UNSW City Planning 2021 - Planning in Times of Uncertainty

UNSW Built Environment

Bachelor of City Planning (Honours) Master of City Planning

CITY PLANNING 2021 Planning in times of uncertainty

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UNSW Built Environment

Acknowledgement of Country The staff and students would like to show our respect and acknowledge the Bedegal People as the traditional custodians of the lands and waters of this place we now call Kensington. We acknowledge all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Elders, past and present, and thank them and their communities who have shared and practised their teachings.

CITY PLANNING 2021 Planning in times of uncertainty

UNSW Built Environment

Contents

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Messages Message from the Head of School 6 Message from the Discipline Director

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Bachelor of City Planning (Honours) Message from the Course Convenor

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Graduating Class of 2021

14

Student Theses

16

Master of City Planning Message from the Course Convenor

84

Graduating Class of 2021

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Student Theses

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City Planning Academic Staff Academic Staff 2021

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Acknowledgements Acknowledgements

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UNSW Built Environment

Message from the Head of School Dr Philip Oldfield Head of School, UNSW Built Environment

CITY PLANNING 2021 Planning in times of uncertainty

Faculty of Arts, Design and Architecture

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In 1971, the first cohort of students graduated from the (then) School of Town Planning at UNSW. As you graduate from your City Planning degrees at UNSW Built Environment, now some fifty years later, you’ll be entering a profession that is at the forefront of a number of global challenges. These include the need to create healthier cities in a post-pandemic world, how we can make our cities more equitable, and how we can better plan and design urban and regional developments to mitigate climate change. These are, I’m sure you’ll agree, major challenges. However, I’m convinced the rigorous education you have received here in your City Planning degrees will have prepared you to tackle these challenges and to go on to establish careers which will positively impact our built environment in the future.

There are many unique qualities to the Planning degrees you have taken here at UNSW. Your education has been formed by excellence in teaching, research and professional practice. You’ve been taught by world-class researchers and academics, as reflected in the top rating of 5* for Urban and Regional Planning research at UNSW. You have also been taught by seasoned planners and urbanists, whose work is at the very forefront of our changing cities. These strong connections with industry are also reflected in the practice year, where students spend three terms working in practice as part of their studies, in what is a flagship work-integrated learning experience in Australia.

You are also the first Planning cohort who have undertaken around half, or even more, of your degree on-line, including much of the research, analysis and writing of the thesis projects in this book. I know this has been a challenge. However, I am amazed by the resilience and rigour you have shown during this time, as reflected in the diverse and ambitious final-year theses captured here. You should all be very proud!

I wish you all the best—do keep in touch.

Philip Oldfield Head of School, UNSW Built Environment

UNSW Built Environment

Message from the Discipline Director Dr Simon Pinnegar Discipline Director, UNSW Built Environment

CITY PLANNING 2021 Planning in times of uncertainty

Faculty of Arts, Design and Architecture

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It is always a source of pride for the Planning Program to share in this most important milestone for our graduating students, the completion of their research theses—a fantastic achievement which provides the centrepiece of our celebration in this year’s exhibition and catalogue. As seen every year, the research shown here represents the blood, sweat and (sometimes a few) tears captured in the incredible work, passion and commitment demonstrated by students over recent months. For both our undergraduates and postgraduate students, the completion of a major capstone project is a core requirement of both the Bachelor and Master of City Planning. It means that all planning students graduate from UNSW with the ability to define, undertake, analyse, and write-up a significant piece of research or a major design project.

In this year’s bumper crop, we have sixty-five Bachelor of City Planning (Hons) and thirty-one Master of City Planning theses to celebrate. If you do a quick back-of-the-envelope calculation, the numbers involved are impressive: across the cohorts, this endeavour captures thousands of journal articles, books and policy documents read, scrutinised and reviewed; a myriad of datasets analysed; hundreds of interviews organised, undertaken and transcribed; and in total, well over one million words written, rewritten, reviewed, read and marked. It represents not only an amazing achievement on the part of the students, but also provides a window onto the amazing goodwill given to the students and the Program by the wider planning profession and community: to undertake all of those interviews, you need participants willing to be interviewed, and, as always, that willingness has been outstanding this year.

This is all the more inspiring when we reflect upon the last twenty months which have impacted greatly on us all. For our graduating BCP (Hons) students, the arrival of COVID-19 and lockdowns last year was a defining feature of their practice year, with our students in their first professional planning roles experiencing the joys of working from home alongside the rest of us. This year, we enjoyed small windows of opportunity when we were able to come together again in class and studio until all closed in again in July.

For our graduating MCP class, many have had little opportunity to attend in-person classes since shortly after commencing their degrees. For many of our international students, their journey to

this point has been from afar, unable to travel to Australia.

The challenges of 2021—with Sydney back in lockdown for nearly four months—meant that all our students were back online, and primary research was largely conducted via Teams and Zoom.

In the face of these constraints, the work celebrated here adds up to an incredible demonstration of resilience on the part of our student planners. They have impressed us all; the quality of work on display is as good as always. The topics that our students have explored provide something of a barometer for contemporary planning issues in Greater Sydney and beyond. For many, quite understandably, the impacts of COVID and the implications of a post-COVID new-normal for our cities and regions have fallen sharply into focus.

I would like to extend my thanks to the Planning Program staff and to all in our wider teaching family for their contribution throughout the year and, in particular, for the important role played as thesis supervisors for this year’s graduating students. As well as responding to the challenges presented by COVID directly, we have also seen significant changes at the university. This is the first year we will see our students graduate from our new home, the Faculty of Arts, Design and Architecture. Despite these big shifts, the Program continues to thrive. We have welcomed to our fold the city analytics and urban-design specialist streams, and next year we look forward to our re-accreditation visit from PIA. Once again, congratulations to all of our students on this excellent achievement at the culmination of your studies. We wish you the very best in your future careers, whether here in Sydney, in New South Wales or beyond. Please do keep in touch—we love to hear about the great things you’ll be doing and proudly share in your future success. And be ready in three or four years when you’re the expert that UNSW City Planning students approach to ask for your planning insights, experience and knowledge as they complete their theses!

Professor Simon Pinnegar Discipline Director, Planning Program

CITY PLANNING 2021 Planning in times of uncertainty

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UNSW Built Environment

University of New South Wales Bachelor of City Planning (Honours) Message from the Course Convenor

12

Graduating Class 2021

14

Student Theses

16

UNSW Built Environment Bachelor of City Planning (Honours)

Message from the Course Convenor Dr Christine Steinmetz Course Convenor, UNSW Built Environment

CITY PLANNING 2021 Planning in times of uncertainty

Faculty of Arts, Design and Architecture

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It is appropriate that the theme of our exhibition catalogue is Planning in Times of Uncertainty. As 2021 progressed, it was with great uncertainty that our students enrolled in classes, not knowing if they would be in a classroom with their friends or online with significant distances between them. They endured virtual breakout rooms despite constant reconnecting issues; they were a pilot class for newly established ethical research protocols; and they devised a research plan not knowing if or how they were going to conduct site visits or meet their interviewees. A heartfelt ‘thank you’ goes out to this class. Their patience, flexibility, adaptability, perseverance and sense of humour are more than commendable.

The learning curve was steep since the beginning of Term 1, but everyone rose to the challenge and trusted the murky process of undertaking an honours thesis despite having never set foot in my classroom. It is especially exciting this year to see another exhibition catalogue come to fruition and to acknowledge its place in archival material produced by the Bachelor of City Program.

In the final year of the Program, students design and then execute independent research on a topic of their choice. Their research culminates in an undergraduate thesis of up to 15,000 words. It is the capstone project of their degree and a snapshot of hundreds of hours of class time, thousands of hours of research and carefully planned individual fieldwork, and countless days of writing.

Groundwork for a thesis project begins in Term 1 with a preparatory course that revisits the practicalities of research design, research ethics, and methodology. Students develop a research proposal that sets out exactly what they plan to do in their independent research project, including how they will do it and why it is worth doing. The range of topics is vast, reflecting both the breadth of planning as a discipline and the interests and backgrounds of the students themselves. This year, students have been involved with built-environment audits, in-depth interviewing, participant observation, policy reviews, creating and administering online surveys via social media platforms, and ABS analysis. They have covered issues such as: women’s safety in

the city, outdoor recreation spaces for the elderly, place identity in LGBTQI+ neighbourhoods, bushfire risk policies, community gardens, maker spaces in Sydney, urban water management, and a range of other topical-planning challenges that face our cities and regional areas today.

In their final semester, each student is assigned a supervisor from the City Planning program, City Futures Research Centre staff, or a city planning practitioner. Successful completion and examination of so many independent research projects within a relatively short space of time would not be possible without guidance and input in supervisory and examination roles—their time is appreciated.

It is fitting to take this opportunity to thank the many other people who have assisted students in their research. Literally hundreds of people have contributed directly through participation in interviews, surveys and other advisory capacities.

Throughout their undergraduate journey, students have intensively studied the forces that have shaped planning outcomes for better or worse in many different contexts and at different scales. Having worked closely with them, I can see that they are ready to take on new challenges and make their marks on the planning profession.

No doubt, each year sets the benchmark higher for the next.

Dr Christine Steinmetz, BCP Course Convenor (PLAN4003)

UNSW Built Environment

Bachelor of City Planning (Honours) Graduating Class of 2021

CITY PLANNING 2021 Planning in times of uncertainty

Bachelor of City Planning (Honours)

Alice Steele

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Ben Hajdukovic

Bernardo Malouf

Cameron Thomson

Catherine Kelly

Charley Wells

Harrison (Harry) Hughes

Harsha Yadav

Helen Economidis

Henry Black

Inaara Jindani

Jiaqi Zhang

Jonathan Fenger

Joshua Woo

Julia McDonnell

Julia Warren

Matthew Korzy

Matthew Short

Ming Him (Kevin) Suen

Nichola Cook

Nicholas Geroulas

Roy Cao

Sam Li

Sarah Awada Zahr

Sarah Davino

Steven Dando

Xiage Yang

Xiaofan Ma

Xinlei Huang

Xue Cheng

Yijie Zhou

Amruta Kumbhari

Amy Wilkins

Anaiis Sarkissian

Annika Hather

Asini Rajapakse

Charlotte Startari

Emma Ziegenfusz

Eric Kim

Gilbert Eliott

Hanyan Ruan

Isabella Tonks

Jack Varka

Jasmine Bautista

Jennifer Nguyen

Jethro Yuen

Landon Brown

Lara Reynolds

Lauren Williams

Liam O’Connor

Matthew Holt

Nicholas Touralis

Qiao Hu

Rohan Montgomery

Rongxi Liang

Roseanna Meech

Taylor Cole

Thomas Mudgway

Weihang Nie

Wenbo Wu

Wendy Zheng

Yiyao Hu

Yuchen Sima

Yuqing Zhou

Zoe Halpin

UNSW Built Environment

Alice Steele

CITY PLANNING 2021 Planning in times of uncertainty

Bachelor of City Planning (Honours)

Full-Service Sydney: An Analysis of Brothel Regulation in Sydney’s Three Cities ‘The perceived immorality of sex work has led to brothels being subject to harsher zoning restrictions than many other land uses.’

Since the decriminalisation of fullservice sex work in New South Wales in 1995, brothels have been regulated by the planning system through local government’s Local Environmental Plans.

Each council throughout Sydney has taken a different approach, leading to a patchwork of permissibility throughout Sydney. Although planning policy and decisions should be made on the basis of amenity impacts, the perceived immorality of sex work has led to brothels being subject to harsher zoning restrictions than many other land uses with similar amenity impacts. This thesis highlights the importance of consultation with sex workers and industry groups, providing agency to the workers who are directly

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impacted by these policy decisions. This thesis analyses the policy approaches taken by the City of Sydney Council, Parramatta Council and Penrith Council.

A literature review, policy review and mapping exercise are the methodologies utilised to analyse policy within these three council areas. Ultimately, this thesis recognises the City of Sydney as a model of best practice, in which consideration is given to the amenity impacts which brothels may have on incompatible land uses, whilst maintaining the position that sex-services premises are legitimate uses within the wider community.

Amruta Kumbhari

Community Makerspaces: Potential for a Creative Circular Economy ‘As metropolitan and local policies lack recognition of textile waste as a contemporary planning issue, makerspaces become successful initiatives.’

The growing volume of textile waste adding to landfills in Australia is of increasing concern. With the circular economy (CE) movement gaining momentum across the country, an opportunity exists to establish a CE for textiles, developing creative industries and more sustainable communities. Local initiatives such as makerspaces offer a contemporary and creative solution to promote circularity in communities, building a culture of reducing, reusing and recycling. By applying an adapted CE framework from the OECD’s Circular Economy Checklist for Action and other academic literature, this thesis analyses the extent to which principles under the three CE dimensions of promoting,

facilitating and enabling are present in metropolitan and local planning policies across Sydney and how this is manifesting at Hawkesbury Remakery, Windsor, and the YARN, Hunters Hill, as best-practice cases of makerspaces for textiles.

Findings reveal that as metropolitan and local policies lack recognition of textile waste as a contemporary planning issue, makerspaces become successful initiatives to support individual efforts for the CE. This further highlights the need for more strategic local policy directions within the three CE dimensions in Sydney, to better inform new routes for textile waste and to support makerspaces and other CE initiatives in the community.

UNSW Built Environment

Amy Wilkins

CITY PLANNING 2021 Planning in times of uncertainty

Bachelor of City Planning (Honours)

Women’s Safety within the Physicality of the Public Domain and Built Form Interface at Night ‘Current crime preventative measures in the NSW planning system are defensive and territorial in nature.’

Having previously been confined to the suburban fringes as stay-at-home mothers, women increasingly find themselves juggling parenting with work responsibilities.

Comparatively, men have historically been the workers of the family and travelled into city centres for employment. Gendered behavioural patterns have shaped our cities and deeply rooted gender role differentiation within the physicality of the public domain (PPD) and built-form interface (BFI), with one third of Australian women stating that they do not feel safe in public spaces at night due to environmental factors. This thesis aims to examine the environmental condition of the public domain to identify how planning and urban design can

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remove spatial injustices and improve the PPD and BFI for women’s safety at night.

Observations, a walking audit and in-depth interviews were undertaken on Wynyard Park to identify physical imperatives within a place-specific context. This thesis has revealed that current crime preventative measures in the NSW planning system are defensive and territorial in nature, often arising feelings of entrapment within women. This thesis concluded that a recasting of the Crime Prevention through Environmental Design (CPTED) framework is needed to create socially inviting and inclusive public spaces for women’s safety at night.

Anaiis Sarkissian

A Place for Our Furry Friends: Planning for Dogs in a Densifying Sydney ‘Adapting to the changing use of urban space is ultimately critical to the resilience of our cities into the future.’

The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the increasing importance of dogs in urban life—almost half of Australian households now include a dog. However, given cities are made exclusively by and for humans; dogs lack inclusion in urban planning, development and design, diminishing the quality of the urban experience for dogs and their human families. This thesis utilises a mixed methodology approach to investigate how effectively the NSW planning system is responding to the growing significance of dogs in Sydney.

Reviews of theoretical and empirical literature and contemporary state policies, and a local government website audit are undertaken. These findings are correlated with outcomes from in-depth interviews

to inform challenges, opportunities and recommendations for future policy. The research reveals that the NSW planning system has struggled to keep pace with the attitudinal shift towards dogs in Sydney, largely due to the innate anthropocentric representation of dogs as property rather than as urban inhabitants. This thesis therefore argues that now, more than ever, planners need to reimagine the place of humans in the city by shifting away from traditional human-centric notions of place.

Adapting to the changing use of urban space is ultimately critical to the resilience of our cities into the future.

UNSW Built Environment

Annika Hather

CITY PLANNING 2021 Planning in times of uncertainty

Bachelor of City Planning (Honours)

Aboriginal Land Rights and Self-Determination: The Role of the Aboriginal Land SEPP ‘Through conceptualising the SEPP as a “contact zone”, this thesis reveals that its limited practical benefits do not match its symbolic importance.’

Aboriginal communities face significant problems converting claimed land into economic development opportunities, hindering the compensatory benefits foreseen in the Aboriginal Land Rights Act 1983. Overcoming these challenges has been likened to a second phase of land rights in New South Wales.

Informed by a literature review, policy analysis and in-depth interviews, this thesis explores the opportunities and barriers in the State Environmental Planning Policy (Aboriginal Land) 2019 (Aboriginal Land SEPP) for the economic development and self-determination of Local Aboriginal Land Councils (LALCs).

Through conceptualising the SEPP as a ‘contact zone’, this thesis reveals that its limited practical benefits do not match its

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symbolic importance. Through the SEPP, the State fails to concede power and recognise Aboriginal people as a coexisting planning authority, thus empowering only a limited and compromised form of self-determination.

This thesis makes several recommendations to better provide space for Aboriginal claims to self-determination, including reconciling the competing priorities of economic selfdetermination and biodiversity conservation and exploring the opportunities that a selfassessment pathway might present for LALCs in the NSW framework. The research findings are significant as they highlight opportunities to strengthen the current system, particularly to inform a review of the Aboriginal SEPP so that the coexisting authority of LALCs can be recognised.

Asini Rajapakse

Central Station: Activation for a Sticky Place ‘Central Station can be activated in order to create a sticky place for the community.’

Central Station in Sydney has a primarily functional role and many perceive it as a liminal space for travelling through. Yet, more recently, the value and wider purpose of transit settings has been acknowledged.

This has seen its role develop as a ‘sticky’ place which anchors well-connected, multi-use destinations in cities. This thesis seeks to analysis how Central Station can be activated in order to create a sticky place for the community and recognise the implications for urban planning. The research was informed by a literature review on transit and placemaking to determine key themes for activation, as well as interviews with several practicing and academic professionals with expertise in Central Station and the built

environment. Three case studies within the Central Station area—Belmore Park/ Eddy Avenue, Henry Deane Plaza and the Western Forecourt—were critiqued on their existing activation against key themes established in literature. The thesis argues that Central Station should become a sticky place for community experiences and diverse activities in order to function at its greatest potential, and that planners have a role in advocating and delivering for activation.

UNSW Built Environment

Ben Hajdukovic

CITY PLANNING 2021 Planning in times of uncertainty

Bachelor of City Planning (Honours)

The Social Mixing Saga—Diversity Renaissance or StateSanctioned Gentrification in Glebe ‘Does social mixing foster diversity and reduce poverty agglomeration, or is it a form of social cleansing by the state?’

Renewal of social housing estates globally has sought a ‘socially mixed’ approach to redevelopment, a policy whereby an ageing state-owned social housing estate is redeveloped with a mix of private and public tenure. At first glance, the policy would suggest a solution to multiple urban challenges confronting our cities. However, does social mixing foster diversity and reduce poverty agglomeration, or is it a form of social cleansing by the state? In 2016, the NSW Government announced the Communities Plus program, a policy for renewing New South Wales’s ageing social housing estates, comprising 70 per cent private dwellings and 30 per cent public dwellings upon redevelopment. In November 2020, the Franklyn Street social

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housing estate in Glebe was earmarked for redevelopment under the program.

Through in-depth interviews with relevant stakeholders, coupled with a qualitative analysis of policy and academic literature, this thesis strives to explore the benefits and downfalls of the social-mixing model in social housing renewal and determine whether the Communities Plus program will result in a positive outcome for the Franklyn Street social housing estate.

Bernardo Malouf

Planning Agreements: A Case Study of Waverley Council’s Experience ‘This thesis seeks to understand the role of planning agreements in infrastructure contribution policy by assessing how well it funds community benefit infrastructure.’

The cost to deliver and maintain necessary infrastructure is rising with population growth. For this reason, the legislation which enables planning authorities to fund infrastructure needs to be assessed. Planning agreements are a mechanism within the approval process by which a consent authority may consider development proposals that seek to vary a planning control if it satisfies the objectives of the clause it seeks to vary and demonstrates a net community benefit. This process is enforced through a planning agreement, which is a development contract voluntarily entered into by council and the proponent. Council is allowed a degree of flexibility when determining the proposal and is under no

obligation to endorse a planning agreement.

This thesis seeks to understand the role of planning agreements in infrastructure contribution policy by assessing how well it funds community- benefit infrastructure. A case study of Waverley Council is used to quantify the level of community benefit gained from the planning agreement process and to understand the effect of existing planning agreement infrastructure contribution policy in the NSW state government and local government context. In addition, recent updates to practice notes explaining the state government’s intention for the use, administration, negotiation, and execution of planning agreements are reviewed and analysed.

UNSW Built Environment

Cameron Thomson

CITY PLANNING 2021 Planning in times of uncertainty

Bachelor of City Planning (Honours)

Work Near Home: Coworking in Suburban Centres ‘Suburban coworking has the potential to offer the best of both worlds by providing professional workspaces near to home.’

The COVID-19 pandemic has rapidly changed the way we work, with remoteworking arrangements becoming more prevalent and permanent. Many have observed significant benefits working from home, such as the eliminated commute, but many have also experienced challenges working from home, including distractions and social isolation. Suburban coworking has the potential to offer the best of both worlds by providing professional workspaces near to home. Despite this, coworking spaces are currently clustered in CBD and inner-city areas and are rarely found in suburban areas. This thesis explores coworking in Greater Sydney, how it is addressed in the NSW Planning System, and the potential for

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coworking spaces in suburban local and neighbourhood centres. A mixed-method approach was undertaken involving a literature review, policy review, interviews with coworking companies, mapping of coworking spaces, and a case study of the potential for coworking spaces in the Kuring-gai Local Government Area. Findings from this thesis indicate potentially significant benefits and demand for suburban coworking in Greater Sydney.

Accordingly, the NSW Planning System must be proactive to facilitate suburban coworking and secure the positive potential economic, social, liveability and transport-demand benefits associated.

Catherine Kelly

Planning for Green Roofs in Parramatta ‘Cities characterised by urban green infrastructure and expansive tree canopies support resilient urban environments, enhance human wellbeing, and promote sustainable development.’

A key concept of planning in the twenty-first century is designing resilient cities. Research indicates that cities characterised by urban green infrastructure and expansive tree canopies support resilient urban environments, enhance human wellbeing and promote sustainable development. One key element of green infrastructure are green roofs, associated with numerous benefits, such as reduced urban heat islands, improved stormwater management, and enhanced wellbeing. This thesis examines the existing policy frameworks pertaining to planning for green roofs in Parramatta, a growing urban centre in Western Sydney envisioned as a model of urban resilience.

A comparative case-study analysis is

conducted to assess Parramatta’s plans and policies currently in place against the international best-practice green-roof policies, Singapore’s LUSH Programme and Toronto’s Green Roof By-Law 2009. The thesis employs a framework based on landscape architect Diane Balmori’s concept of the ‘Fifth Façade’ and considers how these two best-practice international policies have translated into actions and development requirements to thereby support the creation of resilient cities through planning for green roofs. The findings indicate that a more holistic, collaborative and evidence-based policy framework is required to adequately position green-roof infrastructure at the forefront of strategic and statutory planning in Parramatta.

UNSW Built Environment

Charley Wells

CITY PLANNING 2021 Planning in times of uncertainty

Bachelor of City Planning (Honours)

A Digital Narration of Women’s Safety ‘Crowd-mapping techniques can be applied in the context of Sydney to enhance the safety of women.’

Everyone has a right to feel safe when accessing the city. This human right is often denied for women and girls. The rise of digital technology, big data and smart cities presents exciting new opportunities for planning practice and policy to address this inequity. Smartphone technology has enabled women to effortlessly share their experiences of the city and offers a new way to collect and analyse safety data.

Collecting the voices of women using geo-locative pins presents an opportunity for enhanced safety within public spaces.

From a social justice perspective, this thesis investigates how crowd-mapping techniques can be applied in the context of the City of Sydney to enhance the safety of women. The research is underpinned

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by a mixed-method study using primary and secondary data. It is informed by urban-planning literature, a policy review, thematic analysis of crowd-sourced data and seven in-depth interviews with built environment professionals.

Findings indicate that poor lighting is the most common environmental factor that attributes to feeling unsafe. The thesis argues that women’s safety is not adequately addressed within the NSW planning system, and the adoption of crowd-mapping tools and co-designing cities with women will result in increased safety.

Charlotte Startari

Planning for Disaster: Strengthening Bushfire Resilience through People and Policy—A Case Study ‘The bushfires along the east coast of Australia burnt for a total of 240 days, having a disastrous and longstanding impact on affected communities.’

The 2019/2020 Australian bushfire season, both catastrophic and unprecedented, was a true testament to the increasing threat of natural disasters. The bushfires along the east coast of Australia burnt for a total of 240 days, having a disastrous and longstanding impact on affected communities. Otherwise known as the ‘Black Summer’ bushfires, these events sparked an important discussion that questioned the vulnerability of affected communities and opportunities for increased resilience. This research examines the experiences of residents and professionals on the NSW south coast affected during the ‘Black Summer’ bushfires, placing particular emphasis on the community’s attitude and actions with regard to preparedness, property

maintenance, and willingness to follow directions during the event; analysing the NSW bushfire planning regime to determine the key shortfalls in policy and governance as experienced by the NSW south coast; and, ultimately, acknowledging and improving the symbiotic-like relationship between policy and people in fortifying and advancing disaster resilience. The objectives of this research were to; analyse key literature pertaining to bushfire disaster and resilience, examine and compare the NSW bushfire planning regime, explore the dynamic relationship between bushfire policy, governance and the community, understand the extent of impacts to affected communities, and determine key interventions to improve the overall bushfire planning regime in New South Wales.

UNSW Built Environment

Emma Ziegenfusz

CITY PLANNING 2021 Planning in times of uncertainty

Bachelor of City Planning (Honours)

To Build or Not to Build … Adaptably ‘This thesis investigates the extent to which NSW planning policy promotes building adaptability.’

Planning for an intended purpose and present demand is important, however, given a building’s lifespan, it is likely that society’s demand for its use will change, and the reuse of the land will be necessary in time. The ability to adaptively reuse existing spaces which have not been designed with adaptability in mind is proven to be almost as difficult and costly as demolition and new construction. This thesis investigates the extent to which NSW planning policy promotes building adaptability to respond to the changing demands and shocks that produce new societal needs, which may very well be the result of the COVID-19 pandemic. The research is informed by a literature review that discusses the ambiguity of what the

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concept of adaptability means, as well as a policy analysis and online interviews with industry professionals, which are utilised to identify whether there is a policy gap in terms of adaptable planning and whether the industry is concerned about it. This thesis argues that the existing planning framework within New South Wales does not advocate for building adaptability, and a shift in the existing development mind frame needs to occur, given our resources are finite and we cannot continue to build and demolish repeatedly.

Eric Kim

Review of the New South Wales Heritage Act 1977 ‘The NSW Heritage Act has been described as outdated and reliant on prescriptive regulatory measures and compliance mechanisms.’

The NSW Heritage Act was introduced in 1977 in response to the Green Bans, which arose from disenchantment at the direction of planning in New South Wales, including the demolition of historic buildings. The Heritage Act has undergone various amendments in the past decades; however, major reforms have not been conducted since 1999, and the act has not been reviewed since 2007. The NSW Heritage Act has been described as outdated and reliant on prescriptive regulatory measures and compliance mechanisms, resulting in complex and confusing processes. The NSW Government requested the Social Issues Standing Committee to conduct an inquiry into the Act, with the review formally

commenced in May 2021. The Standing Committee released its report in October 2021. This thesis investigates what aspects of the Act need to be amended to best suit the evolving built environment and to create less confusion and complexity for owners of heritage items. It utilises both primary and secondary sources, such as literature, submissions, and interviews to gain an expansive understanding on the stakeholder viewpoints. The analysis enables judgments as to the adequacy of the recommendations of the Standing Committee.

UNSW Built Environment

Gilbert Eliott

CITY PLANNING 2021 Planning in times of uncertainty

Bachelor of City Planning (Honours)

How Are Local Governments in Regional New South Wales Planning for Shrinkage?

‘Councils are implementing a mix of growth-oriented and decline-oriented strategies, despite not openly accepting decline.’

In New South Wales, more than one third of local government areas are expected to experience population decline between 2021 and 2041. Scholars propose ‘smart decline’ as a response to shrinkage. This requires acceptance of future population loss and adoption of planning strategies for a smaller population. However, few local governments proactively accept decline, indicating there are political and practical obstacles to this approach. This thesis identifies three local government areas in New South Wales with the highest projected population decline and, through a review of local strategic planning statements and interviews with planners and councillors, examines how this decline is being planned for in practice. This

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research identifies historical population decline and the planning strategies that were implemented as well as beliefs about population decline in the future. The study indicates that council communications and attitudes had a strong bias towards population growth in contradiction to state government predictions and that beliefs about population growth or decline do not strongly influence the strategies implemented. This suggests that councils are implementing a mix of growthoriented and decline-oriented strategies, despite not openly accepting decline.

Other councils likely to enter population decline in the future can use this study to understand real-world responses to population decline.

Hanyan Ruan

Neighbourhood Influence on the Sustainable Development of Zetland ‘This thesis explores the importance of neighbourhoods on the sustainable development of Zetland.’

As the population growth in Sydney has continued at a rapid pace over the last few years, high population density has put pressure on the viability of the community.

Zetland, one of the most promising suburbs in the Great Sydney area, has changed drastically in the past ten years because of development. This thesis explores the importance of neighbourhoods on the sustainable development of Zetland. It presents an analysis of various factors of neighbourhood impact, including housing problems, neighbourhood relations, and open space and social infrastructures.

Through questionnaires and in-depth interviews collected from residents living in Zetland, the analysis will be combined with four other community sustainability

case studies to explore the impact of neighbourhoods and decision-making factors on sustainable development. The findings suggest that neighbourhoods play a critical role in advancing sustainable development in Zetland communities.

Recommendations include improvements in affordable housing policy and enhanced community engagement.

UNSW Built Environment Bachelor of City Planning (Honours) CITY PLANNING 2021 Planning in times of uncertainty

Harrison (Harry) Hughes

What Is the Adequacy of the Public Participation Framework in the Assessment of Local Development Applications? A Critical Analysis of the NSW Planning System ‘Planners, academics and politicians all agree that the community should be involved in planning decisions. However, the consensus stops there.’

Planning has experienced a profound shift, from a system that enshrines private property rights to one that embodies the involvement of the community in decision-making. The difficulty of this transition cannot be understated. Private property rights have not disappeared, rather, the ‘public’ has been introduced as a consideration. Planners, academics and politicians all agree that the community should be involved in planning decisions.

However, the consensus stops there.

The reasons ‘why’ and ‘how’ engagement is undertaken is the subject of much debate, with competing theories lending themselves to all arguments. This thesis analyses the NSW participation framework at the DA stage, with the

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findings going beyond the scope of the NSW system to reflect the broader trend towards participatory planning. The gaps are identified through a literature review, a policy analysis, and a series of interviews to lay the foundations for future research on the subject. Unfortunately, there is no ‘one size fits all’ approach to participation.

It is an exercise of aligning competing interests and priorities, which is a nearimpossible task. What can be challenged is the broader misalignment of community and government expectations and the idea that current engagement practices are a fait accompli in best-practice outcomes.

Harsha Yadav

Public Art along Oxford Street: Sense of Belonging through Public Art ‘Oxford Street is dying a slow death and is no longer a home for the LGBTQ+ community.’

Oxford Street has gone through a range of changes over the last four decades which predominantly began with the loss of LGBTQ+ venues, leading to a reduction of LGBTQ+ character and visibility. As such, Oxford Street is dying a slow death and is no longer a home for the LGBTQ+ community. The purpose of this research is to explore the usage of public art along Oxford Street that may facilitate a sense of belonging for the LGBTQ+ community. The research methodology includes a literature review to uncover the association between public art and belongingness; in-depth interviews with public art experts, and professionals from LGBTQ+ organisations; an online survey to get responses from LGBTQ+ community members regarding

the degree of belongingness felt along Oxford Street and the use of public art; and site assessment to understand the extent of public art along Oxford Street.

This research also evaluates the existing planning legislation and policies to comprehend the extent to which public art is incorporated in the various planning provisions. This research suggests that public art along Oxford Street holds potential for facilitating belongingness for the LGBTQ+ community, and planners play an essential role in the public-domain planning field in facilitating this.

UNSW Built Environment

Helen Economidis

CITY PLANNING 2021 Planning in times of uncertainty

Bachelor of City Planning (Honours)

Multigenerational Housing: Can We Keep Our Oldies with Us? ‘Multigenerational households that include an aged family member have additional housing requirements that must be catered for within planning policy.’

Multigenerational living as a housing arrangement has been undertaken by many families across the globe and within metropolitan Sydney. Multigenerational households encompass many differing arrangements of generations of families residing together, ranging from few to many family members. Research has determined an overall growth in multigenerational households within metropolitan Sydney and has cited key formative influences to include financial considerations and cultural practices. This thesis aims to investigate specifically the formation and dwelling requirements of households with three or more generations, including a member aged over sixtyfive. Additional and emerging formative

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influences upon larger households living with aged family members are investigated in order to estimate future rates of this household type in metropolitan Sydney. Multigenerational households that include an aged family member have additional housing requirements that must be catered for within planning policy. This thesis incorporates interviews with members of these households to provide an indication of reasons for their formation and to understand their dwelling requirements in order to provide the appropriate lens for a policy review of various NSW statutory and strategic policies. The thesis concludes by exploring recommendations as to how these policies can better facilitate the dwelling requirements for multigenerational households in metropolitan Sydney.

Henry Black

Directing Growth: Creating Sydney-wide Spatial Suitability Models for Build-to-Rent Development ‘Build-to-rent is a form of residential development where developers construct, manage, and rent out residential complexes as long-term revenue-generating assets.’

Build-to-rent is a form of residential development where developers construct, manage, and rent out residential complexes as long-term revenue-generating assets.

Around the world, build-to-rent has been used extensively to deliver high-quality accommodation for the for-profit, student, and affordable rental housing submarkets.

Saying this, in New South Wales, buildto-rent is still in its infancy with limited policy, academic, and industry attention being given to it—although the affordable and student housing markets have grown in recent years. This thesis helps direct the expansion of Sydney’s build-to-rent market by creating spatial suitability models for each build-to-rent submarket which evaluate the suitability of sites

for for-profit, student, and affordable build-to-rent development. Research and interviews are utilised to develop a list of locational factors which, when met, will deliver optimal build-to-rent developments for each submarket. These locational factors are then quantified and assigned points based on their relative importance, creating spatial suitability models. Next, these models are applied to build-to-rent sites across Sydney, demonstrating how they compare and quantify the relative suitability of development sites. The thesis concludes by discussing avenues for expansion of the spatial suitability models and how they can be utilised to support the build-to-rent industry’s development.

UNSW Built Environment

Inaara Jindani

CITY PLANNING 2021 Planning in times of uncertainty

Bachelor of City Planning (Honours)

Cultural Competence: A Systemic Framework to Address Historical Exclusion in Planning Processes ‘Piecemeal attempts to include cultural differences in built environment decisions have perpetuated inequities.’

Planning systems and processes in western countries have been characterised by a settler–colonial discourse that accommodates the needs and preferences of the dominant culture. Piecemeal attempts to include cultural differences in built environment decisions have perpetuated inequities that continue to systemically undermine historically marginalised communities.

Cultural competence has been identified as a systemic framework and capacitybuilding tool which has been widely utilised in western health-care professions. It consists of systemic elements and interventions, including institutionalised cultural knowledge and the adaptation of service delivery to respond to the cultural

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needs and preferences of racial groups. Having also been addressed in planning literature, pedagogy, and practice in the United States and Canada, it offers opportunity for it to formate formal inclusion in Australia. As such, a mixedmethods approach was utilised as part of this thesis. It measures the self-perceived cultural competence of the profession (with a primary focus on New South Wales) in addition to interviews and case studies of key informants and agents of change locally and internationally. With continual reference to the cultural competence continuum, the findings present opportunities to enhance planning pedagogy and practice to equip planners to systemically address historical exclusion in planning processes.

Isabella Tonks

Moving Out: Millennial Migration and the Reshaping of Regional Australia ‘A variety of factors both push and pull and are recasting the dynamics between Australia’s big cities and regional centres.’

Historical trends charting the movement from rural and regional Australia to metropolitan cities, particularly amongst younger generations, have seen a notable reversal in recent years. A variety of factors both push and pull and are recasting the dynamics between Australia’s big cities and regional centres, including those between Greater Sydney and New South Wales’s second largest city, Newcastle.

The impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic have exacerbated these drivers over the last eighteen months. The migration of people towards regional and rural areas has been of longstanding interest to planners, and renewed attention aligns with broader policy interests tied to regional development, improving

connectivity between cities and regions, for example, through fast/faster rail and strengthening strategic planning processes more generally across the state. As planners, it is important to understand why millennials are choosing to leave cities so that regional areas can better adapt to suit the needs of a changing populace. Through a literature review, policy analysis and in-depth interviews with Newcastle as a case study, the thesis aims to understand the motivations behind millennials leaving capital cities for regional centres as well as the aspirations and expectations tied to the decision to move. It concludes by foreshadowing the planning challenges and opportunities that regional cities such as Newcastle are facing as a result of changing migration dynamics.

UNSW Built Environment

Jack Varka

CITY PLANNING 2021 Planning in times of uncertainty

Bachelor of City Planning (Honours)

A Review of Planning Principles: An Overreach of the Courts or a Council Officer’s Lifeline?

‘Planning principles are promoted for their consistency or in instances of policy void, but they could also be seen as an overextension of LEC jurisdiction.’

The role of planning principles presents an exceptional form of merit assessment that is seen almost solely in New South Wales. Originally formulated as a tool of consistent evaluation across any number of Class 1 appeals and court hearings within the LEC, planning principles have since extended beyond their original scope and have since become a major consideration of all stakeholders within the DA process, engrained over the last twenty years across multiple LGAs. Planning principles are promoted for their consistency or in instances of policy void, but they could also be seen as an overextension of LEC jurisdiction.

This research frames planning principles within a tension between their perceived

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benefits within the DA process and their potentially impactful and overreaching scope. A series of in-depth interviews with professional experts provides detailed primary perspectives, complemented by a quantitative comparative study of Class 1 Appeal cases. This review is undertaken during a time where planning principles are already well established within the assessment processes across LGAs. While their benefits appear to outweigh any perceived negatives, adjustments to their structure and scope could improve their effectiveness. This thesis provides recommendations for the improvement of planning principles which could benefit the assessment process.

Jasmine Bautista

Community Gardens as Social Space: Access for the Elderly ‘Community gardens are social spaces that can bring communities together, and urban planners have a role in supporting their delivery.’

Socialising and having a strong network of relationships are good for people.

To ensure robust health across the life course, there is a need for places that foster social interaction and connectivity, particularly in the elderly as they are an age group vulnerable to experiencing isolation and loneliness. Community gardens can enhance a sense of community and increase opportunities to develop positive social networks. However, few studies have sought to explore the influence community gardens have on the social life of the elderly. This thesis addresses this gap by investigating how community gardens are social spaces for the elderly, including the ways in which they contribute to community development.

The research comprised a literature review and interviews with key stakeholders involved in, and with expert knowledge of, community gardens. Two case studies in the Greater Sydney Region— Wentworthville Community Garden and Bourke Street Park Community Garden— were analysed in relation to their success in providing a positive social environment for local residents. This thesis argues that community gardens are social spaces that can bring communities together, and urban planners have a role in supporting their delivery.

UNSW Built Environment

Jennifer Nguyen

CITY PLANNING 2021 Planning in times of uncertainty

Bachelor of City Planning (Honours)

Informal Housing in Western Sydney: Implications for Planning Practice and Policy ‘While symptomatic of housing affordability pressures, demand for informal housing may also reflect an important cultural overlay.’

Informal housing plays a critical yet underrecognised role in accommodating lowerincome earners, particularly recent migrant arrivals, who experience difficulties accessing the formal private or social rental sectors. While symptomatic of housing-affordability pressures, demand for informal housing may also reflect an important cultural overlay, with certain ethnic groups utilising informality to uphold traditional multigenerational living arrangements. Local governments have a responsibility to proactively communicate about informal housing with key housing agencies and the broader community. This thesis employs a mixed-methods casestudy approach to explore Fairfield and Cumberland, two highly disadvantaged areas of Western Sydney. It draws upon

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a review of academic literature, demographic and housing data, and local planning policies alongside a review of online advertisements and interviews with local government and housing support workers to identify the main groups living informally and to investigate the key drivers, types and prevalence of informal housing structures and living arrangements across the case studies. Research findings identify a clear lack of formal guidance available for local governments to communicate and subsequently respond to informal housing.

This thesis contributes to emerging literature on informal housing in the Global North, providing recommendations to guide local governments in framing and communicating informal housing through planning practice and policy.

Jethro Yuen

Vertical Farms and Glasshouses: Looking into the Future of Controlled-Environment Agriculture in Sydney ‘This thesis investigates opportunities for CEA and evaluates its prospects within Western Sydney’s proposed Agribusiness Precinct and in Eastern Sydney.’

Greater Sydney’s predicted population growth of 1.3 million over the next fifteen years threatens Sydney’s peri-urban agricultural lands with ongoing urban sprawl and land degradation. Along with bushfires, floods, and the COVID-19 pandemic all impacting local foodsupply chains and the amount of arable land, food security and sustainable food production have emerged onto Sydney’s planning agenda. Controlled-Environment Agriculture (CEA), being high-technology indoor glasshouses and vertical farms, is touted as a solution to compensate for the loss of traditional agricultural land and to increase the sustainability and resilience of food production. Despite widespread global take-up, emergence

of commercially scaled CEA in Sydney has so far been limited and piecemeal. This thesis investigates opportunities for CEA and evaluates its prospects within Western Sydney’s proposed Agribusiness Precinct and in Eastern Sydney. The research employs a qualitative methodology involving literature review of academic articles and grey literature, policy analysis and in-depth interviews with planners and CEA experts.

While there are opportunities for glasshouses in peri-urban Sydney and smaller vertical farms in Eastern Sydney, high land values and unsuitable planning controls affect their feasibility. Successful implementation requires incentivisation of CEA through provision of infrastructure and creation of specific yet flexible planning controls.

UNSW Built Environment

Jiaqi Zhang

CITY PLANNING 2021 Planning in times of uncertainty

Bachelor of City Planning (Honours)

The History of Hangzhou’s Green Space: Evolution, Process and the Relationship Between West Lake and the Urban Form ‘Over the last century, the Chinese city of Hangzhou has experienced rapid growth in relation to its historical and cultural core around West Lake.’

Over the last century, the Chinese city of Hangzhou has experienced rapid growth in relation to its historical and cultural core around West Lake. This research takes a longitudinal case-study approach to examine the complex interplay between urban heritage and evolving wider urban structure and form. An ongoing commitment to preserving the cultural significance of West Lake can be charted through planning activity shaped by distinct historical and ideological influences during this period. Through policy analysis of Hangzhou planning frameworks since the early 1920s, the changing influences shaping the city’s structure and form in relation to West Lake are mapped. Indepth interviews with key stakeholders

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help unpack how Hangzhou’s historical development has experienced periods of Soviet influence, cultural revolution and revival of urban conservation planning.

The policy of rapid urban development under the 1953 masterplan, the cultural and historical destruction caused by the cultural revolution in the 1960s and 1970s, and the restoration of the concept of an integrated urban plan in the 1981 masterplan are all important factors.

The research concludes by providing a set of directions for the city’s current urban planners to continue to support the coexistence between heritage and urban growth.

Jonathan Fenger

Living with Bushfires: Building Back Better for Future Risk ‘There is a need for the planning system to implement a more proactive and strategic approach towards managing bushfire risk.’

The 2019–2020 Black Summer was the most severe bushfire season recorded in the history of New South Wales (NSW).

Whilst the land-use planning system was not the cause for the catastrophic events, the NSW Bushfire Inquiry found that there is a need for the planning system to implement a more proactive and strategic approach towards managing bushfire risk. Moreover, the Royal Commission into National Natural Disaster Arrangements found that ‘legacy risks’ in existing built assets are not being adequately addressed by planning regimes, leaving many existing settlements exposed to elevated levels of bushfire risk.

A contemporary understanding of resilience being argued is that there is

an opportunity for land-use planners to improve the risk profile of existing settlements during bushfire recovery processes by implementing mechanisms when communities are rebuilding after a fire to enable them to ‘build back better’.

This thesis, informed by a literature review and semi-structured interviews with planning professionals, evaluates whether theorised disaster-recovery strategies and planning mechanisms could realistically be implemented in New South Wales.

It further argues that planning must do better to avoid exposing new structures to unacceptable levels of bushfire risk and educate communities so that they can make informed decisions about living with risk.

UNSW Built Environment

Joshua Woo

CITY PLANNING 2021 Planning in times of uncertainty

Bachelor of City Planning (Honours)

Open or Closed: Is the Publicness of Open Space in Sydney Being Eroded?

‘Issues like commercialisation and the encroachment have made it harder for the general public to access open spaces.’

Sydney is renowned for its abundance of pristine open spaces that support the wellbeing of its citizens. Recognising the benefits of these assets, the NSW Government aims to increase access to open space in the Greater Sydney Region.

However, recent trends indicate that publicness is declining. Publicness is a concept which encompasses the aspects of control, access, and diversity. Issues like commercialisation and the encroachment have made it harder for the general public to access open spaces. Furthermore, some open spaces are privately controlled, others lack diversity. These issues give impetus to the study of Sydney’s open spaces and an investigation of whether their publicness is being eroded. Using

[ 44 ]

the Centennial Parklands as a case study, this thesis evaluates its publicness by observing how different spaces are accessed and used by people. This was supported by other methods, including a literature review, mapping, and analysis of secondary data, which demonstrate how publicness has changed over time.

Findings suggest that commercial, event and active sporting uses have eroded publicness. In light of this, the thesis argues that privately controlled spaces should be returned to the public, and that inflexible open spaces should allow for greater access and diversity.

Julia McDonnell

Exploring the Role of Collaborative Governance in Shaping the Camperdown Ultimo Precinct ‘Collaborative governance has a nucleic role in developing successful innovation districts worldwide.’

Camperdown Ultimo is home to Australia’s most mature, flagship innovation district.

Innovation has risen from Camperdown Ultimo since the establishment of the University of Sydney and the Eveleigh Railway Workshops. However, Camperdown Ultimo has been the subject of many urban planning, political and property development agendas since the late 1980s, all seeking to accelerate Sydney into global city status (Sassen 2008). As a result of this debate, ongoing governance reforms, and changes in land ownership, the precinct today lacks a clear and comprehensive governance structure to enable effective and productive collaborative outcomes. This thesis has drawn upon existing literature, urban

planning policy, and in-depth interviews with public and private stakeholders in the precinct to interrogate the effectiveness of the existing governance structure in enabling collaborative outcomes.

Using these methods, it was found that collaborative governance has a nucleic role in developing successful innovation districts worldwide. Yet the Camperdown Ultimo Precinct lacks such a robust governance structure to enable its full potential to be realised. A number of recommendations are provided to guide future governance decisions in order to unlock collaborative outcomes.

UNSW Built Environment

Julia Warren

CITY PLANNING 2021 Planning in times of uncertainty

Bachelor of City Planning (Honours)

Sustainability in Adaptive Reuse: A Challenge or Opportunity?

‘Planning policy relating to heritage conservation often limits the extent to which sustainable technologies and design practices can be incorporated.’

The built environment is responsible for the consumption of 40 per cent of global resources and is a major contributor to greenhouse gas emissions. It is therefore vital that sustainable development practices are implemented in the design and development of buildings. In principle, the adaptive reuse of a building is a positive development approach in terms of environmental sustainability. However, in practice, planning policy relating to heritage conservation often limits the extent to which sustainable technologies and design practices can be incorporated into a building of heritage value. This presents a challenging dichotomy for planners and other built environment professionals.

Through qualitative research methods,

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including a comprehensive literature review, a review of relevant NSW planning policy, and analysis of three adaptive reuse case studies in inner Sydney, this thesis examines the opportunities and challenges associated with achieving both heritage conservation and environmental sustainability outcomes in the design, development, and assessment of nonresidential adaptive reuse projects.

This research is supported by in-depth interviews with built environment professionals and presents several policy recommendations. The findings seek to inform adaptive reuse development to ensure that both heritage conservation and environmental sustainability outcomes are readily achieved.

Landon Brown

A Role for Deliberative Development in Australia’s Alternative Housing Futures ‘Deliberative development offers an alternative structure of multi-unit housing production based on delivery by a legal association of intending owner-occupiers.’

For much of its short history, Australia’s housing has been central to its national self-image as a society based on egalitarian values, an image increasingly foreign to metropolitan housing systems characterised by large inequalities. A primary driver of this outcome has been national tax settings which bias housing investment. Attendant financial flows have interacted with a multi-unit housing sector almost completely reliant on speculative provision, creating outcomes which are skewed away from the true housing needs of Australians. Deliberative development offers an alternative structure of multiunit housing production based on delivery by a legal association of intended owneroccupiers. While relatively commonplace

in some countries, this method remains scarcely employed in Australia, despite its various advantages. This thesis adds to the understanding of what role deliberative development can play in Australia’s alternative housing futures and how it may realise this potential in Australia’s unique institutional context. It achieves this through review of deliberative development literature from Australia and Germany and through interviews with practitioners and researchers of deliberative development in Australia. The results show that deliberative development is possible in Australia but is held back by a lack of institutional credibility and requires intentional policy action to escape from the margins.

UNSW Built Environment

Lara Reynolds

CITY PLANNING 2021 Planning in times of uncertainty

Bachelor of City Planning (Honours)

Friend or Foe-liage: Fostering Social Inclusion in the Western Sydney Parklands ‘Societal ideals like tolerance and harmony are becoming elusive, and intolerance and division are becoming the norm.’

At a time where societal ideals like tolerance and harmony are becoming elusive, and intolerance and division are becoming the norm, it is vital to community cohesion, globally, that a sense of unity and harmony underpin the proverbial link to bridge the divide between different groups of people. There is growing evidence to suggest that public open space plays a vital role in achieving this. This thesis explores the extent to which the Western Sydney Parklands—as a major regional open-space corridor in Sydney’s West— provides a socially inclusive space for all users. It utilises a mixed-method research approach, combining the findings from three case studies of the parkland’s recreational spaces, as well as interviews

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with professionals who have backgrounds in either the development, management, or operation of open space, or in social infrastructure planning delivery and research. Literature and policy reviews were also utilised to synthesise and evaluate academic research to provide a conceptual and theoretical framework for analysis. The findings identify the effectiveness of existing recreational spaces in facilitating social inclusion, and several recommendations are provided regarding the future delivery and management of other open spaces.

Lauren Williams

Planning for Precedent: NSW Land and Environment Court (LEC) and ‘Desired Future Character’ ‘This research provides a contemporary analysis of the Court and its evolving role more broadly alongside its changing interpretation of “desired future character”.’

Development appeals and the resultant case law as facilitated through decisions in the NSW Land and Environment Court are pivotal in setting legal precedent for future development. This research provides a contemporary analysis of the Court and its evolving role more broadly alongside its changing interpretation of ‘desired future character’. The research examines the Court’s growing concern with smaller, material considerations as well as the changing legal weight of terms in both LEPs and DCPs, particularly in relation to local character. Critiques and academic commentary on the NSW LEC and its changing role in planning decisions,

alongside analysis of ‘character’ and its emerging definition within the discipline, will form the theoretical basis of this research. Case studies focused in Double Bay, Sydney, substantiated by case law, as well as interviews from legal and planning professionals further refine the research.

Through providing further understanding of the LEC’s evolving role in the interpretation of desired future character, this research will provide a developed recognition of the Court’s emerging yet significant role in planning practice.

UNSW Built Environment

Liam O’Connor

CITY PLANNING 2021 Planning in times of uncertainty

Bachelor of City Planning (Honours)

Lights Out or Lights On? How Government Policy Can Ensure the Coexistence of Industrial and Late-Night Land Uses in Alexandria ‘Industrial lands throughout Greater Sydney are undergoing significant changes as a result of pressures from other land uses.’

Industrial lands throughout Greater Sydney are undergoing significant changes as a result of pressures from other land uses, particularly residential and mixed uses.

Alexandria’s industrial lands precinct is one such example, with local and state government policies seeking to safeguard it from such incompatible uses. This precinct is experiencing changes in policy at the local government, which particularly encourages creative uses and late-night trading. The Greater Sydney Commission’s Industrial Lands Policy Review, as well as the Department of Planning, Industry and Environment’s recently exhibited amendments to replace business and industrial zones, show that significant changes will be occurring in the near

[ 50 ]

future in strategic and statutory planning in relation to industrial lands. This thesis explores how local and state government policy can ensure that industrial land uses can co-exist with cultural and creative uses in Alexandria, utilising case studies of other cities’ policies and interviews with key experts. This research allows for an analysis of the strengths and weaknesses of these cities’ policies, and an assessment of the success of these policies. Findings will help through recommendations as to how government policy can accommodate both industrial lands and other land uses during a period of review and change in policy.

Matthew Holt

Catchall Solution to Homelessness? Viability of Housing First for Transitional and Episodic Homeless People in New South Wales ‘While adopted in the Australian context, most Housing First programs focus solely on the chronically homeless.’

Homelessness is an individualised event composed of complicated, cumulative elements and is ever-present even within our advanced modern context.

Decades of research have sought to reframe and ‘solve’ the homelessness problem. The latest such approach involves the rapid rehousing of a client followed by client-oriented support, aptly named Housing First. Through its initial implementation in New York addressing long term homelessness, Housing First has cultivated international acclaim as an evidence-based ‘best-practise’ model to rehouse those traditionally ‘hard-to-house’.

While adopted in the Australian context, most Housing First programs focus solely on the chronically homeless. This thesis investigates the viability of Housing First

implementation for transitional and episodic homeless people in New South Wales through a combination of literature review, policy analysis, and qualitative research involving interviews with seven industry professionals.

Ultimately, while Housing First is effective and appropriate in the New South Wales context, the lack of social housing provision, service funding, and acknowledgement of episodic and transitional homelessness makes implementation for transitional and episodic homeless people hard to justify and unviable.

Nonetheless, findings from this thesis suggest ways forward to better address the policy and practise shortcomings within New South Wales, the goal being a program to end homelessness with appropriate housing and wrap-around supports.

UNSW Built Environment

Matthew Korzy

CITY PLANNING 2021 Planning in times of uncertainty

Bachelor of City Planning (Honours)

Sign of the Times: Linguistic Diversity in Fairfield City’s Commercial Signage ‘This thesis investigates the governance of linguistically diverse signage in Australia’s most linguistically diverse local government area—Fairfield City.’

The number of Australians who speak a language other than English at home is increasing. It is reflected in our cities’ built environment, with many commercial areas adorned in signage displaying forms of bilingualism, multilingualism or without any English at all. Despite Australia not having an official language, and the New South Wales state government’s recognition of linguistic diversity as a valuable resource, the New South Wales planning system gives power to local government to either permit or prohibit the display of languages within our suburbs.

This thesis investigates the governance of linguistically diverse signage in Australia’s most linguistically diverse local government area—Fairfield City. Employing

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a range of methodologies, including a literature review, policy review, signage audit and in-depth interviews with local government officers, an understanding has been gained on the informational and symbolic representation of linguistically diverse communities within the commercial signage of John Street, Cabramatta, and Ware Street, Fairfield, as well as the roles and responses of local government and the local community.

Matthew Short

Contested Land: Investigating How Community Housing Providers Access Land in Sydney ‘The community housing sector’s continued growth relies on enhanced government facilitation of land access.’

Community Housing Providers (CHPs) have emerged in Australia as ‘third sector organisations’ that combine business logic with a social mission to develop and manage social and affordable housing for Australia’s most vulnerable households. In their mission, CHPs contend with a funding gap, meaning the cost to develop, manage and maintain their housing exceeds rental income. The cost of procuring land in high-value markets, such as Sydney, can significantly contribute to the funding gap. Existing research has established that government-facilitated access to land is, therefore, central to generating development opportunities.

Despite this recognition, there is an absence of Australian studies examining how CHPs

currently access land and the efficacy of existing supporting government policies. Therefore, this thesis poses the question: How do community housing providers access land for social and affordable housing in Sydney and what are the associated challenges? Through a literature, policy and annual report review and in-depth interviews, the thesis critically reviews five existing models that CHPs use to access land and the government policies that support those models. The thesis concludes that the community housing sector’s continued growth relies on enhanced government facilitation of land access through the planning system, targeted funding, and public land use.

UNSW Built Environment

Ming Him (Kevin) Suen

CITY PLANNING 2021 Planning in times of uncertainty

Bachelor of City Planning (Honours)

Inclusive and Accessible Public Toilet in Sydney ‘Providing safe, accessible and inclusive public toilets is critical to ensuring community quality of life in Australian suburbs and cities.’

Our society is growing in numbers, ages and diversity. Providing safe, accessible and inclusive public toilets is critical to ensuring community quality of life in Australian suburbs and cities. Public toilet planning should be guided by universal design principles, LGA-wide strategies and specific roles responsible to provision and maintenance. Public toilets offer a space to support both physical and mental health; people can attend to personal hygiene, care for young children, administer medication, manage menstruation, etc. Despite all these functions and the role and importance of public toilet, it is often neglected in local planning, design and management. This thesis explored the current situation in public

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toilet planning in Sydney, focusing on the provision and existing design. It draws on existing literature, policy, legislation and international toilet-planning examples, combined with questionnaires and site visits to explore the inclusiveness and accessibility of public toilets in Sydney.

This thesis concludes by exploring recommendations as to how local governments and authorities can better facilitate inclusive and accessible public toilets for the community through policy and universal designs.

Nichola Cook

The Role of Creative Engagement in Social Housing Renewal ‘Creative engagement breaks down barriers, allowing communities to express their ideas in a way that is appropriate to their need.’

Social housing renewal in Greater Sydney has become an important urban transformation strategy driven by the State Government to renew ageing social housing stock and provide additional supply to meet growing demands. While the policy focuses on redeveloping estates with a mix of social, affordable and private housing, recent proposals have been criticised for inadequately considering existing residents’ needs and diverse experiences, particularly through engagement processes. Resultingly, there is growing academic and practitioner interest in investigating opportunities for more inclusive approaches. Creative engagement has been postulated to allow sensitive, contextual, and appropriate engagement with diverse communities.

Through participatory and genuine engagement techniques, including guided visualisation and art, creative engagement breaks down barriers, allowing communities to express their ideas in a way that is appropriate to their needs. This thesis investigates how the NSW planning system supports the use of creative engagement within social housing renewal in Greater Sydney. This research involved reviewing academic literature, analysing relevant state and local government policies, and conducting in-depth interviews with experienced planners and engagement specialists. This thesis has found that while the planning system supports creative engagement through place-based planning and minimal engagement requirements, the social housing renewal frameworks in place significantly constrain its use.

UNSW Built Environment

Nicholas Geroulas

CITY PLANNING 2021 Planning in times of uncertainty

Bachelor of City Planning (Honours)

Recycled Water in Metropolitan Sydney ‘The benefits of increasing recycled water provisions in Metropolitan Sydney will provide a sustainable, reliable safeguard to our water supply.’

In light of an ever-increasing demand for water use due to population growth and additional pressures on supply attributed to water scarcity and climate change, ensuring water security in Metropolitan Sydney is a crucial impending issue that needs to be addressed within the next few decades. Recycled water offers a sustainable practice of capturing and reusing wastewater within the city to curb water usage. However, recycled water is arguably underutilised within Sydney.

This thesis investigates the challenges to recycled water’s implementation and makes recommendations to improve its dissemination in Sydney as a promising option to assist a secure water supply.

The research includes a literature review

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associating recycled water’s benefits and relevance to urban water management policy and WSUD and its contextual challenges and potential resolutions in Sydney. Additionally, a detailed policy review is undertaken analysing current water planning, pricing regulation, and implementation paradigms. Finally, in-depth interviews with key industry stakeholders explore specific concerns regarding community perception, pricing, and policy barriers. This thesis argues that the benefits of increasing recycled water provisions in Metropolitan Sydney will provide a sustainable, reliable safeguard to our water supply whilst highlighting shortcomings and suggesting recommendations to improve existing policy and funding mechanisms hindering its uptake.

Nicholas Touralis

Avoiding the Urban Void ‘Quality open space plays a significant role in the development of ‘livable, productive and sustainable’ cities.’

Quality open space plays a significant role in the development of ‘livable, productive and sustainable’ cities. Quality spaces create a meaningful connection with people and adequately foster a sense of place. This is evident through the growing attention to place-making practices internationally. However, there has been critique in the marketisation of ‘place’ especially when open spaces are developed as privately owned public spaces (POPS). Sydney’s growth and strive to become a world class city, has facilitated a need for new development and an equal need for open space. Private developers are often responsible for their design, and while the local councils play a role in establishing parameters, the

effectiveness of these spaces is in question.

This research investigates the extent to which public open spaces developed by private or public–private partnerships in Sydney’s CBD are enabling a sense of place. The study applies a place-making framework informed by relevant academic and professional literature to investigate the specific cases of Barangaroo precinct and Darling Quarter Leisure precinct. The findings from the analysis of relevant local policies, design guidelines, and on-site observation of the open spaces will indicate whether these public spaces reflect key attributes of a sense of place. This thesis proposes recommendations for future developments of open space within Sydney’s CBD to achieve desired liveability by effectively implementing a place-making practice.

UNSW Built Environment

Qiao Hu

CITY PLANNING 2021 Planning in times of uncertainty

Bachelor of City Planning (Honours)

The Chinese Community after ‘The Wall’ Is Demolished ‘The results show that most respondents prefer to live in a gated community, which is perceived as safer and familiar.’

Nowadays, closed communities are a major cause of the current ‘urban diseases’ in China. This research aims to explore the appearance of Chinese cities after the closed communities are opened and the impact those openings have on the city and related stakeholders.

This study conducted a detailed review of a large number of documents, which laid a theoretical basis for subsequent investigation and research. In-depth interviews were conducted with two government officials involved in the implementation of the policy, a representative of the planning industry, and ten local residents living in a closed communities and open communities.

The results show that most respondents

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prefer to live in a gated community, which is perceived as safer and familiar.

However, open communities are slowly improving urban problems and improving the quality of life of residents. The study analyzes individual cases of typical established open communities and closed communities in China, which helps to understand more intuitively what the open communities look like in China. These results show that open blocks in China are an inevitable step in urban development.

However, residents’ dependence on the old living environment, the safety of closed communities, and land ownership are all thorny issues in the process of developing open communities in China.

Rohan Montgomery

Runner’s Footprint: Planning for Great Recreational Running Spaces in Urban Environments ‘The needs of the twenty-first-century recreational runner can often be forgotten when city streetscapes and networks are planned to meet competing user demands.’

Access to high-quality, naturally aesthetic and uninterrupted green corridors for physical exercise can be rare within urban landscapes. The needs of the twentyfirst-century recreational runner can often be forgotten when city streetscapes and networks are planned to meet competing user demands. Often, the absence of well-maintained linear, continuous and visually pleasing routes for health supportive activities can discourage participation. Existing recreation and healthy planning policy in Australia, and, in particular, in New South Wales, is heavily geared towards supporting the needs of walking and cycling, with littleto-no focus on the middle ground that is running. Existing policies generally emphasise the transportation purposes of

bodily movement, as opposed to recreational objectives. This thesis identifies the optimal environmental characteristics, features and facilities that recreational runners require, examining how these fundamentals can be implemented through future public openspace planning. Utilising a heuristic inquiry framework, this thesis embraces a qualitative perspective, incorporating the researcher’s own extensive running experiences in natural environments. Through a review of academic literature on recreational running spaces, complemented by findings from in-depth interviews and case-study reflections, this thesis reveals and reinforces the value of trails, pathways and corridors as essential natural landscapes within urban environments to provide space for active health-supportive recreation.

UNSW Built Environment

Rongxi Liang

CITY PLANNING 2021 Planning in times of uncertainty

Bachelor of City Planning (Honours)

Rural Planning in Jiayuguan, China—Development of the Three-Sector Model Using the “Co-creation” Approach ‘The rapid urbanisation process exacerbated the urban–rural dual social structure of Jiayuguan City.’

Since China’s reform and opening up in 1978, capital cities and rural areas were expected to have more potential integration opportunities, gradually weakening the urban–rural boundary. The rapid urbanisation process exacerbated the urban–rural dual social structure of Jiayuguan City. Population and capital flows are concentrated in cities, resulting in the characteristics of the two-way movement of urban and rural development, which brings significant challenges to the urban–rural integrated development of ‘rural revitalization’. Based on the perspective of cooperation among stakeholders, this thesis discusses a specific measure called ‘co-creation’.

This study is informed by literature based

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on the cooperation mechanism in rural planning and the planning significance of ‘co-creation’. A policy review is utilised to identify rural economic environment and government policies, and a qualitative set of questionnaires by the online survey is supported by selected focus groups.

Finally, in-depth interviews with three planning professionals, three government staff, and two village representatives also inform the findings. This thesis argues that for the sustainable wellbeing of Jiayuguan rural areas, the establishment of a multistakeholder cooperation framework based on the development of three industries is essential to avoid mistakes in decisionmaking, market failure, or even rural disinvestment.

Roseanna Meech

Strava Metro: The Missing Link in Active Transport Planning ‘By tapping into a variety of new and emerging data, city planners are now more equipped than ever.’

With recent international challenges, such as the COVID-19 pandemic and climate change, the global demand for greater public and active transport infrastructure is increasing. By tapping into a variety of new and emerging data, city planners are now more equipped than ever to better research into safer and more accessible ways to increase cycling as an active transport mode. This thesis explores the changing nature of data collection and analytics, and how they are being utilised by city planners globally to better inform bicycle planning infrastructure decisions.

A review of theory and literature has been undertaken in order to understand emerging data and analytics technologies and their place as planning support

systems, when compared to Strava data and the Strava Metro platform. This research project utilises a mixed-methods research approach, combining the findings from three national case studies that have utilised traditional and emerging datacollection methods, as well as interviews with city planning professionals who have experience with traditional active transport collection tools and Strava Metro. A desktop assessment of Strava Metro against traditional and emerging data and analytics tools was undertaken to determine the benefits and limitations of the platform. Recommendations have been provided to ensure its success when applied within a variety of projects in the future.

UNSW Built Environment

Roy Cao

CITY PLANNING 2021 Planning in times of uncertainty

Bachelor of City Planning (Honours)

Post-COVID-19 Health Safety in Parramatta’s Public Green Spaces ‘History has proven that planning is capable of adaptation and cities are capable of resilience.’

Since early in 2020, the coronavirus pandemic has greatly disrupted the everyday norm of Australians and shifted perceptions on safety when in public spaces. Tighter restrictions on public open-space usage during the following year led to this thesis research to explore the extent to which COVID-19 affected the feeling of health safety in the use of Sydney’s public open spaces and what the implications are to planning for these spaces. The research was based on several methods, including desktop research and in-person site analysis. The results of a state and local policy analysis indicate a dearth of knowledge for mitigating healthsafety risks in open-space planning, and an online survey indicated a discrepancy

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in public view around health safety of public open spaces since the pandemic.

As it has happened with places which experienced natural or other disasters of significance, history has proven that planning is capable of adaptation and cities are capable of resilience. This thesis approached the case with planning for health safety of public open spaces in the City of Parramatta LGA, presenting several planning recommendations.

This phenomenon is likely reproduced worldwide, where populations have also experienced strong health-safety restrictions in the way they congregate and use public open spaces.

Sam Li

Working Out Congestion—The Impacts of COVID-19 on Transport and Strategic Planning in Greater Sydney ‘This thesis seeks to investigate the impact of COVID-19 on mobility patterns and how it could reshape existing planning strategies.’

Pandemics have often acted as the catalyst for new ways of thinking and for accelerating trends under way. COVID-19 will undoubtedly continue this trend. The necessary retreat to working from home as Sydney and cities across the world went into lockdown coincided with a rapid shift towards online work platforms, which is likely to have long-term impacts on how we work, where we work, and our mobility patterns tied to employment. As Greater Sydney begins to adapt to this new ‘normal’, there is both a need and an opportunity for transport and strategic planners to respond to these evolving spatial dynamics which will shape the post-COVID city. This thesis seeks to investigate the impact of COVID-19 on

mobility patterns and how it could reshape existing planning strategies. The research is informed by a literature review and case studies from Colombia, Poland and Sweden. In-depth interviews with relevant academics and professionals provided insights into dynamic workplaces and their capability for unlocking new planning approaches in Greater Sydney. This thesis argues that planners play a key role in facilitating post-COVID remote-working models to provide positive outcomes for the community.

UNSW Built Environment

Sarah Awada Zahr

CITY PLANNING 2021 Planning in times of uncertainty

Bachelor of City Planning (Honours)

Dead Space: Revitalisation of Sydney’s Residential Laneways ‘Although there has been a growing awareness of the significant role laneways play … laneways are still ambiguous and forgotten spaces.’

Residential laneways are a component of a city’s open space and are part of a city’s pedestrian and vehicular network.

Historically, laneways were purely functional in design and seen as service zones for garbage collection, deliveries, night soil collection and more. Over time, laneways still performed utilitarian functions but began to be recognised as an important means for throughsite accessibility and connections for pedestrians. Although there has been a growing awareness of the significant role laneways play as a component of the public realm, laneways are still ambiguous and forgotten spaces. This research investigates how residential laneways are utilised today and what

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changes are required to transform them into dynamic and useful social spaces.

The study involved a literature review, best-practice examples of Melbourne and Vancouver, observational fieldwork of a number of laneways in the Blacktown LGA and City of Sydney LGA, and interviews with six experts in the case-study areas.

Findings from this thesis suggest ways in which existing and future laneways can be planned in order to be improved and have a more functioning role in cities.

Sarah Davino

Commitments to Indigenous Rights and Interests in Planning ‘Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples’ rights and interests in the land should be inextricably integrated in the planning system.’

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples are the traditional custodians of lands and waters across Australia. As such, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples’ rights and interests in the land should be inextricably integrated in the planning system. The current reality is that strategic and statutory planning inadequately addresses Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples’ obligations to, and desires for, the land. To understand how these failings are now being addressed, this thesis seeks to identify the initiatives and commitments from the planning profession to better incorporate Indigenous peoples in decision making.

Informed by urban-planning policy and literature, coupled with in-depth interviews

with built-environment professionals, the research demonstrates that while Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples’ needs and aspirations are not being sufficiently met by legislation, the planning profession has taken onus, at varying extents, to embrace the symbolic and practical reasons for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples to be connected with Country. The recommendations in this thesis suggest that a greater integration of Indigenous perspective must be included in the New South Wales planning system through mandatory policy, practice and guidelines to create a supportive framework for implementation by all planning professionals.

UNSW Built Environment

Steven Dando

CITY PLANNING 2021 Planning in times of uncertainty

Bachelor of City Planning (Honours)

BMX Bandits: Planning Considerations for Ad Hoc Bike Tracks in Georges River Bushland Sites ‘The findings provide an understanding of the tensions and planning issues involved, leading to recommendations of benefit to all stakeholders.’

Young people are taking to bushland sites all over Sydney to build their own bike jumps and tracks in lieu of local access to formal facilities. With the international rise in popularity of adventure sports and BMX competitions in the Olympics, bike riding is as popular as ever amongst the adolescent community. Some land managers are more tolerant of ad hoc bike tracks than others, however, local community groups voice concerns for the vulnerability of already constrained bushland sites in suburban areas. The situation reached a boiling point during the 2020 and 2021 COVID-19 stay-at-home restrictions, during which, local youth were locked inside with the only sense of freedom coming from localised informal

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gatherings. Placing focus on the Georges River Local Government Area, this thesis draws on academic literature, relevant policies, local case studies, in-depth interviews and an audit of Georges River bushland sites to investigate the issue.

The findings provide an understanding of the tensions and planning issues involved, leading to recommendations of benefit to all stakeholders. Moving forward, the formulation of strategic regional partnerships, careful consideration of impacts and extensive community consultation will be essential in providing adequate recreational bike facilities for a range of ages and abilities whilst accounting for safety of participants and protection of sensitive bushland.

Taylor Cole

Why Has the Implementation of Value Capture Been Unsuccessful within the NSW Planning System?

‘This thesis investigates the less commonly recognised barriers and challenges to successfully implementing a value-capture scheme within New South Wales.’

At present, new and improved infrastructure projects are funded by state or local governments and developer contributions.

Many individuals and organisations benefit from the introduction of said infrastructure without having to make any monetary contributions or works in kind. As the population of New South Wales continues to grow and its urban areas become larger, there is a need for greater infrastructure and, thus, additional sources of funding.

Value capture has long been explored as an alternative to infrastructure funding, but there is very little agreement regarding its implementation. While certain valuecapture mechanisms are already used within New South Wales, their reach has been limited. This thesis investigates

the less commonly recognised barriers and challenges to successfully implementing a value-capture scheme within New South Wales. The research is supported by a literature review, a comparison of successful value-capture schemes used internationally and domestically, and interviews with seven planning and development experts about perceived barriers to value-capture implementation. The results uncover the key perceived barriers to be differing ideologies, lack of government policy, resistance from the development industry, administration challenges, and equity and fairness. The research concludes with recommendations for a more successful value-capture scheme in New South Wales.

UNSW Built Environment

Thomas Mudgway

CITY PLANNING 2021 Planning in times of uncertainty

Bachelor of City Planning (Honours)

Urban Planning Perspectives on NSW Land Tax Reform ‘This research raises long-standing questions around the funding model of our cities and the governance model which controls it.’

In 2020 and 2021, the NSW Government put forward a plan to phase out stamp duties on land transactions in favour of a broad-based land tax, dubbed the ‘Property Tax’. This research sought to identify the ramifications which that economic reform might have for the planning sector, especially given the importance to the profession of the housing market and its exposure to economic forces. In interviews with a variety of professionals, it was found that most considered stamp duty to have direct negative implications for planning and, overall, tended to support its abolition. Opinions regarding what should replace it were more mixed, with a consensus that a broad-based land tax, as identified by the state government, was

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the right choice, but a range of less positive views regarded perceived shortcomings in the details of its proposed implementation and subsequent governance. This research raises long-standing questions around the funding model of our cities and the governance model which controls it. While the reform as proposed would likely have small benefits for planning, this research suggests that those benefits might be amplified if it were accompanied with a corresponding reform to the urban governance model used in the state.

Weihang Nie

Active Transport and Micromobility in Sydney ‘Active travel is a crucial part of the transport network in any urbanised setting.’

Active travel is a crucial part of the transport network in any urbanised setting.

It includes walking, cycling and any mode of transport consisting of physical activity and exercise. Active transport networks provide strong links for the public-transport system and possess characteristics of indirectly decreasing carbon emissions, improving population health and preventing diseases. Micromobility, which encompasses hybrid personal mobility options including e-scooters and e-bikes, has seen a sudden emergence in highly developed urban environments in the United Kingdom, the United States, and China, and has garnered utilisation and interest in Sydney. The study sought to understand deterrents and enablers of

active transport and micromobility in the context of Sydney and, in doing so, assess how existing international active-transport interventions may affect Sydney’s activetransport and micromobility networks. A survey was conducted in Sydney with eightyone unique submissions. The results of the study concluded that the main deterrents and enablers of active transport are rider safety and better active-transport infrastructure, respectively. The cost of micromobility reduces its viability, and the study identified a need for more accessible micromobility.

Active-transport interventions were also gauged for their effectiveness in promoting micromobility and produced almost identical results demonstrating that active transport and micromobility are interconnected.

UNSW Built Environment

Wenbo Wu

CITY PLANNING 2021 Planning in times of uncertainty

Bachelor of City Planning (Honours)

The 15-Minute City Concept in Binhai New Area ‘The 15-minute city concept is designed to provide accessibility to all essential urban services.’

The pandemic has made people stay around home and rethink how cities and communities should be planned.

The discussions about walking and cycling accessibility in cities, such as the 15-minute city concept, have been raised around the world. The 15-minute city concept is designed to provide accessibility to all essential urban services within a suitable walking distance and connect all neighbourhoods organically and to reshape the lifestyle for people.

In 2020, the Binhai New Area in Tianjin, China, released the implementation plan of 15-minute living circle to reshape the urban form and to improve the habitability for residents in Binhai. Binhai is an economic and technological development

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zone. Since the day of the formation of Binhai, the essential urban services and other community support facilities were not the development priority. This thesis intends to understand the 15-minute city concept, the benefits, and the essential elements that need to be provided to support successful implementation of the concept. This thesis examines the current status of the implementation of the 15-minute city concept in Binhai to evaluate the success and failure factors of the project. It provides recommendations for the future implementation of 15-minute city concept in Binhai.

Wendy Zheng

Urban Cultural Heritage Tourism Study in Wuxi ‘This thesis delves into the social value of heritage and investigates how it can be compromised by cultural heritage tourism.’

Cultural heritage is often regarded as a tourist resource that can make a great contribution to the society and economy of a place or community, and so many countries use it as a tool for development.

However, the development of cultural tourism brings its own challenges. This thesis delves into the social value of heritage and investigates how it can be compromised by cultural heritage tourism. Here, the social value of heritage is broadly defined as the value or special significance or value that people give to heritage sites. This thesis is also informed by a policy analysis, case studies, and questionnaire surveys in two heritage tourism precincts in Wuxi, China. The research finds that China attaches

great importance to heritage values and preservation, but there are two reasons that threaten the social value of cultural heritage. One is the excessive emphasis on economic benefits of the policy, and the other is the lack of public participation and cooperation among stakeholders in the planning process. The findings indicate that the local government of Wuxi should take the economic value as an element of social value and balance it with other social values and bring public perception into policy considerations.

UNSW Built Environment

Xiage Yang

CITY PLANNING 2021 Planning in times of uncertainty

Bachelor of City Planning (Honours)

Equitable and Fair Travel: Investigating Barrier-Free Transportation for People with Vision Impairment in Shanghai ‘For those with vision impairment, barrier-free transportation is essential for travel in order to lead independent and healthy lives.’

Transportation is a necessary process in life for everyone. There are 170 million people with vision impairment in China, about one in every hundred people. For those with vision impairment, barrier-free transportation is essential for travel in order to lead independent and healthy lives.

Barrier-free transportation is about equal human rights. It is also the embodiment of an advanced civilization. However, it is rare for people with vision impairment to travel in Shanghai. This thesis aims to investigate why this is the case. A literature review was conducted to provide a theoretical context.

Observations in the field, interviews with planners, and a policy analysis, combine to identify a range of problems. The research findings demonstrate that due to

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a lack of stringent policies, incentives and specific planning, the current barrier-free transport infrastructure fails to satisfy the needs of people with vision impairment.

Recommendations for addressing the policy problems and improving the environment conclude the research.

Xiaofan Ma

Urban Water Resources Management: The ‘Sponge City’ ‘In China, the theory of the sponge city is still in the development stage, nor is not mature in terms of theory and practice.’

In the past few years, the economic and social development of Chinese cities has been rapid, and the process of urbanization has continued to reveal new challenges.

In the context of rapidly expanding urban areas, urban infrastructure is under tremendous pressure.

Underpinning problems in natural hydrological cycles, an analysis of water resources and urban water problem governance, need a rethink.

The sponge city theory proposed by the international low-impact development concept (LID) is a means to explore methods of rainwater management and adopt sponge city policies that can guarantee urban water supply. Sponge city design and application is one of the methods to support urban ecological

rainwater management that can have a positive effect on the prevention and control of urban waterlogging. In China, the theory of the sponge city is still in the development stage nor is not mature in terms of theory and practice. This study interrogates relevant theories and policies of international sponge cities and draws on the experience of sponge cities in developed countries. In view of the urban drainage system, the layout of urban elements is rationally planned, and the urban rain and flood problems are reasonably controlled. This can better promote the research and development of sponge cities.

UNSW Built Environment

Xinlei Huang

CITY PLANNING 2021 Planning in times of uncertainty

Bachelor of City Planning (Honours)

The Four Types of Cyclists in a Chinese Cycling Environment: Shenzhen City ‘Looking at the Chinese bicycle-development trend from the Shenzhen case is positive, and a series of bicycle infrastructure plans will encourage more bicycle activities.’

The Geller typology of four types of cyclists, including Strong and Fearless, Enthused and Confident, Interested but Concern, No Way No How, is popular and used in different countries. However, it still needs to be tested in China, because the popularity of the Chinese bike-sharing system has affected the riding behaviour and riding trends of Chinese citizens.

The purpose of this paper is to evaluate whether the original classification method of Geller’s typology is applicable to the riding behaviour in China. By combining the original variable comfort level with the verified variable frequency, purpose, intention and attitude can reclassify the typology and enrich the characteristics of Chinese four types of cyclists. An online

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survey in Shenzhen City, Guangdong Province of China, found that after adding these four variables, the number of Strong and Fearless as well as Interested but Concerned cyclists decreased, and the number of No Way No How cyclists increased. Additionally, there are more residents in Shenzhen currently cycling for transport, but the general trend is towards cycling for recreation. Looking at the Chinese bicycle-development trend from the Shenzhen case is positive, and a series of bicycle infrastructure plans will encourage more bicycle activities.

Xue Cheng

Smart City: A Convenient Life for Residents ‘This thesis discusses the living environment of smart cities and reveals ‘humanism’ in urban evolution.’

Smart city is an urban form supported by the new generation of information technology and the next generation of the innovation environment in the knowledge society. Under the background of accelerating urban construction, this thesis briefly introduces the development process of the human city and the origin of the humanistic connotation of the smart city. It expounds on the humanistic spirit of the evolution of the smart city from a multidimensional perspective. This thesis discusses the living environment of smart cities and reveals ‘humanism’ in urban evolution. It proposes that smart city infrastructure, the integration of the Internet of Things and cloud-computing technology can assist in realising the

automatic control and intelligent service of people and things in real cities. The smart city has several elements, including application informatization, networking, digitization, and intelligent technology.

These elements support the scientific management of the city, people’s livelihood services, and the sustainable development of the city. At the same time, it summarizes the characteristics of smart cities, introduces the development of the internationally famous smart city, and finally looks forward to the bright future of the smart city.

UNSW Built Environment

Yijie Zhou

CITY PLANNING 2021 Planning in times of uncertainty

Bachelor of City Planning (Honours)

What Should China’s Village-Based Elderly Housing Do to Ensure the Welfare of the Elderly?

‘A particular type of retirement village, with Chinese characteristics, has been proposed and delivered in some places in China.’

In recent years, a particular type of retirement village, with Chinese characteristics, has been proposed and delivered in some places in China. The ‘retirement village’ in other countries refers to a housing development in an area for the elderly. By contrast, the Chinese retirement village is a type of ‘village-based elderly housing’ (VBEH). The VBEH aims to provide more affordable and liveable housing in rural villages, attracting elderly residents from nearby cities. Therefore, the VBEH model is a creative experiment for the Chinese government to accommodate and care for the ageing population and address the general disadvantage of rural areas. However, because villages have a range of limitations associated

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with transportation, medical facilities and community support, it may be challenging to realise the vision of VBEH. This thesis evaluates the current situation of the VBEH using site visit, interviews, and policy reviews, then explores the significance of the existing retirement village to the future development of the VBEH model. It is hoped that the research results will be used to improve the VBEH’s development objectives.

Yiyao Hu

Enjoyment in the Playground: A Survey of Children’s Playground Use in Shanghai ‘Studies have found that current playground planning is not conducive to children’s use due to insufficient policies.’

With the open implementation of China’s two-child policy, as the future of society, the growth environment of children has attracted increasing attention. As a part of urban open space, the playground often has the most direct and effective contact with children. However, the government often ignores the needs of children, as a disadvantaged group, when planning public spaces, which leads to negative consequences for children in the playground—accidental injuries, accidental injuries to children, inconvenient facilities, etc. The research refers to the literature on the impact of playgrounds on children and child-friendly cities and explores the importance of playgrounds to children.

Based on the observation of children’s

activities in the playground, this thesis discusses the main obstacles of children’s use of the playground in combination with the results of questionnaire survey. Studies have found that current playground planning is not conducive to children’s use due to insufficient policies. The paper investigates the better way to promote the development of children’s playgrounds, so as to provide greater convenience for children and communities.

UNSW Built Environment

Yuchen Sima

CITY PLANNING 2021 Planning in times of uncertainty

Bachelor of City Planning (Honours)

Outdoor Recreational Spaces for the Elderly in Gusu District ‘To cope with the global trend of population aging, it is important to study planning strategies for the elderly.’

The problem of population aging is a global crisis, and it is an indispensable part of the city-planning framework for the construction of an elderly friendly city and the protection of the welfare of the elderly. Since China’s fifth census in November 2000, China entered an aging society purporting an aging growth rate higher than the world average. To cope with the global trend of population aging, it is important to study planning strategies for the elderly. This thesis is based on a literature review and in-depth interviews with government personnel, urban planning professionals, and community managers, to understand the public facilities of outdoor recreational spaces for the elderly. This thesis takes Gusu

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District of Suzhou City as a site for analysis and research. The recommendations in this thesis indicate that it is necessary to improve and widely publicize and popularize the construction of an elderly friendly environment and improve departmental-linkage mechanisms to achieve progress in the social wellbeing of the elderly.

Yuqing Zhou

Equality of Access to Green Infrastructures in Jianghan District, Wuhan, China ‘Although the Wuhan government has already taken some action on providing equitable access to quality green spaces, that is still not enough.’

Green infrastructure is always playing an important role in public health and wellbeing, as it can provide opportunities for people to interact with the natural environment and it has a high value in the built environment. This thesis is going to discuss social justice in urban greening and the study of the accessibility of green infrastructure for all social groups. The research and investigation in this thesis will be undertaken in Jianghan District in Wuhan, China, through an analysis of current green infrastructure planning policies. Literature review, policy analysis, map survey, and site observation have been chosen as key research methodologies.

The result from this thesis demonstrates that although the Wuhan government has

already taken some action on providing equitable access to quality green spaces, that is still not enough. There are gaps in the implementation of policies that are indicative of challenges that remain in providing green infrastructure.

Based on key findings, this thesis provides recommendations on the green-infrastructure related policies in Wuhan, then contributes to addressing the disparity of access to the green infrastructure in Wuhan.

UNSW Built Environment

Zoe Halpin

CITY PLANNING 2021 Planning in times of uncertainty

Bachelor of City Planning (Honours)

Experimenting with Streets: The Implementation of ‘Tactical Urbanism’ in Response to COVID-19 in Sydney ‘Tactical urbanism provided an extraordinarily agile response to the pandemic, ensuring that the built environment could support changing community needs.’

The COVID-19 pandemic has catalysed a rethinking of how we design and plan for streets and public spaces. Importantly, it has led to an increased need for quality public space to accommodate physical distancing, diverse outdoor activities, and safer mobility options. Given that streets make up 80 per cent of public space (NACTO 2013), designing streets for people is crucial. However, in the delivery of people-centred street-design approaches, the current planning system is often criticised as being ‘clunky’, due to extensive approvals processes, red tape, and intricate coordination between multiple agencies and actors. ‘Tactical urbanism’ provided an extraordinarily agile response to the pandemic, ensuring

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that the built environment could support changing community needs. Legislative changes were enacted to allow the quick implementation of experimental, pop-up street interventions, echoing a global trend towards road-space reallocation. Through undertaking a literature review, case-study analysis, and in-depth interviews, this thesis explores how tactical urbanism has been implemented in Sydney in response to COVID-19. Findings of this research suggest ways that the NSW planning system and its various actors can leverage upon this tactical approach to not only recover from the pandemic, but to provide innovative solutions to future urban challenges.

CITY PLANNING 2021 Planning in times of uncertainty

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UNSW Built Environment

University of New South Wales Master of City Planning Message from the Course Convenor

84

Graduating Class 2021

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Student Theses

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UNSW Built Environment Master of City Planning

Message from the Course Convenor Professor Robert Freestone Course Convenor, UNSW Built Environment

CITY PLANNING 2021 Planning in times of uncertainty

Faculty of Arts, Design and Architecture

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The breadth and liveliness of contemporary planning concerns are again well captured in the topics pursued by our Master of City Planning students in 2021. They range across diverse subjects: planning system reform, affordable housing, green space, transportation, community health and many more.

I would also particularly like to collectively thank the many people who participated in student interviews and surveys. This is invaluable input, and our interviewees not only gave their time generously but offered, as always, vital insights that help ground the practicality of the research findings.

In the process, the theme of this year’s catalogue—planning in an unpredictable world—is also amply on display. COVID-19 could scarcely be avoided, and its likely impact on issues such as employment location and regional development was hard to ignore.

Some students begin the Planning Thesis course with some understandable trepidation. But they finish it with a tremendous sense of achievement to match a much-enriched understanding of their self-chosen topic. The whole thesis experience, from devising a project to carrying it out and writing it up, undoubtedly enhances their expertise for the successful professional careers that now await them. That much is certain in an unpredictable environment. The challenges of 2021 have also instilled more of the personal resilience required in the years ahead.

The pandemic certainly disrupted thesis research this year, as it did in 2020. A number of our Chinese students were forced to continue their studies offshore because they could not return to Sydney. The majority of classes continued to be held online and the COVID lockdown in Sydney from late June caused further difficulties: the closure of libraries and archives, the difficulties of carrying out fieldwork, and the dependence on remote interviews.

Under these adversities, our students have done remarkably well in producing an impressive assemblage of mostly applied studies relating to Sydney, regional New South Wales, Canberra, and various Chinese cities. This is especially so given that the Planning Thesis is already one of the most challenging courses that Master of City Planning students complete as an intensive and independent ten-week investigation.

In 2021, a total of thirty-one students successfully completed the course, of which about one third remained overseas for the duration.

On behalf of all the students, I extend sincere thanks to the numerous people who contributed to the Planning Thesis course this year, notably, the individual supervisors and examiners drawn mainly from colleagues from the Planning Program and City Futures Research Centre. Particular thanks go to Dr Peter Williams who convened the class in Term 1.

Professor Robert Freestone, MCP Course Convenor (PLAN7149)

UNSW Built Environment CITY PLANNING 2021 Planning in times of uncertainty

Master of City Planning

Master of City Planning Graduating Class of 2021

Alexander Speers

Antony O’Meara

Casey Joshua

Dikshitha Yuvanesan

Elissa Martin

Jie Zhang

Karmen Leong

Matthew Jessup

Md Hasibul Kabir

Niket Khandelwal

Simon Coleman

Siteng Ma

Talia Rappoport

Thomas Awford

Tian Lai

Ziying Deng

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Feiyue Hong

Felicity Shonk

Grace Walker

Harvey Davies

Jiajun Cai

Parisa Sheikhi Ghahi

Peter Johns

Pranaykumar Jetani

Ritwick Priyadarshi

Runze Wang

Vivian Hieu Tran

Wal Mullany

Xinjie Li

Yuancheng Ke

Yuanhong Zeng

UNSW Built Environment

Alexander Speers

Incentive-Based Approaches to Increasing Affordable Housing: A Policy Evaluation of Recent NSW State Government Planning Policies ‘This thesis investigates the role of incentive-based planning approaches to generate affordable housing through a policy evaluation of the ARHSEPP and the potential impacts of the recently proposed Housing SEPP.’

CITY PLANNING 2021 Planning in times of uncertainty

Master of City Planning

Current pressure across the housing system is resulting in a lack of affordable rental housing. Accordingly, NSW state government approaches to increase affordable housing stock over the past decade have focused on encouraging private sector development through planning system levers. The primary inventive-based planning approach has been the Affordable Rental Housing State Environmental Planning Policy 2009 (ARHSEPP). However, the ARHSEPP was implemented with no monitoring mechanisms or affordability requirements to measure its outcomes, impact and effectiveness. This thesis investigates the role of incentive-based planning approaches to generate affordable housing through a policy evaluation of

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the ARHSEPP and the potential impacts of the recently proposed Housing SEPP. It draws on recent studies, a policy evaluation, interviews with stakeholders and stakeholder submissions on the new SEPP. Findings suggest that incentive-based approaches to increasing affordable housing delivery by the private sector have been ineffective and only generated a modest number of affordable dwellings. More proactive planning policies are required, including additional subsidies and grants to make affordable housing delivery financially sustainable for non-government actors, including community housing providers. Finally, more direct government intervention in the new reforms is required to incentivise housing providers and developers to deliver significant amounts of affordable and diverse housing.

Tony O’Meara

Design Excellence in Affordable Housing: A Case Study of Built Works within the City of Sydney ‘In the context of increased government insistence for design excellence, this thesis examines its impact on the financial feasibility and design quality of affordable housing projects within the City of Sydney.’

Sydney is Australia’s least affordable city with low- and moderate-income earners most severely impacted. As one of the most progressive local councils supporting affordable rental housing, the City of Sydney is still struggling to meet growing demand. The focus on essential workers during the pandemic has further highlighted their importance to how cities function, yet many cannot afford to live close to work. In the context of increased government insistence for design excellence, this thesis examines its impact on the financial feasibility and design quality of affordable housing projects within the City of Sydney. Consideration is given to how design innovation, smart material selections and efficient construction methods can be translated

to future affordable housing projects or act as demonstrator projects to other providers.

A case study method is adopted to critically review three recent built projects. This draws on fieldwork observations, desktop research, literature reviews, and interviews with architects and affordable housing providers.

Each case offers a unique insight into the creative thinking and process of designing affordable housing but also highlights the pressures faced in delivering affordable housing in the right locations. The thesis concludes with a discussion on the implication of design excellence in the process.

UNSW Built Environment

Casey Joshua

Integrity, Transparency and Public Confidence: A Case Study of the NSW Independent Planning Commission ‘Planning panels are a tool to address concerns about corruption but have been criticised as a mechanism to deflect shortcomings in the planning system.’

CITY PLANNING 2021 Planning in times of uncertainty

Master of City Planning

Planning systems have been subject to sustained critique and reform over recent decades. In New South Wales, the Environmental Planning and Assessment Act 1979 has been amended multiple times. This has created a complex planning system often criticised for causing approval delays, increasing costs and uncertainty to developers, and a lack of public confidence. As one response, the idea of independent planning panels is to employ experts to provide advice or make decisions on contentious developments.

Drawing on the theoretical ideas of Brenner, Swyngedouw and Allmendinger & Haughton, these planning panels are conceptualised as governments rescaling power to create new ‘soft space’ authorities

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with ‘fuzzy boundaries’ to other jurisdictions to diffuse power (and responsibility). Planning panels are a tool to address concerns about corruption but have been criticised as a mechanism to deflect shortcomings in the planning system. This thesis examines the use of planning panels through a case study of the NSW Independent Planning Commission (IPC). Interviews were conducted with key stakeholders alongside media and policy content reviews. The results confirm the view that the IPC plays an important role in maintaining the integrity of the decisionmaking process and is successful in increasing transparency and public confidence. However, the public hearing process, reporting and governance structures within the IPC could all be improved.

Dikshitha Yuvanesan

Planning for People with Dementia ‘Planners have a responsibility to create an equitable and inclusive environment for everyone, including those with dementia.’

Every human body undergoes multiple changes with ageing. One such deleterious effect of getting older is the deterioration of cognitive abilities, including memory loss and thinking, which can be a symptom of dementia.

Dementia is manifested in a collection of symptoms such as changes in mood or behaviour, physical ailments, sensory impairments and cognitive disfunction.

Dementia is the single greatest cause of disability in older Australians (aged sixtyfive years or older) and is the third leading cause of disability burden. Not all aged people are affected by this condition, which can also afflict those in early middle life. While significant numbers of dementia sufferers are confined to aged

care facilities, many still live at home and want to be as independent as possible. Planners have a responsibility to create an equitable and inclusive environment for everyone, including those with dementia. This study explores the qualities of a dementia-friendly environment to support people with dementia living in the community. A comprehensive audit instrument was devised and used on a case study site in Sydney’s south where residents experience a high incidence of dementia. The research findings and methods provide guidance for Australian planners developing dementiafriendly urban communities.

UNSW Built Environment

Elissa Martin

A City Built for One: Social Connection in the Age of Solo Living ‘Current projections estimate that lone-person households in Greater Sydney will outnumber traditional nuclear families by 2026, with solo dwellers already accounting for over 37 per cent of households in Inner Sydney.’

CITY PLANNING 2021 Planning in times of uncertainty

Master of City Planning

Single-person households in Australian cities, as in many cities around the world, are on the rise. Current projections estimate that lone-person households in Greater Sydney will outnumber traditional nuclear families by 2026, with solo dwellers already accounting for over 37 per cent of households in Inner Sydney. The rising prevalence of solo living has attracted considerable research attention in recent years, particularly surrounding the impact of living alone on health and wellbeing.

However, whilst some have drawn links between the so-called ‘loneliness epidemic’ of recent decades and the increase in single-person households, others assert that solo living can, in fact, improve mental health and social connection.

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This thesis investigates the influence of living alone on experiences of social connection and loneliness for Sydney residents. Through analysis of existing survey data, the extent of this impact has been assessed and at-risk groups have been identified. In order to more accurately comprehend their lived experience, in-depth interviews have been undertaken with representatives from each of these groups.

Based upon these findings, a number of key policy reforms are recommended with the goal of providing for improved social connection and decreased loneliness for single-person households in Sydney.

Feiyue Hong

Urban Street Planning to Build the Healthy City: A Case Study of Liaoyuan City (China) ‘Street planning, as the main framework of urban planning and development, is facing new challenges to support, guide and adapt to the healthy development of the city.’

The street is an important part of urban infrastructure accommodating urban functions such as traffic, transportation and many daily interactions. With the rapid development of urbanization and increase in the number of motor vehicles, a series of negative urban problems has eventuated such as congestion and environmental deterioration. The situation of people and motor vehicles competing for road space has gradually become a concern of the government and the public. At the same time, the healthy-city concept is becoming an important part of urban planning considerations. Street planning, as the main framework of urban planning and development, is facing new challenges to support, guide and adapt to

the healthy development of the city. Centring on the theme of urban street planning and the healthy city, this thesis studies the current situation of streets in small Chinese cities, concentrating on Liaoyuan City. The attributes of interest include pedestrian safety, street facilities, and street-users’ feelings. Street planning and design are analysed according to evaluation standards for healthy streets. From an urban planning perspective, and combining theory, field investigation and survey analysis, this thesis puts forward suggestions related to street accessibility, safety and comfort on urban street planning to build a healthy city.

UNSW Built Environment

Felicity Shonk

Making Space for Manufacturing: Informing Economic and Planning Policy Responses ‘What do changes in technology and global competitiveness mean at a local level to inform economic policy and land use planning strategies including the vision for a 30-minute city?’

CITY PLANNING 2021 Planning in times of uncertainty

Master of City Planning

The way in which we understand and plan for industrial activity in post-industrial cities has shifted in recent years from a focus on de-industrialisation towards retaining industrial precincts in recognition of their critical role in the functioning of cities. However, policy responses have yet to fully consider the potential for emerging technology to fundamentally change the global competitiveness and locational preferences for innovative manufacturing activity with automation, digital technology and artificial intelligence overcoming higher labour costs in developed economies. In Australia, advanced manufacturing has the potential to strengthen national prosperity. COVID-19 and geopolitical tensions have highlighted

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the value of existing manufacturing capabilities in supporting resilience and national security.

What do changes in technology and global competitiveness mean at a local level to inform economic policy and land use planning strategies, including the vision for a 30-minute city? Appreciating the drivers of locational decisions for small manufacturing businesses alongside the characteristics of emerging innovative manufacturing firms helps to understand future demand and planning for a resurgence of innovative manufacturing activity within post-industrial cities. This thesis’ focus on existing and proposed policy responses in Sydney, including experiences of implementation at the local level, helps to inform future economic and planning policy at state and federal government levels.

Grace Walker

Indigenous-Conscious Planning Practices in Local Government: A Case Study of Sutherland Shire ‘A case study of Sydney’s Sutherland Shire examines greater opportunities for the local authority in the preservation of Indigenous sites of significance.’

Urban planning and development assessment practices in Australia are experiencing change through increasing recognition of sites of strong historical significance to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities. The dynamics of planning in local government within New South Wales have seen major impacts on the preservation and recognition of sites with strong Indigenous significance.

In the Greater Sydney region there have been instances of both good and poor planning and management around sites of Indigenous significance. The latter have been detrimental to the preservation of these sites. Through improved recognition of sites of Indigenous significance, there is the opportunity to ensure better planning

outcomes. A case study of Sydney’s Sutherland Shire examines greater opportunities for the local authority in the preservation of Indigenous sites of significance. Better access to resources and information highlights the opportunity to improve Indigenous-conscious planning practices in local government to ensure that future planning reduces negative impacts on these sites. A key action is providing resources and information to future planners to ensure that the development assessment process engages with the local Indigenous community through more in-depth practices. Through these dynamics there is an opportunity to change outmoded practices in planning and assessment.

UNSW Built Environment

Harvey Davies

The Spatial Logic of Electric Vehicle (EV) Charging Infrastructure ‘A major underlying cause of the disparity in Australian and overseas EV sales is due to public policy and government inaction on policies, rather than consumer sentiment.’

CITY PLANNING 2021 Planning in times of uncertainty

Master of City Planning

Vehicle technology has significantly improved over recent decades in Australia. Countless lives have been saved through the implementation of technologies such as anti-lock braking systems and airbags, while, additionally, the transition from leaded to unleaded fuels has drastically reduced air pollution.

The next evolutionary stage in vehicle technology is undoubtedly the transition towards electric vehicles (EVs). However, Australia has already fallen behind most other developed countries in uptake. A major underlying cause of the disparity in Australian and overseas EV sales is due to public policy and government inaction on policies, rather than consumer sentiment.

This thesis argues that we cannot reach

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goals such as net-zero by 2050 without decarbonising the transport sector. To drive consumers to purchase EVs, an abundance of EV charging stations must be implemented across NSW to prevent purchase barriers such as ‘range anxiety’. This thesis conducts a Geographic Information System (GIS) case study analysis on two global leading cities of EV uptake: Oslo (Norway) and San Francisco (United States) to understand the spatial logic of EV charging infrastructure. A similar analysis is performed on Greater Sydney to investigate guiding spatial principles for locating and implementing EV charging infrastructure. As EV uptake is beginning to increase in Australia, this thesis highlights key spatial planning aspects of EV charging infrastructure.

Jiajun Cai

Effect of Road Traffic on Air Pollution after COVID-19 Lockdowns: A Case Study of Fuzhou High-Tech District in China ‘This thesis evaluates the effectiveness and limitations of measures to restrict traffic flow by analysing the relationship between traffic volumes and air quality.’

The increasing concentration of human activities in cities has led to a decline in air quality, which has a negative impact on the lives and health of people. Traffic pollution is one of the important factors affecting air quality. At present, the world is facing the challenge of the COVID-19 virus, mainly through the implementation of strict lockdown measures to prevent the spread of the disease. This thesis evaluates the effectiveness and limitations of measures to restrict traffic flow by analysing the relationship between traffic volumes and air quality. Pre-epidemic data are based on the collection of non-rainy days in 2017.

Subsequent data were collected during the outbreak in Fuzhou from 10 to 28 September 2021. The data set comprises

indicators of pollution (concentration of NO, NO2, NOx, PM2.5, PM10), traffic counts and meteorological information. These data are analysed through statistical tests, correlation analysis and multiple linear regression models. The analysis shows that vehicle flow has a significant impact on atmospheric concentrations of NO, NO2 and NOx in the air quality. From this perspective, measures to restrict traffic flow can be effective in improving air quality.

UNSW Built Environment

Jie Zhang

Sustainable Urban Green-Space Management: A Case Study of Jing’an Park in Shanghai (China) ‘There is still a lack of sustainable and innovative urban green space management, and the promotion of public participation and public–private partnership mode in public space needs to be optimized.’

CITY PLANNING 2021 Planning in times of uncertainty

Master of City Planning

In recent years, as the process of urbanization continues to accelerate, citizens’ demand for urban green space continues to increase while spatial planning strategies are undergoing breakthroughs and reforms in China. More attention is being paid to urban green space. There is still a lack of sustainable and innovative urban green space management, and the promotion of public participation and public–private partnership mode in public space needs to be optimized. Green space plays an important role in alleviating the negative impacts of urbanization. For cities to benefit from green spaces, it is essential to maintain the functionality and high quality of these spaces. However, lack of experience and immature management

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or planning can cause unavoidable losses and poor visitor experiences. Low-quality green space not only constrains good urban development but also represents a waste of resources. This thesis applies the concept of place-keeping to evaluating urban green spaces. It analyses Shanghai Jing’an Park in terms of governance, partnership, policy and strategy, funding, design and management, and evaluation, place characteristics and user experience. This thesis draws on the successful experience of European countries in adopting the place-keeping framework, and the research results provide reference value for the management and upgrading of green space systems in other cities in China.

Karmen Leong

Implications of COVID-19 Pandemic on Decentralisation and Regional Planning in Australia ‘This pandemic not only brings an international economic recession, it also affects everyday life, population behaviour, physical and mental health and, ultimately, directions for city planning and development.’

High density compact cities and urban agglomeration are twenty-first-century metropolitan-planning orthodoxy.

However, a new global pandemic has caused huge impacts and threatened millions of lives worldwide. This pandemic not only brings an international economic recession, it also affects everyday life, population behaviour, physical and mental health and, ultimately, directions for city planning and development. As a result, a new trend toward rural lifestyles is evident in relation to the higher COVID-19 infection rate and tightened restrictions in large cities, including in Australia.

This has seen increased purchase of detached dwellings, suggesting a shift of attitude from urbanisation to counter-

urbanisation. Using Bathurst and Byron Shire in New South Wales as case study regions, this thesis investigates the impact of accelerating regional migration during the global pandemic and considers the population and development impacts. It draws on literature reviews, an online survey with regional local residents, and interviews with regional council planners.

Findings suggest a positive impact to the regional economy but that regional housing markets, employment and current local infrastructure are under significant pressure from population growth. Recommendations for a more sustainable policy on the future of regional NSW development and growth are made.

UNSW Built Environment

Matthew Jessup

Linking Land Use and Water Use Planning through Governance Frameworks ‘This thesis explores the relationship between water and land use planning and analyses how these two, traditionally siloed, disciplines can be interlinked through the implementation of appropriate governance frameworks.’

CITY PLANNING 2021 Planning in times of uncertainty

Master of City Planning

In recent years there has been a marked transition within cities at global scale to move away from a traditional urban water-management paradigm, which focuses on highly centralised and reactive water-management systems, towards a more integrated approach, typically labelled Integrated Water Cycle Management (IWCM). A critical element of IWCM is the governance frameworks that seek to integrate water and land use planning. This thesis explores the relationship between water and land use planning and analyses how these two, traditionally siloed, disciplines can be interlinked through the implementation of appropriate governance frameworks. It is found that service planning frameworks

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to link land use and water planning have the objective of enabling the proactive planning of water infrastructure (potable water, recycled water, wastewater and stormwater) to keep pace with the growth of cities and regions.

These collaborative processes seek to reduce siloing and achieve positive urban amenity outcomes for the benefit of the community.

This thesis analyses two Sydney case studies to demonstrate the practical application of governance frameworks to integrate water use and land use planning. Through this analysis it is clear that governance frameworks have come a long way with greater coordination at the strategic level. However, there remains a lack of legislative mechanisms to ensure that the two disciplines are properly integrated.

Md Hasibul Kabir

Voluntary Planning Agreements (VPAs): An Assessment of NSW Practice ‘The increasing and widespread reliance on VPAs has received mixed views from the planning profession and developers.’

Planning Agreements, known as Voluntary Planning Agreements (VPAs) in NSW, are legal documents between planning authorities and developers established under the Environmental Planning and Assessment Act 1979 (EP&A Act) in 2005. Planning agreements provide public benefits by funding or providing public facilities, services and infrastructure to manage and support urban growth and development. VPAs were created as a flexible and innovative tool to complement the traditional developer contributions system for delivering infrastructure and public benefits in NSW. Since their inception, the use of VPAs by local councils has increased significantly.

However, the increasing and widespread

reliance on VPAs has received mixed views from the planning profession and developers.

On the one hand, VPAs have received support for delivering various public benefits, including open space, affordable housing, sports fields, community centres, libraries, and many other facilities since 2005. On the other hand, VPAs have received criticism as an arbitrary, nontransparent and less-accountable mechanism with a perception of ‘development for sale’.

This thesis investigates examples of VPAs to understand whether the purposes of VPAs set in the EP&A Act are met and whether VPAs are delivering better public benefits than traditional forms of developer contributions.

UNSW Built Environment

Niket Khandelwal

Citizen Participation and Perception of Indore Smart City (India) ‘This thesis evaluates the concept of the smart city, assessing the importance of citizen participation and perception in the planning, implementation and management of the smart city project in Indore.’

CITY PLANNING 2021 Planning in times of uncertainty

Master of City Planning

The increasing number of people in urban settings and technological advancement have been pushing cities to find sustainable solutions to make life better. The smart city has been presented as a solution and has become attractive to many cities worldwide. The Indian government has endorsed the idea and has rolled out a national program for one hundred smart cities. Indore qualified because of a high population which has affected the city’s sustainable development over the years.

However, program implementation over the past three years has been slow and most projects are still pending, with only 20 per cent completed. Various issues are slowing down the project, including lawsuits, financial issues, and governance.

[Image credit:] Courtesy Ar. Sagar Jagwani

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This thesis evaluates the concept of the smart city, assessing the importance of citizen participation and perception in the planning, implementation, and management of the smart city project in Indore. The study utilises both qualitative and quantitative methodologies. A case study approach in the first part evaluates smart city Indore against the Giffinger (et al.

2007) model of smart cities. The second part draws on stakeholder interviews to assess the perception and participation of various professionals and citizens. The thesis develops the proposition for building a smart city with greater community involvement.

Parisa Sheikhi Ghahi

Sydney’s Adoption of Hostile Design Interventions ‘The research results indicate that the City Sydney is generally not aggressively hostile towards its users.’

Following a controversial installation of anti-homeless spikes in an alcove of a high-end apartment in South London in 2014, hostile design has had an increasing presence in news articles expressing outrage. Although this sort of design is used in many countries, it has not undergone systematic analysis, and only in recent years have academics from disparate disciplinary perspectives joined the conversation. There is no single definition for hostile design or a criterion to distinguish hostile elements. However, one preliminary definition is ‘objects within public spaces that have the effect of targeting vulnerable groups, and which have garnered criticism (or should be criticised) for this hostility’ (Rosenberger

2019). This thesis develops criteria based on existing literature, through the lens of Henri Lefebvre’s ‘right to the city’, to assess prominent retail, transport, tourism and nighttime economy locations in the City of Sydney.

Field research reveals that although hostile urban furniture such as benches with handles in the middle, bollards and pig ears on ledges appear in the local area, not all have been implemented by Sydney City Council. Overall, the research results indicate that the City of Sydney is generally not aggressively hostile towards its users. However, the Council’s authority over urban furniture in privatelyowned public spaces needs to be further explored.

UNSW Built Environment

Peter Johns

Urban Green Space Areas in Compact Cities: Challenges and Strategies for Canberra ‘Compact city policies are becoming the planning norm in metropolitan cities which is placing increasing pressure on urban green-space areas to deliver wellbeing and ‘just city’ outcomes.’

CITY PLANNING 2021 Planning in times of uncertainty

Master of City Planning

Urban green space is a critical component of cities. Urban green space fulfils a number of health, environmental and ecological functions that deliver individual and community benefits. Compact city policies are becoming the planning norm in metropolitan cities which is placing increasing pressure on urban green-space areas to deliver wellbeing and ‘just city’ outcomes. This thesis explores how the urban policy of densification has affected urban open-space areas within three suburbs of the ‘bush capital’ Canberra.

Quantitative and qualitative approaches are used to gather information on usage and community perceptions of urban green space. With the aim of achieving a more-inclusive response to the impacts

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of compact city policies and using a ‘just city’ yardstick, the research findings suggest possible strategies which could be adopted to provide improved urban open-space opportunities and inclusive outcomes. By being open and accessible to all, urban open spaces provide opportunities for people to connect and build a sense of community.

Pranaykumar Jetani

Exploring Electric Micro-Mobility: A Brisbane Case Study ‘This thesis explores Brisbane’s shared electric scooter model … to understand its claims as a preferred mode of transport.’

Urbanisation has led to increased emission of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases. The transportation sector in cities has exacerbated climate change. Rapid urban growth has forced us to develop more sustainable forms of transport.

Shared electric scooters are emerging as a potential sustainable transportation mode in many cities. However, how they complement or compete with current transportation modes is still not clear.

This thesis explores Brisbane’s shared electric scooter model and discusses its advantages and disadvantages to understand its claims as a preferred mode of transport. The thesis examines infrastructure issues, environmental impacts, safety concerns, and regulatory

policies to understand the shared electric scooter model. The relationship between shared electric scooters and the current transport system is assessed from a user perspective by conducting online interviews of current electric scooter users to better understand benefits and issues raised. The evaluation of interviews shows that shared electric scooters in Brisbane are completing the current transport system by filling a niche in the sector. Additionally, this thesis addresses some factors raised by electric scooter users in Brisbane, such as safety concerns, infrastructure issues, needed policy changes, and issues related to accessibility.

UNSW Built Environment

Ritwick Priyadarshi

Corruption in Land Use Planning and Development: A Longitudinal Study of Corruption Cases and Reform in New South Wales ‘There is persistent underlying concern among planners, politicians, and the public regarding the potential for corruption in land development processes across the three tiers of government.’

CITY PLANNING 2021 Planning in times of uncertainty

Master of City Planning

In Australia, there is persistent underlying concern among planners, politicians, and the public regarding the potential for corruption in land development processes across the three tiers of government. The NSW planning system is no exception.

The Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) received 2,416 complaints in 2019 and 2020 and, of these, local government heads the public sector list with 40% of total complaints, of which 20% were concerned with development applications and land rezoning. This thesis studies ICAC investigations pertaining to land use and urban planning to establish trends, patterns, and areas of concern.

The thesis adopts an empirical model to capture corruption typologies. Results

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indicate bribery (67%) to be the most pervasive corrupt conduct followed by conflict of interest (26%), abuse of discretion (26%), and cronyism (21%). A total of 79% of corrupt conduct took place during the preliminary phase of ‘regulation and planning’ followed by ‘construction and other works’ at 21%. Developers (56%) and facilitators (36%) engaged in corrupt conduct with public agents, which adversely affected the structural and physical form of the built environment. Building upon the historical backdrop of anti-corruption reforms, this thesis makes several policy recommendations.

Runze Wang

Public Service Facilities in Urban Parks: A Case Study of the Giant Wild Goose Pagoda Park in Xi’an (China) ‘Parks with high service standards, good planning and maintenance can better attract tourists’ interest and improve visitation rates.’

Urban open space is one of the key components of modern cities. Parks large and small have positive impacts in many fields, such as protecting the environment, reducing the crime rate and maintaining citizens’ health and quality of life. However, the essence of the park is to provide entertainment and leisure venues for citizens and provide convenience in daily life and social activities. Parks with high service standards, good planning and maintenance can better attract tourists’ interest and improve visitation rates.

However, not all parks are well planned and designed, and not all can provide good services for the public, especially in developing countries such as China. Due to the neglect of park management and

designers, some parks have serious problems, such as high crime rates, noise and air pollution, and an imbalance of environmental rights and obligations. Taking the Giant Wild Goose Pagoda Park as an example, this thesis will establish an evaluation model drawn from the literature based on six dimensions of cleanliness, naturalness, aesthetics, safety, access, and comfort. The model is applied to investigate the service quality of amenities to determine the status of basic public service facilities and visitor satisfaction leading to recommendations for improvement.

UNSW Built Environment

Simon Coleman

The Long-Term Impacts of Sydney’s Strategic Plans on Metropolitan Rail Development ‘Sydney’s strategic transport plans from the last century are thematically analysed based on their contemporary economic, social and cultural contexts.’

CITY PLANNING 2021 Planning in times of uncertainty

Master of City Planning

Plan making has long been a fundamental practice of the Australian bureaucracy, exemplified by government transport planning for metropolitan Sydney. The thesis considers why certain proposed rail projects come to fruition, while many others have never eventuated. Such a longitudinal understanding of the evolution of Sydney’s rail system enables an examination of paths followed and not followed. Such an approach sheds light on how Sydney has traditionally prioritised roads as the solution to the city’s transport problems at the expense of public transport. Sydney’s strategic transport plans from the last century are thematically analysed based on their contemporary economic, social and cultural contexts. This survey is

paired with historical analysis and interviews with politicians, bureaucrats, and practitioners.

The findings show that successful plans have extensive bureaucratic buy-in and deep political support. Conversely, plans that were simply the brainchild of a political actor or originated from within an isolated pocket of the bureaucracy, were unlikely to have any longterm relevance. The background economic and political context is also critical to a plan’s implementation. While neoliberal orthodoxy restricted spending on public transport, more recent neo-Keynesian thinking has encouraged rail investment.

[Image credit:] JJC Bradfield (1924) The City and Suburban Electric Railways and the Sydney Harbour Bridge. Doctoral thesis, University of Sydney

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Siteng Ma

The Effect of Urban Open Green Space on Residential Living Standards: A Case Study of Urumqi in Xinjiang ‘Urban green space planning plays an important role in connecting city dwellers and nature by mitigating the impacts of overcrowding and urbanization.’

Due to the rapid development of urbanization, nearly three-quarters of the world’s population live in urban environments. The extreme urbanization in cities distances many urban residents from contact with the natural environment.

Urban green space planning plays an important role in connecting city dwellers and nature by mitigating the impacts of overcrowding and urbanization. It has the characteristics of openness, accessibility, sociality, artificial, locality, and function, and it also produces economic benefits, cultural education, community promotion, spatial division, and other functions.

This thesis selects several urban parks in Urumqi, a medium-sized city in northwestern China to conduct a case study.

The research involved investigation of facilities inside the parks, vegetation coverage, landscape conditions, and other factors combined with a post-occupancy-evaluation questionnaire and interviews with residents.

The findings are that urban open green space can improve urban biodiversity, strengthen the contact between urban residents and nature, reduce air and noise pollution, reduce the impact of an urban heat-island effect, and reduce the incidence of diseases (e.g., diabetes, obesity, respiratory disease, and mental illness) and strengthen community cohesion. It has a strong ability to enhance residential living standards.

UNSW Built Environment

Talia Rappoport

COVID-19 Highlights the Contradictions and Limitations of Compact City Design ‘COVID-19 has … presented a unique opportunity to rethink how to best replan our cities in ways that enhance the lives of those who live within them.’

CITY PLANNING 2021 Planning in times of uncertainty

Master of City Planning

The main objectives of compact city design are to protect and enhance community health, promote sustainable development, and strengthen social and economic prosperity through greater agglomeration and connectivity. Yet, simultaneously, the densification that compact cities demand has led to unfavourable living and working conditions, such as the urban heat island effect, the sick-building syndrome, concentrated greenhouse gas emissions, poor air quality and increased physiological stress. All of these have arguably negatively impacted the individuals who inhabit urban environments. Given that many employees who work within the knowledge economy in the Sydney CBD now have the choice to work where

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they please, they have re-evaluated their priorities and assessed which environment best optimises their efficiency and physical and mental wellbeing. The aim of this thesis is thus to determine whether COVID-19 is challenging the concept of the compact city.

The central method of analysis is through a quantitative online survey, and the findings suggest that compact living is perhaps not as desirable, liveable, sustainable or economical as advocates claim. COVID-19 has, therefore, presented a unique opportunity to rethink how to best replan our cities in ways that enhance the lives of those who live within them.

Thomas Awford

Planning Restrictions and Affordable Housing: A Debate Analysis and Policy Evaluation ‘Criticism of planning highlights a development culture that prioritises maximising profits at the expense of successful urban outcomes and increasing supply.’

Affordability has become the central issue in Australian housing debates with many commentators and analysts referring to a ‘housing affordability crisis’. Concerns have been raised about the falling rate of home ownership, especially among young adults, caused by rapid house-price inflation outstripping income growth.

There has been fierce debate over the role of ‘excessive’ planning regulations as the primary cause of a perceived supply shortage supposedly at the heart of the crisis. On one side are developers and a group of economists driven by the dominant neoliberal paradigm, arguing that less regulation and ‘red tape’ is the solution. The planning industry counterposes this position, denouncing

the scapegoating of planning restrictions as central to rising unaffordability. I review the motivations and beliefs underlying both positions, assessing the claims and rebuttals made by each side by critically analysing the supporting evidence. Specific aspects of the planning system implicated as restrictive are explored. Potential impacts and feasibility of proposals from the NSW Government and neoliberal institutes are assessed, drawing upon semi-structured interviews with planning practitioners, academics and urban designers.

Criticism of planning highlights a development culture that prioritises maximising profits at the expense of successful urban outcomes and increasing supply.

UNSW Built Environment

Tian Lai

Optimization of Slow Space around Rail Transit Stations: A Case Study of Rail Transit Central Stations in Beijing.

‘The slow space around rail transit stations has problems such as mixed functions, poor spatial continuity, and lack of systematic planning.’

CITY PLANNING 2021 Planning in times of uncertainty

Master of City Planning

China’s urban rail transit has entered the stage of large-scale centralized construction. This has resulted in significant impacts on current urban spaces dominated both by motor vehicle traffic and by urban design oriented to public transportation or ‘slow traffic’. This urban slow space—including pedestrian and bicycle traffic—has become an important way for residents to travel to and from rail transit stations and is also a significant factor affecting the rail transit ride rate. However, the slow space around rail transit stations has problems such as mixed functions, poor spatial continuity, and lack of systematic planning. This thesis focuses on the experience of users in slow traffic spaces. Taking continuity,

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safety, convenience, and comfort as evaluation criteria, the thesis establishes an evaluation model for the use of slow space around major rail transit stations. With typical traffic stations in Beijing as case studies, the thesis conducts a survey to evaluate user satisfaction and derives an optimization plan to determine the feasibility of slow space design improvements.

The findings serve as a reference for the governance and optimization of other slow spaces in China.

Vivian Hieu Tran

Disability and Planning: An Evaluation of Disability-Inclusion Action Plans in Greater Sydney ‘People with disabilities experience many barriers accessing the city, reducing their participation in every aspect of society.’

To achieve an inclusive city, planners must ensure everyone has the same rights, opportunities and access to services and infrastructure. People with disabilities experience many barriers accessing the city, reducing their participation in every aspect of society. In response to the growing awareness of this inequality, Australian disability policy and planning have undergone significant reform. In New South Wales, the most notable change is the implementation of the Disability Inclusion Act 2014 which mandates Disability Inclusion Action Plans (DIAPs) for local and state government. In 2018, the NSW Department of Family and Community Services commissioned the Sax Institute to comprehensively review

DIAPs. However, the review did not analyse how plans specifically incorporated built environment considerations. This thesis seeks to address this gap. Using an in-depth audit of local DIAPs across the Greater Sydney region, the thesis injects understandings of how urban planning interventions can increase the accessibility of the built environment, thereby encouraging inclusive practices. This study finds that Greater Sydney councils readily engage with the built environment in their DIAPS but that there is a clear lack of urban planning initiatives.

UNSW Built Environment

Wal Mullany

To What Extent Has Regional Development Policy Achieved the Objective of Promoting Regional Development in Australia and New South Wales?

‘The thesis highlights the importance of promoting a coherent national policy for developing Australia’s regional towns and cities.’

CITY PLANNING 2021 Planning in times of uncertainty

Master of City Planning

Over the period from 1911 to 2016, the proportion of the Australian population in capital cities increased from 40.3% to 64.5%, and the proportion of the population in small regional towns decreased from 54.3% to 4.5%. The adverse social and economic outcomes of uneven population and wealth distribution between the major cities and regional Australia has long exercised the minds of policymakers.

The research question addressed here is to what extent has recent regional policy achieved the stated objectives with respect to regional development in New South Wales. Policies promoting decentralisation in the 1970s based on social democratic notions seeking to achieve spatial equity were replaced by more market-dependent

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policies of regionalisation from the 1980s.

Arguably, both approaches may be considered to have failed. This thesis investigates this policy failure by way of an overview of current regionalisation programs in New South Wales.

The Evocities case study seeks to highlight the challenges for regional development policy by applying the framework suggested by O’Hara (2008) who argued that six types of ‘capital’ (financial, health, cultural, asocial, social and human) are required to support economic growth. The thesis highlights the importance of promoting a coherent national policy for developing Australia’s regional towns and cities.

Xinjie Li

The Relationship between the Vitality of Urban Public Space and Urban Public Art: A Beijing Case Study ‘This thesis introduces the necessity and significance of the vitality of public space using the Public Space and Public Life Survey method to investigate the 798 Art District in Beijing.’

Urban public space is an open place for people to conduct social interactions that can meet their physiological and cultural needs. With the promotion of modern science and technology, traditional faceto-face communication is often replaced by pluralistic social network platforms.

For example, food problems can be solved through takeaway software such as EASI, travel problems can be solved through Uber, or remote chat can be conducted through social software such as Instagram. This means that social activities which used to take place in the public domain have gradually shifted to the private domain. With this change, residents’ cognition of public space has gradually changed, and its spiritual and

cultural significance is weakened. This thesis introduces the necessity and significance of the vitality of public space using the Public Space and Public Life Survey method to investigate the 798 Art District in Beijing. This method can provide a better understanding of how people use public space and explores the relationship between public art and urban vitality. The research results have significance to the development and optimization of other public spaces through public art in China.

UNSW Built Environment

Yuancheng Ke

Cultural Districts in Cultural Sustainability: A Study of Beijing Sub-Centre ‘China is building new cities and urban centres at an unprecedented pace.

Cultural districts are an attractive option to bring economy and cultural activity into these new areas.’

CITY PLANNING 2021 Planning in times of uncertainty

Master of City Planning

China is building new cities and urban centres at an unprecedented pace.

Cultural districts are an attractive option to bring economy and cultural activity into these new areas. However, the vast majority of them are not impressive due to the lack of consideration and careful planning for cultural activities. This thesis aims to enhance ways of making memorable and effective cultural districts under the philosophy and principles of cultural sustainability. The thesis studies three different cultural districts in a new Beijing Sub-Centre. Development of the Zhangjiawan, Taihu, and Songzhuang cultural districts, under the Three Towns branding strategy, provides a new paradigm to maximize collective

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effectiveness. It departs from the conventional approach of concentrating on a single place while neglecting the whole picture. Beijing has already gained the reputation and positioned itself as the culture capital of China. The emerging Beijing Sub-Centre provides an opportunity to accentuate its standing at an even larger scale. At the same time, this integrated development addresses questions about local identity and prosperity through successful cultural district planning which incorporates the Chinese philosophy and cultural values from ancient times.

Yuanhong Zeng

The Sustainable Development of Ecological Tourism in China ‘This thesis explores the sustainability of China’s tourism industry and the key factors that affect its sustainable development by using ecotourism case studies.’

With the growth of global population and the progress of economic development, society’s demand for resources continues to increase without considering the capacity of the natural environment and the speed of resource regeneration and recovery. As a result, global environmental problems have become more serious in recent decades, with resource depletion and frequent extreme weather events caused by climate change of growing concern. In this context, ecologically sustainable development, as a means of mitigation and conservation, has come to the forefront in recognition by governments, industry and society in assessing the feasibility of future development. This thesis focuses on the

development of environmental protection in the tourism industry. It explores the sustainability of China’s tourism industry and the key factors that affect its sustainable development by using ecotourism case studies. From this research, it appears that ecotourism has made positive strides in China, with a potentially optimistic picture for the future. However, the balance of ecological, economic, and social development cannot be reached without continuing commitment by planners and other decision-makers. The problems and challenges identified in these cases to promote the harmonious development of ecotourism in China need further attention.

UNSW Built Environment

Ziying Deng

Impacts of Light Rail Transit on Public Health: The L2 Randwick Line in Sydney ‘Urbanisation has triggered many public health problems, such as cancer, obesity, and mental health conditions. In response to such health issues, public transportation can play a significant role.’

CITY PLANNING 2021 Planning in times of uncertainty

Master of City Planning

Urbanisation has triggered many public health problems, such as cancer, obesity, and mental health conditions. In response to such health issues, public transportation can play a significant role.

The utilisation and attractiveness of Light Rail Transit (LRT) are both important in this regard. However, in Sydney, despite metropolitan and transportation planning, public health issues are still a challenge.

To explore this research gap, this thesis analyses the potential effects of LRT on public health and proposes suggestions for broader public health benefits. The L2 Randwick Line, a part of Sydney’s CBD and South East Light Rail, is investigated as a case study. The research methods include literature review, policy evaluation,

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semi-structured interviews with urban planners, a resident questionnaire, and onsite observations. This study’s qualitative and quantitative results reveal the potential impacts of the L2 Randwick Line on public health and residents’ attitudes towards the L2 Randwick Line. To create a healthy future, the findings offer recommendations for Sydney’s planning, design, management, and delivery of LRT.

UNSW Built Environment

City Planning Academic Staff 2021

Professor Dr Simon Pinnegar Discipline Director

CITY PLANNING 2021 Planning in times of uncertainty

Senior Lecturer Dr Christine Steinmetz Bachelor Course Convenor

Professor Dr Robert Freestone Masters Course Convenor

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Senior Lecturer Dr Brian Lee

Lecturer Benjamin Driver

Associate Professor Dr Hoon Han

Senior Lecturer Dr Laura Crommelin

Senior Lecturer Dr Ryan van den Nouwelant

Professor Dr Susan Thompson

UNSW Built Environment

Acknowledgements City Planning Discipline Director: Professor Simon Pinnegar

Bachelor of City Planning thesis Course Convenor, project coordinator, abstract, image and exhibition catalogue editor: Dr Christine Steinmetz

CITY PLANNING 2021 Planning in times of uncertainty

Master of City Planning thesis Course Convenor, project coordinator, abstract and image editor: Professor Robert Freestone Dr Peter Williams (Term One Lecturer)

Exhibition Catalogue Editor: Annie Jo Smith Exhibition Catalogue Designer: James Hargrave

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Built Environment staff and industry professionals contributing to thesis supervision and marking: Michael Bishop Romina Cavallo Associate Professor Hazel Easthope Philip Graus Scott Perugini Kelly Dr Edgar Liu Dr Oliver Lock Dr Chris Martin Dr Eveline Mussi Dr Ryan van den Nouwelant Professor Hal Pawson Professor Bill Randolph Dr Peter Williams The City Planning Program would like to acknowledge the contribution of Colin Rowan, a very dear colleague who passed away in 2020. Colin was instrumental in the original concept and production of the City Planning Exhibition catalogue and over the years he continually inspired students to think beyond a city planning lens and interpret the city through creative visual imagery.

Copyright 2021 School of Built Environment Faculty of Arts, Design & Architecture UNSW Sydney www.unsw.edu.au/ ISBN 978-0-7334-3999-5