and Improve Health and Well-being. Through proper implementation and monitoring by the councils along with an effort by the community the neighbourhood has the possibility to turn into a cooler,healthier and more welcoming site.