GREEN

#02 GREEN

WHAT IS GREEN?

A green Northcote means a place that is not only eco-friendly, and sustainable, but also a suburb that demonstrates how a lush green urban landscape can be realised. A focus on green across both the built and natural environment means that Northcote will be counteracting future threat rising temperatures, and urban heat have on urban living.

OBJECTIVE 2.1

Promote sustainable built form.

Promoting sustainable built form is a key objective in ensuring both existing and future built structure within Northcote, enhances the suburbs sustainability. A sustainable and climate resilient suburb can be realised to providing actions that implement strong built form regulations and standards that incorporate innovative and environmentally sensitive design practices.

THE FUTURE OF NORTHCOTE’S GREEN URBAN FABRIC.

KEY

IMPROVED GREEN SPACE QULAITY

REDEFINED LAND USE AND MINIMISE UHI

MAIN FOCUS OF SUSTINABLE DEVELOPMENT STANDARDS

COMMERCIAL AREAS SUBJECT TO INCREASE GREEN STAR RATING

ECOLOGICAL CORRIDOR DEVELOPMENT

IMPROVED STREET LEVEL GREENNING

Require the inclusion of private green open space in all developments, including private gardens, communal gardens, civic squares, balconies, and rooftop spaces.

All future commercial developments will include green space and integrate urban ecology. This action will not only enhance the variety and aesthetic of the suburb but will target the key threat high density development poses to urban heat and heat vulnerability. This requirement is specific to buildings above 4 stories.

PRECEDENT ARDEN STRUCTURE PLAN

Such strategies have been integrated into the Arden renewal plan whereby future built for is required to follow the 1:3 ratio rule. This outlines that any building above 4 stories by delegate 40% of the land parcel to green space contribution.

Revitalise the green rating of existing residential and commercial building by promoting a “Green Buildings Funding Scheme” across the suburb in an aim to achieve energy balanced retail and homes.

This action largely coincides with Darebin Council’s existing Solar Saver Scheme aiming to double solar power from approximately 18,000 kilowatts to 36,000 kilowatts by 2021 through the installation of solar panels. The Green Building Scheme is directed toward funding the retro-fitting and retro-commissioning of existing commercial, and residential building across the suburb. This will increase the climate resilience of Northcote by decreasing release of carbon emissions,.This action targets both commercial industry and residential energy as they are the largest contributor to emissions across the City of Darebin .

ACTION 2.1.3

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Require a 6-star green rating across all commercial buildings and a 5-star rating across all future residential building.

This action focusses on the administration of sustainable built form in the future. It draws largely on the United National Sustainable Development Goal 11 of creating “sustainable cities and communities”, as it focuses on eco-friendly design and built form. Green Star rating provide verification of both commercial and residential buildings design, and fit outs to highlight the sustainability standard of built infrastructure. Regulating such rating standards for future development with ensure that Northcote’s future is forged in a sustainable direction. Retrofit 75% of existing heritage buildings with solar pannnels or other sustainable intiatives to increase overall green star ratings by 2050.

As a high variety of Northcote’s built form is categorised as heritage portected buildings. It is important to integrate such structures into the future of Northcote’s resilient and sustainable urban landscape. This action aims to target existing issues within heritage buildings in relation to eco-friendliness and Green Star rating. Such standards can also instill innovative approaches of integrating heritage buildings into the community, through initiativees such as publicly accessible green roofs and internal courtyards.

ACTION 2.1.5

Require all new buildings to use materials that minimise the urban heat island effect with a standard that at least 75 per cent of total project site areas should comprise of building or landscaping elements that increase the solar reflectance of the site.

PRECEDENT ECO- FRIENDLY SKYSCRAPER SYDNEY

A recently constructed skyscaper in central park Sydney epitomizes use of sustainable and eco-friendly materials, for innovative and environmentally sensitive high scale development. This skyscraper includes a green façade coated in native ecology in order for the building harness the potential of green walls and green roofs have to reduce urban heat and create responsive, innovative and robust design.

Increase mixed use land allocation in strategic areas.

Mixed use development integrates different land use functions such as residential, commercial and office spaces. This action aims to vastly improve the mixed land use allocation across the suburb which is currently very poorly integrated with the cityscape. Mixed uses creates enhanced walkability, access, decreased car use and furthermore decreases carbon emissions. Mixed use within this action has been allocated with the commercial activity centre where pockets of mixed use have recently been established. Mixed use has also been allocated along St Georges Road replacing existing strips of industrial and residential land use. This will ensure increased accessibility to commercial areas for residents and hopes to alleviate existing stressors placed on access to the central activity centre. Industrial land across the suburb has also been redefined as mixed land use within this action. Smaller parcels along Victoria Road have also been rezoned as mixed yse to accommodate for increase mid-storey townhouse development within the region. Future mixed use will however be administered to respect the existing character of Northcote and incorporate a variety of architectural styles to create variety and robustness within the public realm. All built structures will also ensure sustainable built form standards as outlined within the previous actions.

ROOFTOP

RESIDENTIAL

OFFICE

RETAIL CURRENT MIXED USE

ACTION 2.2

Prioritise a green suburb.

Green space access and quality is a vital party is a vital element of establishing a resilient future for Northcote. Through enhancing existing public space while simultaneously estbalishonh ecological corrdior and tree covered streetscapes, Northcote can foster a resilient urban landscape. Open Northcote Golf Course as a community space during allocated periods

Northcote Golf Course is the largest open space area within the suburb of Northcote, and also has the highest recorded canopy cover and lowest urban heat rating. Thus, highlighting how attractive it is as a publicly accessible space. During the 2020 period of COVID 19 lockdown the golf course was open to the public while golfing was prohibited (The Age, 2020). This highlighted the demand for open space within the area. Currently 800m catchment also reiterate the need for more open space in the north western region of the suburb, as there is no accessible green space within an 800 m catchment for many of these residents. This action outlines that during off peak golf periods such as weekday afternoons the golf course will be open to the public. The park will also go through a trial phase of being open every 2 Sunday of each month, to record how many patrons use the area.

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Increase the quality of existing green open spaces by increasing canopy cover at parks across the suburb particularly

This action aims to increase the quality of green space throughout Northcote through increasing canopy cover across all publicly accessible open space. This aims to make public space more attractive to residents while also reducing urban heat, and improving air quality. The accompanying map highlights how canopy cover can be increased in areas such as McDonell Park. It is important however when implementing canopy cover increase, that landscaping considers elements of prospect and refuge, so that users of the park very exposed to surrounding areas to encourage feelings of safety.

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McDonell Park Canopy Cover Increase Map

Figure 42, Canopy cover increase map

Improve street level greening and canopy cover, connecting green spaces.

Increased canopy cover leads to improved air quality, enhances walkabillity decreases car speeds and minimized the effects of urban heat island effect. Thus, it is integral that canopy cover is enhanced across the suburb by 2050. This action outlines the integration of increased street level greening of both canopy cover and vegetation across all streets in Northcote. The streets of particular focus (see map right) aim to link green spaces and commercial strips through a pedestrian friendly, cool streetscape through the inclusion of trees. This action coincides with the City of Darebin goal (2020) , to “grow our urban forest by 7 600 trees to increase tree coverage on public land by 15%”. This action also mirrors the City of Melbourne’ s major Urban Forest strategy, seeking to manage city chapes against future heat vulnerability threats (2020).

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PRECEDENT: GREEN CORRIDORS SOUTHBANK

A key precedent for this strategic action is the implementation of the Southbank Urban Forest Precinct Plan in 2015 (City of Melbourne). The Plan aims to integrate South as an urban forest with will house “water sensitive design and innovative green corridor for pedestrians”. It aims to provide a immersive, sensory experience at a street level, which is an inspiring precedent for Northcote to create a walkable and ecological suburb.

ACTION 2.2.4

Restore and nurture the local natural environment through indigenous planting and land management practices developed in collaboration with Traditional Custodians.

This action aims to work in conjunction with the Merri Creek committee to continue to rejuvenate and accommodate for Australian native ecology across the suburb. Such initiatives will play a key role in the Mernda Line Upgrade, where ecological corridors are aimed to be developed underneath the path of the train line. Climate Resilient Northcote is committed to working with Traditional Custodian to achieve the most cultural sustainable ecological outcomes

Enhance use of green parcels as native, mid-storey ecological corridors, along St Georges road, The Mernda Train Line and Hurstbridge Line.

Vacant and underutilized land along St Georges Road, The Mernda Line and Hurstbridge train line will take on new form within the proposal of this action. This action hopes to enhance urban ecologicy while also create a cohesive link of green space that will join the east and west of Northcote. Transit routes highlight pre-establishing consistent linear strips within the suburb that have the capacity to house a significant amount of increased vegetation and canopy cover. The visualization on the right highlights how areas such as seated square outside Northcote Station can be revitalized through the integration of native plantings. This will improve urban ecologicy and support a climate resilient precinct.

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PRECDENT: THE GREEN LINE TORONTO

The Green Line Toronto is a ecological and park based projected conceived in 2019. It outlined the regeneration of approximately 5 kilometers of vacant green space to create a Green Line (City of Toronto, 2019). This Green Line is a proposed linear system in a hydro corridor, to create a ecological park strip and expand the broader network of open space access.

CURRENT