Doing density properly

Editor's Notes

• #2: Thank you to Canberra Urban & Regional Futures for inviting me to talk at today’s forum. [I wish to acknowledge the traditional custodians of the land we are meeting on, the Ngunnawal people. I wish to acknowledge and respect their continuing culture and the contribution they make to the life of this city and this region. I would also like to acknowledge and welcome other Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people who may be attending today’s event.]
• #3: Sustainability facilitator bringing together people, information & ideas 20 years Aust Gov’t policy, management environment. industry & ageing Long-term interest in climate change & urban planning scientist, policy-maker, community member [particular focus on clear pathways to what is going to make the biggest differences to tackling the causes and effects climate change] What about you? How many of you are from Canberra? And how many are professional planners? …architects? …developers? …builders? …residents? (Hopefully everyone is a resident!)
• #4: Today I am going to talk to you briefly about 2 aspects of doing density properly: Getting the process ‘right’ – the how Getting the outcomes ‘right’ – the what
• #5: So let’s look briefly at the process of doing density properly – the how. Here I’ll be talking about community expectations and good practice. From my experience, the main things that the community want are involvement in setting policies and rules, and then trust that outcomes will be delivered as agreed.
• #6: This is what happens if you don’t do density properly. And particularly if you don’t do the process right. It’s combative and stressful for all involved. And the outcomes usually fail to meet the needs and desires of at least some of the parties involved.
• #7: And it’s usually made worse by the fact that we’re under pressure. Residents and community groups particularly feel the pressure, because they have often come in cold to a proposal and are working in a voluntary capacity, usually in their spare time, to tight deadlines.
• #8: So this is what they feel like. Stressed. Overwhelmed. Frustrated. Frazzled. Especially when there are multiple proposals all at about the same time and without a clear overarching plan, or inconsistent with one if it exists.
• #9: I suspect it’s not just residents who feel frustrated and overwhelmed…
• #10: Maybe it’s also planners…and decision-makers…and developers…and architects…and engineers…and builders too
• #11: So…how to avoid it?
• #12: Let me offer you a ray of light of how we can minimise all this tension and conflict… and get better outcomes. It’s based on what I have learned along the way
• #13: The key is openness. And that means transparency of process, goals and so on. It means open communication, rather than just the occasional – if any – very brief provision of information or consultation. And it means openness to new ideas.
• #14: Transparency is vital to doing density properly. For good outcomes, policies, regulations and rules need to be made in a way that is transparent. And the way in which those policies and rules are implemented also needs to be transparent. There cannot be two sets of policies and rules operating – one public and one for ‘insiders’. And communication also needs to be transparent – both inside organisations and with other organisations and the public.
• #15: In particular, residents (and others outside government) don’t like having to keep the government/council honest They don’t like having to fight battles to ensure that policies and rules are actually implemented. And they don’t like having to undertake cross-organisational communication – which is what happens often when it appears that Right Hand doesn’t know what Left Hand is doing
• #16: Excellent communication is, I think, a key to doing density properly. And the key to good communication is respect for the other parties. Communication must be thorough. People who are trained in project management know that communication is 1 of the 9 key elements of project management. Communication must be multi-directional – and continuing and ongoing. And it nearly always needs to be iterative. Doing density properly is not a ‘straight line’, ‘simple’ project. It’s complicated. It’s complex.
• #17: Complicated = lots of bits that need to be integrate (required technical skills)Complex = politics and people not aligned or not knowing what has to be done (requires people skillsProject = single significant deliverableProgram = multiple deliverables that need integrated to achieve a goal or benefit.
• #18: But there is help through this mess.
• #19: And that’s collaboration.
• #20: There’s actually a whole continuum of collaboration. [Up to now, most work on density occurs at the autonomy end of the continuum. Sometimes, particularly in the ACT, it ventures into co-operation and even as far as coordination. But rarely if ever does it venture into collaboration or integration.]
• #21: There’s actually a whole continuum of collaboration. [Up to now, most work on density occurs at the autonomy end of the continuum. Sometimes, particularly in the ACT, it ventures into co-operation and even as far as coordination. But rarely if ever does it venture into collaboration or integration.]
• #22: So I’d like to look a bit more closely at collaboration. Collaboration is an agreed partnership, with shared values and a shared approach. It involves a joint process to define the requirements and form solutions. And, in collaboration, community solutions are integrated and shared.
• #23: Almost by definition, collaboration is messy, and it takes time. (And that can be a challenge for people who like order, control and getting things done.)
• #24: But… Collaboration [is not a fuzzy feel good concept, it] is the ONLY way to address the complicated and complex challenges of the future.
• #25: That’s because collaboration means: doing – and being seen to be doing – consultation ‘properly’ harnessing the wisdom of crowds – no-one can know everything(?) improving relationships and breaking down barriers between planners, community and builders/developers increased project ownership and satisfaction within communities changed attitudes about what is needed in the future, what is acceptable, trade-offs, etc
• #26: So that brings us to getting the outcomes right – the what.
• #27: Let’s look first at some of the complicated and complex challenges of the future . There are quite a few. That’s why collaboration, working together to address these challenges in an integrated way, is the only way to get good outcomes.
• #28: If you were planning a new urban development, what would be your goals for addressing these challenges? They might include: comfort amenity opportunities for local community, retail and employment interactions, both formal and informal; shelter from the impacts of weather and climate change – in Canberra that particularly means buffers from westerly winds, heat and fire as well as protection from cold
• #29: It might include local conservation of uncontaminated soil, of nutrients (for example, from prunings, leaves and household organic matter), of vegetation, of biological diversity, ecosystems and ecological processes, of and wildlife corridors
• #30: If we are looking at health, amenity & community while reducing our environmental footprint, our goals would include active and public transport being the obvious transport choices, with infrastructure for cars focussed on serving the needs of people with impaired mobility.
• #31: If we are looking at lowering our environmental footprint, increasing our urban and community resiliency and mitigating against climate change, our goals could include the area being self-sufficient in a range of areas [For example in: electricity; heating and cooling; water; stormwater management; and sewage management.]
• #32: including food [They could also include provision for food-growing, with a view to self-sufficiency in fruit, vegetables and fish] Achieving goals such as the ones I have just outlined will be particularly important for mitigating against and adapting to climate change. In turn, they contribute to residents’ well-being and to economic performance. There are some excellent tools and schemes for helping meet these goals; for example, Green Star certification and Living Building Challenge 3.0.
• #34: …like these recently completed units in Kingston. I could have chosen some even newer and more boring ones in the same suburb, but these were handy.
• #35: More dense urban areas might be a lot greener, not in straight lines, with privacy, energy efficiency and buffers against the weather built in
• #36: They might include handy, accessible local farming – perhaps on the roof
• #37: Or even at the back door-step. Here we also have some additional shelter, community, safety and accessibility also built in.
• #38: They might not even be in neutral colours!
• #39: Would you rather live in one of the apartments in the foreground…or one of those in the background?
• #40: With parks and agriculture integral to an urban development, which part of this city would you rather live in?
• #41: Perhaps shelter and energy efficiency comes from being partly buried. Amenity & privacy can also be designed in.
• #42: Shelter and energy provision can also be built in. Imagine this roof facing northwest against hot winds and generating electricity!
• #43: Our streetscapes might look very different
• #45: Our streetscapes might look very different
• #46: Doing density properly means: collaborative process of planning and design focussed on integrating multiple objectives to meet community & environmental needs The process may be messy and take longer than current practices but…
• #47: the long term outcomes are more likely to be good…and that’s better for everyone!