Observing Northern Australia by Mo Nata

N O R T H E R N A U S T R A L I A Studio De velopment Exercises

Natalie Chow 732634 The University of Melbourne Urban Design Studio B | 2015 Studio Leaders | Gideon Aschwanden & Mark Burry ABPL 90273

Newman, Western Australia Source: Newman Visitor Center

Settlements in Northern Australia

SPACE SYNTAX

UR BAN RUL E S

ATL AS

CONTENTS

Nieuw Townsville

The Community is a Golf Course Airstrips, Prosperity & Progress Northern Australian Rules Matrix

PRO JECT The Future Development of Pilbara Site Analysis: Post-Production

Site Strategy: Pilbara-Powered Design Details: Post-Production

DARWIN

CAIRNS

Townsville

Port Hedland Karratha

Newman

Utopia

Kintore

Yuendumu

ALICE SPRINGS

NATALIE CHOW

SETTL E M E N T S IN N ORT H AUS T R A L IA This study attempts to create a comparative portrait of indigenous and mining settlements. These settlements are numerous and scattered throughout the desert. Both the settlements and its inhabitants have a transient nature that contradicts the permanent nature of the housing and infrastructure.

INDIGENOUS SETTLEMENTS

INTRODUCTION

LOCATION

MINING SETTLEMENTS

Since the 1810s, indigenous people have been dispossessed of their traditional lands and forced to live in European settlements to ‘civilise’ and ‘assimilate’ into the culture of the colonisers. Currently, there are no known indigenous tribes who live a traditional nomadic lifestyle. Dispossession and the degradation of traditional lands, food and water sources make the traditional hunterTEMPORARY

They have adapted their semi-nomadic lifestyle to the fixity of housing provided. Travelling between outstations, settlements and camps, or moving between houses in the same settlement. The reliance on State funding for indigenous settlements means many necessities, maintenance and improvements are delayed or not delivered. PERMANENT

REMOTE COMMUNITIES - YUENDUMU

In an attempt maximise the outcome of funding efforts, only 20 of the 700 settlements are selected to be developed into Territory Growth Towns that will function as regional centers. Many remote communities and outstations may be closed, while funding is reduced for those that remain.

Australian mines have a median life expectancy of 7-18 years, some are profitable after 20 years. Mining settlements are generally removed or relocated and the land is rehabilitated after the mine is exhausted. Mining settlements are funded and owned by the private corporation. The concern for the welfare and efficiency of employees has in the recent years been

TEMPORARY

WORKERS’ CAMP - NEWMAN

the impetus for planning initiatives. Suburban environments have been planned for workers’ families who choose to settle. This more permanent housing and infrastructure is more easily sold to the government and normalised. A large proportion of investment is made in entertainment facilities and town amenity to make living in a

mining town more attractive to those looking to settle, and ease the mental stress of isolation and long shifts of workers. The high cost of transport materials and skilled tradespeople limit the construction methods and materials of Newman. The lack of specialists, such as elevator and crane trades, also limit the building of apartments.

PERMANENT

SUBURB - NEWMAN

SETTLEMENT TYPES

OUTSTATIONS - UTOPIA

gatherer way of life harsh and difficult.

NATALIE CHOW

POPULATION GROWTH - INDIGENOUS SETTLEMENT

POPULATION GROWTH - MINING SETTLEMENT PERMANENT

PERMANENT Settlement Normalisation

4000

# of People

4000

# of People

3000

Funding Re-allocation

2000

TEMPORARY

Forced Settlement

2000

TEMPORARY Settlement Removal & Rehabilitation

1000 Time

YUENDUMU - NT

Time

YUENDUMU LOCALITY & OUTSTATIONS

NEWMAN - WA. PILBARA

NEWMAN LOCALITY

Road

Population: 1000-1300 Town Area: 7 Km2 No. of buildings: 450

CASE STUDY

3000

Declining settlements

1000

Population: 5478 +1500 (Transient) Town Area: 170 Km2 No. of buildings: 2300

Water Bore Outstations

Road

Water Bore

Rail

Outstations

Dam

Mine

River/Creek

Tanami Rd to Alice Springs

3000 Unsealed road to Nyrripi

2000 0

0.5

Airport 0

1 Km

Power Station Solar Array Dam

0.5

1 Km

Central Land Council Housing Association Council

Sewage Ponds

General Store

Borefield Power Station Railway Solar Array Swales Telstra

Police

Swales

Air Port

Post Office Police Council

Pharmacy Hospital

Park Reserves Golf Course Rifle Range Oval

Woolworths Bottle Shop Banks Petrol Kiosks

Swimming Pool

Restaurants

Racecourse

Hotels

Senior High Primary School

RELIGIOUS

Church

EDUCATION

Adult Education

HEALTH

School

COMMERCIAL

CEDP Office

Swimming Pool

RECREATION

Art Centre

Oval

RELIGIOUS

HEALTH

Ablutions

Clinic

EDUCATION

Air Strip

Youth Centre

RECREATION

Landfill

COMMUNITY SERVICES

INFRASTRUCTURE

Borefield

10 Km

Time

Road

10 Km

INFRASTRUCTURE

# of People

4000

1000

TOWN AMENITY

Mine Closure

COMMUNITY SERVICES

TIMELINE

Territory Growth Town

Church Mosque

TV Station Caravan Park

POPULATION

Telstra

AGE

AGE 85+ 75-84 65-74 55-64 45-54 35-44 25-34 15-24 0-14

Typical Age-Gender Distribution In Indigenous Settlements

Household

$1270

Personal

$450 0

1000

Community & Personal Service Workers Jobs as employed by industry

2000

3000

85+ 75-84 65-74 55-64 45-54 35-44 25-34 15-24 0-14

Household

$2900

Personal

$1900 0

1000

2000

3000

Mining Weekly median income

Age-Gender Distribution In Newman

Jobs as employed by industry

Weekly median income ($)

NATALIE CHOW

HOUSING TYPES

TEMPORARY

PERMANENT

TEMPORARY

PERMANENT

HUMPIE / SHACK

STATE HOUSING

‘DONGA’ UNIT

SUBURBAN HOUSE

1 Families / 3-5 People 1 Family / 4-7 People

4 Workers/ 4 People

2-3 Families / 11-20 People

4 Workers/ 4 People 10m

0 1 2 3 4 5

10m

MATERIALS

0 1 2 3 4 5

Lightweight steel framing

Colourbond Steel

Standard Prefab Components

Sheet Metal

Concrete Blockwork

Standard Prefab Components

Found Objects

ENERGY

Container Accommodation

178MW gas-fired power station

Kintore Aerial

Newman Aerial

LANDSCAPE

Solar Concentration Dish Power

NATALIE CHOW

SPACE SYNTAX The roads/areas that are most integrated take on three urban forms:

TOWNSVILLE EXISTING

TYPE 01: THE STRIP

TYPE 02: THE LARGE BLOCK

TYPE 03: THE SMALL BLOCK

Integration N

NIEUW TOWNSVILLE

CREATE NEW URBAN TYPES ALONG THE WATER

EXTEND LINEAR INTEGRATED ROADS ALONG THE WATER

WALKABLE WATERFRONTS

Proposed Street Network

NATALIE CHOW

CREATE NEW URBAN TYPES ALONG THE WATER

EXTEND LINEAR INTEGRATED ROADS ALONG THE WATER

NIEUW TOWNSVILLE EVALUATION

Integration N

Choice N

WALKABLE WATERFRONTS

Cannot determine from space syntax

Extending integrated roads increases Golbal ‘choiced’ connections

Unable to create continuous waterfront walkability despite intensifying street network

Choice 800

NATALIE CHOW

URBAN RULES A Community Is A Golf Course

STEP 1: PLAN THE GOLF COURSE AS THE CENTER. • •

Creates a defined and inclusive ‘center of town’ Higher foot traffic

GOLF COURSES ARE POPULAR Mining companies often fund and plan the golf course on the onset of the town itself. There has been more than 5% increase in the golf population in the mining regions of N.Australia in the year of 2013. Source: Golf Australia Database

GOLF COURSES ARE MAINTAINED Golf clubs are private organisations that fund the high maintenance course through membership fees.

STEP 2: INTEGRATE THE COURSE WITH STREET AND PARK NETWORK. Amenities are available for public use The center of the town will be a green park/ plaza • A well-serviced and green environment will encourage the community to spend time at the golf course • •

GOLF COURSES ARE GREENEST Expensive reticulation systems and large volumes of water keep the landscape green. The WA government has also supported the Fortescue and Karratha golf courses by allocating grants under the Pilbara Regional Development Scheme to the reticulation systems. Source: Government of WA

GOLF COURSES HAVE AMENITIES These fees also allow the provision of club amenities such as security, toilets, course lighting, functions rooms, etc.

STEP 3: GIVE EVERYONE AFFORDABLE GOLF MEMBERSHIP THROUGH COUNCIL RATES Foster a sense of ownership and belonging • The center of the town will be a green park/plaza •

GOLF COURSES ARE MOSTLY UNOCCUPIED Golf clubs have opening times and only members have access to the course. Members do not play frequently. Source: Golf Australia Database

NATALIE CHOW

URBAN RULES

What if Singapore is North Australia lacking road infrastructure, public transport, separated by inundation 6 months of the year each neighbourhood needed an airstrip to be accessed?

To stay competitive and connected with the rest of the island, each district invests a large proportion of their resources on airstrips and transport infrastructure. May the highest performing heartland survive.

O R G A N I S AT I O N S OWN HELICOPTERS

SETTLEMENTS HAVE

AIRSTRIPS

NATALIE CHOW

LANDMARKS

RULE ORIGINS :

• They are used for tourism, agriculture, cattle, mustering, park maintenance and as a mode of transport in emergencies. • During the wet season, roads to Central Australia are inundated and can only be accessed by small plane or helicopter.

• Roads are less important connections.

RULE ORIGINS :

• Airstrips appear to be a rudimentary neccessity in small communities. • Airports are major transport investments for cities and mining settlements. • Most established settlements require an airstrip because road infrastructure is poor or travel destinations are long or untraversable.

NOT

URBAN IMPLICATIONS :

• Infrastructure in the form of bores affect the natural landscape. • Water extraction affects the groundwater dependent ecosystem.

OWNED

• With no alternative form of transport, populations of remote communities have limited mobility. • The cost of food and supplies increases and are flown in less regularly.

• Dispersed and scattered nodes settlements are reinforced. • Since all settlements have an airstrip/airport, usually quite close to the settlement itself, the airstrip becomes a measurement tool and the amenity of the airstrip can be an indicator of the population size and economy of the settlement.

• The sport has become increasingly popular in mining reigion of Pilbara and Queensland.

PAVEMENTS ON ONE SIDE OF THE ROAD OR NONE

• Golf courses remain defiantly green, irrigated by a high percentages of the settlement’s water usage. • Golf courses take up large areas of land and reshape the land to look like a gold course.

• Golf clubs offer these small populations a sense of belonging with a club structure.

GOLF TOGETHER

• A high priority for aircraft landing reveals

• Golf is not a team sport, but takes place in clubs that require membership to play in.

• Small populations of males seeking competitive sport may find it difficult to participate in a footy team and have no opportunity to attend the footy.

COMMUNITIES PLAY

• Businesses charter flights for tourists.

OWN HELICOPTERS

RULE ORIGINS :

• Government and welfare organisations use helicopters to carry out aeromedical transfers and maintain national parks.

ORGANISATIONS

SETTLEMENTS HAVE AIRSTRIPS

• 50% of the country’s helicopters are registered in N.Aus.

• Water licenses are separate from land titles.

• The town does not need to compete or complement the presence of the rocks since the identity and experience of the place is about the land.

URBAN IMPLICATIONS :

ARE

URBAN IMPLICATIONS :

ROCKS

• Water licenses are allocations by volume, or entitlements to water attached to the the land title.

• The location of existing and approved future borefields affects the growth of new development and mines.

G R O U N D WAT E R

URBAN IMPLICATIONS :

BIG

• Buildings are conventional and indistinguishable, because of limited funding, construction methods and materials.

• N.Aus attracts tourists to rock landmarks, but rarely acknowledges or advertise the town as a destination.

• Groundwater is surface water that percolates through the ground and is stored in porous soils and rocks.

• Pavements are provided on one side of the street in most suburban areas. • Remote communities have no pavement or road infrastructure. Buildings are built straight from the ground and fences delimit the road width.

URBAN IMPLICATIONS :

• The landform and rock appearance of each part of N.Aus is unique and stands out in the relatively flat coastal and desert landscape.

RULE ORIGINS :

• Instagram, Flickr and archive photographs reflect locals’ and tourists’ perception of places in N.Aus.

• Place names are known by the most significant landform. i.e. Ayers Rock, The Olgas, Pinnacols, Kings Canyon, etc.

RULE ORIGINS :

• Most geotagged photos of cities and places in N.Aus feature rocks.

URBAN IMPLICATIONS :

RULE ORIGINS :

• Pedestrians interact with vehicles more when crossing to a continuing pavement or negotiating the width of the road. • One/no pavement for each road reduces the cost of construction and maintenance.

NATALIE CHOW