Life, Space, Buildings by UNSWBE

Life, Space, Buildings How can phytoremediation processes at White Bay provide a framework for a mixed tenure neighbourhood? Process Log Hamzah Mulla

Contents

Developing a structure plan for the Bays

Exploring socially equitable design processes

Shifting focus towards mixed tenure

neighbourhood design

How can minimal interventions create great Developing a phasing plan for the next 30

change?

years

18 31 43

Term 1 Developing a structure plan for the Bays The first look at the Bays involved coming up with a structure plan for the entire precinct. This first step was largely focused on environmental sustainability

Sustainability and the Bays The first step at looking at sustainability within the Bays was through the context of environmental sustainability. As part of a group, a structure plan was created that envisioned a circular economy within the Bays. Here Sydney’s waste would be collected and recycled or remade into products which would drive the economy on site. The structure plan also placed an emphasis on car-less neighbourhood design.

Objectives

1. Create a regional recycling hub for 2. Establish a circular economy within Inner West site

1. Prioritise slow movement of pedestrians and create convenient cycling routes

3. Combine industrial recycling use with an urban mixed-use neighbourhood

2. Develop a network of rooms across the Bays precinct to slow pedestrian traffic

4. Create a natural waterfront stormwater filter

3. Create car free neighborhoods

Structure Plan

18 17

Key 16 11 10 12 14

3 1

4 9 4 5

8 7

Balmain recreational centre

White Bay

Retention pond system

White Bay cultural centre

The Bays metro station

White Bay - Rozelle Bay tunnel

White Bay to Pyrmont pedestrian bridge

Boatshed

Oyster reef

Rozelle Bay marina

Anzac bridge

Glebe Island bridge

Garden square development

11 Detention pond system 12

White Bay harbour bath

School of Industrial Design

Glebe Island Innovation Park

Material recovery facility

Glebe Island power plant 5

Term 1 Exploring socially equitable design processes Alongside developing a structure plan for the Bays, I was required to explore a research topic. For this I chose to explore the idea of social sustainability and social equity in design. My research specifically focused on how design processes can be socially equitable. This would form the beginning of my focus on social equity for the following work throughout the year.

First forays into socially equitable design As part of a research essay I analysed two examples of socially equitable urban parks and the democratic design methods used by landscape architects

Parckfarm Location: Brussels, Belgium Designers: Taktyk, Alive Architecture Completed: 2014 Size: 3 ha Parckfarm is an interactive urban farming exhibition that was built as part of Brussel’s Tour and Taxis redevelopment. The exhibition was initially planned to be a temporary one as part of the Parckdesign festival. The community was involved in the project throughout most of its journey. Installations were designed by multi-disciplinary teams which involved a designer, local citizen and a regional farmer. Other citizens were given opportunities to provide feedback on design proposals. During the construction phase several installations were built with the help of the local community. These installations and their accompanying events were then run by locals with the help of organisers. The exhibition was so successful the local residents decided to continue running it after the festival’s end(Landezine 2017).

Timeline of community involvement

Planning

Design

Construction

Post-Completion Jette Average annual income: <15,500 Laeken Average annual income: 15,500 - 17,500

• The designers of Parckfarm leaned towards using a bottom up Top-down initiatives

Bottom-up initiatives

appraoch to design • This is shown through the extensive involvement of the community throughout all phases of the project

Molenbeek Average annual income: <15,500

• The strong desire by the local citizens to continue the upkeep of the installations after the exhibitions end is evidence of the success of this design approach 7

Park am Gleisdreieck Location: Berlin, Germany Designers: Atelier Loidl Completed: 2014 Size: 40 ha Park am Gleisdreieck was built on the site of a former railway line which was abandoned after WWII. The site has had a strong history with citizen initiatives, with citizens banding together to block development proposals in the 70s and early 90s. In 1999 several citizen initiatives banded together to form the group AG Gleisdreieck, with the goal of lobbying for the construction of a park. The Berlin government eventually launched a park design competition which was won by Atelier Loidl. The following year a thorough participatory planning procedure began which included: a citizen survey, an online forum and on site activities. The next stage of the planning process began in 2007 and continued to involve local citizens, who were encouraged to present different design visions for the park to the design team. In 2011 the eastern section of the park was completed and in 2014 the western section was completed (Müller 2020).

Timeline of community involvement

Planning

Design

Construction

Post-Completion

• A balance was struck by the designers between a top down Top-down initiatives

Bottom-up initiatives

and bottom up design approach • Citizens were able to have their say during the design phase through a variety of means such as: a citizen survey, an online forum, on site activities and design charettes • After the completion of the park an online citizen advisory board was set up to provide feedback and discuss new developments and events

Intensive programming

Bringing people together

• The range of programming reflects the

• The designers created formal and informal

social diversity of the park’s users • The programming of the park was heavily informed by the different stages of community consultation • The participatory design approach meant

“stages” in order to create a feeling of togetherness throughout the park (Grosch and Petrow 2016) • The “stages” bring together people from all backgrounds and create an environment in

local citizens were able to ensure a

which they can take note of each other, this

number of programs were added to the

results in interaction and communication

plan of the park Formal sports Informal sports Community gardens Formal sports

Allotment gardens Informal sports Community gardes

Dog park

• Informal “stages” provide an informal space in which visitors can observe a range of activities • Formal “stages” are more formal spaces which are dynamic enough to play host to a number of activities. Informal “stages” Formal “stages”

Allotment gardens

Seniors Dog park fitness Seniors fitness

Playground Playground

Table tennis Table tennis Bocce

Bocce

Term 2 Designing a socially equitable neighbourhood for the Bays The focus for the second term moved towards putting parts of my research into practice and adapting the design of one of the neighbourhoods from my structure plan. The goal was to design a neighbourhood with a focus on fostering a socially sustainable community

Initial design for a socially equitable neighbourhood The first look at what a mixed tenure neighbourhood was on the current site of the passenger terminal.

Social Equity and Urban Renewal Globally a trend has started to emerge, where cities seek to revitalise neighbourhoods through the creation of mixed-income neighbourhoods1. This has brought issues around gentrification and social equity to the fore. Despite the idea that gentrification is largely driven by economic factors, research has shown that landscape can cause environmental gentrification. Both small and large scale interventions can result in environmental gentrification.2 In the context of this problem my topic seeks to explore how landscape architects can create socially equitable spaces as part of urban renewal projects.

The Bays Despite a high proportion of high income earners in the neighbouring suburb of Balmain, there still exists a minority population of low income residents3. This minority population could increase in the future as the Inner West Council is currently pushing to have at least 50% of all new dwellings in the Bays West redevelopment scheme to be listed as affordable housing4. This potential creation of a mixed income neighbourhood would be a reversal of the gentrification process but would still raise questions as to how a socially sustainable community could be built.

Study area Scale: 1:5000 1 Madanipour, A 2011, ‘Living together or apart’, in Banerjee, T & Loukaitou-Sideris, A, Companion to Urban Design, Routledge, London, pp. 484-494W 2 Rigolon, A & Németh, J 2018, ‘“We’re not in the business of housing:” Environmental gentrification and the nonprofitization of green infrastructure projects’, Cities, vol. 81, pp. 71–80. 3 Australian Bureau of Statistics 2026, Australian Bureau of Statistics, Canberra, accessed 11 April 2007, <https://quickstats.censusdata.abs.gov.au/census_services/getproduct/census/2016/quickstat/SSC10164> 4 Inner West Council 2021, accessed 10 June 2021, < https://www.innerwest.nsw.gov.au/develop/state-government-and-utility-works-and-projects/state-government-projects/bays-precinct> 11

Project principles Principle 1: Create an inclusive neighbourhood Cities that are inclusive of everyone tend to be more socially equitable than cities that fail to include everyone. In order to create an inclusive city or neighbourhood, public spaces need to provide a use for everyone from children to the elderly.1

Objective 1.1: Eliminate semi private/privatisation of public space Truly inclusive neighbourhoods should provide equitable access to public space and prevent segregation. Objective 1.2: Provide a range of programs that reflects the range of potential users of the site Inclusive neighbourhoods need to provide a use or activity for a wide range people. Objective 1.3: Use visual cues and clear sight lines to highlight public spaces Site entrances that clearly indicate that spaces within are publicly accessible encourage people to explore within. Principle 2: Build a socially sustainable community through the creation of CRE’s (Communication Rich Environments) In order to build a socially sustainable community, citizens need to build stronger connections with each other and thus accumulate social capital. Social capital is defined as networks of people who engage with each other in a symbiotic relationship. Communication rich environments (CRE) facilitate the building of social capital within neighbourhoods by facilitating diverse forms of interaction between a wide range of people2. Objective 2.1: Create a series of community gardens for local residents and businesses Community gardens provide a sense of shared purpose among a community which allows them to build connections. Objective 2.2: Create temporary use spaces that can be managed by locals (galleries, exhibitions, markets) Spaces that are flexible, informal and encourage temporary use create a relaxed atmosphere that allows interaction to occur. Objective 2.3: Create spaces for play Encouraging people to play helps engage them with their neighbourhood and has the potential to attracts a wide range of people.

1 2

Chase, K & Rivenburgh, N 2019, Envisioning Better Cities, A global tour of good ideas, ORO Editions Chase, K & Rivenburgh, N 2019, Envisioning Better Cities, A global tour of good ideas, ORO Editions

Initial design process

1. Neighbourhood as designed in the structure plan

3. The idea of a playground felt better suited for elsewhere, instead the idea of a sports court was explored

2. Explored the idea of creating a playground in the plaza

4. Began to introduce the idea of a paving style as a way of moving users through the site 13

Initial design process

26m

24m 22m

5. Introduced the idea of parklets as a way of 20m introducing visitors to the site

6. Exploring forms and circulation

+ RL 19m + RL 19m + RL 16m + RL 19m

+ RL 19m + RL 13m + RL 16m

+ RL 13m

7. Reintroducing the idea of a paving as a visual indicator + RL 16m

+ RL 5m

+ RL 16m

8. Final public domain design 14

First public domain plan 26m

Bridge access to rooftops 24m

Two way cycleway

22m

20m

+ RL 19m + RL 19m + RL 16m + RL 19m

+ RL 19m + RL 13m + RL 16m

+ RL 13m

+ RL 16m

+ RL 5m

+ RL 16m

Outdoor eating spaces for 4 restaurants

Restaurants utilise the publicly accessible community gardens - with a few plots available to residents

Terrace seating A paving pattern is used throughout the site as a visual indicator of public space

Sport as a social connector

Public through access to courtyards

5-a-side concrete football pitch

Paving style is similar to other parts of the site

Section BB

Term 2 Shifting focus towards mixed tenure neighbourhood design The second half of term two resulted in a change in site and the reinvention of a different neighbourhood in structure plan. The reason for the shift came from a desire to explore a central part of the site that required a range of spatial hierarchies. This half of the term also led to a sharper focus on mixed tenure neighbourhoods.

Change in site location

Abstract explorations of the research question Part of this term involved creating abstract artworks by combining some research questions with two additional topics. For this looked at combining football, modernism and socially equitable design

Match day atmosphere

Constructivism Let’s Fulfill the Plan of Great Works - Gustav Klutsis - 1930

Can Landscape Architecture take inspiration from the methods used to create match day atmospheres?

Bleacher Report 2015, accessed 12 July, < https://bleacherreport.com/articles/2473989-borussia-dortmund-thank-outgoing-jurgen-klopp-with-incredible-display> MOMA 2021, accessed 2 July 2021, < https://www.moma.org/collection/works/6487?artist_id=12501&page=1&sov_referrer=artist>

Atmospheres

Constructivist style 21

Player heat map and touch analysis

De Stijl art Composition No. II - Piet Mondrian - 1920

Can we better analyse sites in a way that results in a more equitable outcome?

Tate 2021, accessed 12 July 2021, < https://www.tate.org.uk/art/artworks/mondrian-no-vi-composition-no-ii-t00915> The Athletic 2021, accessed 1 July 2021, < https://theathletic.com/2670877/2021/06/25/the-tactical-trends-youve-not-noticed-at-euro-2020/>

De Stijl 23

Player comparison chart

Mies van de Rohe

Minimalist art high tide - Jerry Bosmans - 2021

Can we better analyse sites in a way that results in a more equitable outcome? Archeyes 2021, accessed 12 July 2021, < https://archeyes.com/architects/mies-van-der-rohe-biography-bibliography/> Instagram, accessed 12 July 2021, < https://www.instagram.com/p/CN7QO0IhLA4/?utm_medium=copy_link> The Athletic 2021, accessed 1 July 2021, < https://theathletic.com/2638630/2021/06/09/is-neves-a-xhaka-replacement-for-arsenal/>

Minimalism 25

Life, Space, Buildings - in that order

The following principle championed by Jan Gehl became a key tenet of the following design and analytical work

“The widespread practice of planning from above and outside must be replaced with new planning procedures from below and inside, following the principle: first life, then space, then buildings.” - Jan Gehl The following analysis looked at the site and it’s context through the lens of this principle

A site conflicted by the need to address both local and regional needs

Westmead Parramatta

Olympic Park

• Sydney Harbour’s first connected headland (outside cbd) • Site is located in a ‘transition’ zone • Needs to balance both local and regional scale activities

North Strathfield Burwood North

The Bays Five Dock

Hunter St Pyrmont

Key Metro West stops Site CBD Transition area Residential area

An existing homogeneous community places greater importance on public space as an integrator Balmain

Rozelle

Waterloo

Population

10,453

8,725

14,616

Median age

Australian born

62 %

35 %

non - English language households

15 %

18 %

41 %

Home owners

55 %

58 %

24 %

Renters

42 %

39%

71 %

Lessons from Ijburg, Amsterdam • Neighbourhood facilities did not serve as places of encounter between residents of different tenure types • Neighbourhood facilities catered to more affluent residents • Minority residents missed the lack of group specific facilities in the neighbourhood • Playgrounds and other public spaces in the neighbourhood became unofficially segregated Tersteeg & Pinkster (2015)

Key Balmain Rozelle

https://theglobalgrid.org/the-challenges-of-a-dutch-inclusive-neighborhood/ https://www.abs.gov.au/census

Lack of public space within the local catchment area places greater demands on future public space developments

Darli

ng St

g lin

St 0.5km - 5 min s on foot

2 1.

-5

s in

• Lack of public open space within the immediate catchment zone • Great demand exists in Balmain for public open space • The connecting of the site to the rest of Sydney through metro will only increase demand for public space • A balance needs to be achieved by providing quality public space that is adequate for both locals and regional visitors

Key Public open space Site High street

Case studies New Gorbals redevelopment

Skarpnack • Glasgow, Scotland • 1.4km from city • 46 ha site • Successful mixed tenure neighbourhood • Former housing estate

BO01

• Skarpnack, Stockholm • 8.1km from city • 36 ha site • Mostly residential development • Streets and public spaces designed before the buildings

Almere Centrum • Fullrigaren, Malmo • 1.8km from city • 16 ha site • Former waterfront industrial site • Streets and public spaces prioritised in design process

• Almere, Netherlands • Small scale city centre • 16 ha site • Waterfront site • Mixed use development • Streets and public spaces prioritised in design process, but has mixed success

Term 3 How can minimal interventions create great change? The beginning of the third term looked at how minimal changes to the site could create a greater change in fostering a socially sustainable community

The importance of spatial hierarchies

Local community can access all levels of public space On the other hand other hand the general public should have limited access to local scale public spaces

Site character zones Analysis of the character zones on site. The aim was to identify where changes in atmosphere of public space occurred

Key Transition space City scale space Residential scale space

Physical boundaries This piece of analysis looked at how physical barriers affected character zones

Key Fence Gate 34

Sightlines Finally an analysis of sightlines into the ‘city scale’ space was conducted

Key City scale public space Lookouts

Pop up interventions The resulting idea was to create a series of temporary lookouts which would frame a temporary public space, seeking to draw residents into a space that was previously off limits.

Gradual reclamation of White Bay as public space

After 6 months A ‘social hub’ is established to host community events and act as a centre for community discussion on the future of the public space

Initial social hub Inspiration was taken from other container ‘parks’ which started off as temporary and eventually became permanent as a result of their popularity.

Boxpark Shoreditch, London

NDSM Wharf, Amsterdam

Gradual reclamation of White Bay as public space

After 2 years The number of temporary structures on site may increase according to demand for more activity

Present • Fences prevent access to White Bay and the adjacent road lacks activation

6 months • Fences are removed and White Bay is made partially accessible, amidst other development • Toxic sites remain fenced off during the phytoremediation process • On road parking is removed in favour of pedestrianisation

2 years • The scope of the public space is expanded • Fencing around formerly toxic sites is removed • Road capacity is further reduced 41

What happens next?

The site continues to develop in a similar vein

? The activity and program disappears to be replaced by something else

Term 3 Developing a phasing plan for the next 30 years This stage of the year was dedicated to developing a series of phasing plans which would map out the next 30 years of development around the White Bay power station. A larger focus was put on designing a mixed tenure neighbourhood, while also balancing the need to clean a contaminated site.

How can the design of public space contribute to creating successful mixed tenure neighbourhoods? What are mixed tenure neighbourhoods? Mixed neighbourhoods are a type of neighbourhood used by urban planners to combat a rise in segregated neighbourhoods within a city. Through the creation of neighbourhoods of varying tenure types (eg. home owners or social renters), mixed tenure neighbourhoods combat segregation by attempting to foster greater social cohesion (Roberts 2007). Mixed tenure neighbourhoods have begun to form the backbone of planning and housing policies for many European countries (Tersteeg & Pinkster 2015). Why is this important for the Bays? The NSW government’s latest proposal for the Bays states a desire to ‘…ensure a diversity of types and tenure, including affordable housing.” (Department of Planning, Industry and Environment 2021). The Bays will be the NSW government’s second attempt at creating a successful mixed tenure neighbourhood after the controversial Waterloo redevelopment. While the creation of a successful mixed tenure neighbourhood is a result of a number of factors, landscape architecture and the design of public space can play a large role. How can the design of public space make an impact? The design and use of public space plays a significant role in encouraging social cohesion within mixed tenure neighbourhoods. Public spaces provide areas in which different groups encounter each other and can determine the nature of the encounter. Sharing public facilities can have positive effects, however it can also have a negative effect if spaces become segregated (Tersteeg & Pinkster 2015). Gehl highlights the significance of the public realm stating that public spaces are crucial in facilitating the ‘bumping into strangers’ (Gehl 2011). How can we create public spaces which facilitate encounters between strangers? Jan Gehl promotes the idea that design should look at city life, then city spaces and finally buildings to ensure the best outcomes for people. By prioritising city life on a human scale, greater cohesion can be fostered within communities (Gehl 2010). Shaftoe also supports this idea, asserting that the creation of ‘convivial spaces’ is the answer. Creating public space in which people feel comfortable in provides the greatest chance of fostering social cohesion (Shaftoe 2008 ). Design of public space must also take into account the ethnic and cultural diversity of mixed tenure neighbourhood. Public spaces must crucially provide something for everyone (Tersteeg & Pinkster 2015). As a new urban development, White Bay provides the opportunity to reorder our priorities in urban design.

Department of Planning, Industry and Environment 2021, Bays West Place Strategy, Sydney Gehl, J 2010, Cities for People, Island Press, Washington DC Gehl, J 2011, Life between buildings, Island Press, Washington DC Roberts, M 2007, ‘Sharing Space: Urban Design and Social Mixing in Mixed Income New Communities’, Planning Theory & Practice, 8:2, 183-204 Shaftoe, H 2008, Convivial Urban Spaces : Creating Effective Public Places, Taylor & Francis Group, London Tersteeg, A. K. and Pinkster, F. M. 2016, ‘“Us Up Here and Them Down There”: How Design, Management, and Neighborhood Facilities Shape Social Distance in a MixedTenure Housing Development’, Urban Affairs Review, 52(5), pp. 751–779

How can landscape architecture help facilitate encounters between residents?

1. Create clear spatial hierarchies

2. Plan for many smaller public spaces

3. Reduce sightlines into residential areas

Privacy facilitates greater security and engagement within communities

Local sightlines

Visitor sightlines

Viewpoint anchors

Site contaminants

• Highly contaminated site • Opportunity for phytoremediation processes to shape public space • Planting can also be manipulated to block views

Key Petro-chemicals Lead

Establishment of spatial hierarchies Increase of public space Community involvement 2036

Annual vegetation management cycle begins

Rhizodegredation complete Phytostabilisation continues

2050

Full closure of Robert St

2030

2032

Metro opens Residential blocks complete

2028

Closure of Robert St on weekends Pop up Park scheme initiated

Demolition of sites

Phytoremediation begins

Plants established Public spaces opened up

2024

2022

Project timeline

Key Soil toxicity 52

First phasing plan iteration

Stage 1 2022 - 2024

Phytoremediation planting

Phytoremediation processes begin 54

Stage 2 2024 - 2028

Building lots demolished

Pilot public space programs begin 55

Stage 3 2028 - 2030

Residential developments completed

Roberts St closed to car traffic

Public spaces opened

Metro opens

Phase 2 of phytoremediation

Residential development complete and Metro opens 56

Stage 4 2030 - 2050 and beyond

Vegetation is managed according to events and time of year

All rhizodegradation complete and landscape begins to change according to time of year 57

Phytoremediation and public space

Phytoremediation planting

Indicative summer cuttings

Metro station

Evolution of the site

Present

2024 Building lots are demolished and phytoremediation planting begins to establish itself

2030 Residential development is completed. Sightlines are established, providing a degree of privacy for residents

2050+ winter The removal of PAH’s from the soil is complete. During the winter months the grasses are allowed to grow wildly.

2050+ summer During the summer months paths and extra public spaces are cut into the vegetation

Final phasing plan

Stage 1: 2022 - 2024

Buildings demolished

Phytoremediation begins

Pop up park scheme

1:2000 0

50m

Stage 2: 2024 - 2028

Phytoremediation planting matures

Public spaces opened up

1:2000 0

50m

Project staging: 2028 - 2032

Residential development complete Phase 2 of phytroremediation Metro opens Port no longer in use

1:2000 0

50m

Project staging: 2050 winter

1:2000 0

50m

Project staging: 2050 summer

Phytoremediation planting cut to open up public space

1:2000 0

50m

Evolution of the site East - West section

2021

1:1000

30m

Site contaminants lie below concrete cap

North - South section

2021

1:1000

30m

Site is completely fenced off from public 68

East - West section

2024

1:1000

30m

Concrete cap is broken in order to begin breaking down contaminants below

North - South section

2024

1:1000

30m

Building lots are demolished and phytoremediation planting begins to establish itself 69

East - West section

2028

1:1000

30m

Public space within White Bay is opened up

North - South section

2028

1:1000

30m

Building lots remain under construction, while planting begins to form a visual barrier between Balmain and White Bay 70

East - West section

2032

1:1000

30m

Edge condition with water is altered to allow visitors to interact with the water

North - South section

2032

1:1000

30m

Residential precincts are completed, alongside new access paths into White Bay 71

East - West section

2050 Winter

1:1000

30m

Phytoremediation is complete, but planting remains to frame public spaces

North - South section

2050 Winter

1:1000

30m

However lead toxins will most likely still remain in the soil 72

East - West section

2050 summer

1:1000

30m

Paths cut through phytoremediation planting allow public space to be opened up during the summer

North - South section

2050 summer

1:1000

30m

Smaller wandering paths allow visitors access to usually restricted areas 73

Spatial arrangement

Green network

Spatial hierarchy

Key

Key Establishment of spatial hierarchies

City scale

Building use

Courtyard spaces

Key

Key Residential

Commercial

Cultural

Courtyards

Neighbourhood scale

Residential scale

Public space programming 2080

2060

YEAR Grass Regrowth

Summer Festival

Grass Cutting

2040 Winter Festival

Commuting

Public Site

Construction

MONTH

Life, Space, Buildings in that order

Main streets

Streets sketched out

Squares combined with streets begin to form building lot space

Final iteration

Secondary street exits

Life, Space, Buildings in that order

1. Circulation routes sketched out

2. Streets begin to form

3. Squares are added, then built form to frame the spaces

4. Final iteration

Hilltop residences

Commercial buildings Playground

Section A

17m Second walkway

Phytoremediation planting

103m 1:250

Courtyard residences

Stormwater channel

Residents courtyard

Section B

175m

Life, Space, Buildings

Articles inside

How can minimal interventions create great change?