Acting on a grand vision
07 September 2018
GBCA:
Last month the
Victorian Planning Authority
and the
City of
Melbourne released the final vision for one of the country’s most
exciting
urban renewal opportunities at
Arden, a major
precinct in North
Melbourne.
Located less than 2km from the
Melbourne CBD, the 50 hectare urban
renewal site is expected to house over 15,000 residents by 2051 and
create 34,000
jobs.
The Vision outlines a number of actions to guide the site’s
transformation into an innovation hub. A major cornerstone of the
precinct, and a catalyst for development will be an underground
Metro
Tunnel station which is expected to open in 2025. The precinct will
provide the opportunity to connect growth areas in Melbourne’s west to a
growing knowledge hub in the Docklands and Parkville, and existing
neighbourhoods in North Melbourne.
The GBCA has welcomed the Government’s vision, which has been developed
with deliberate engagement and thoughtful consideration to the rapidly
changing built environment and what people want and need from their
communities.
Packed full of actions to address key development challenges, its
release is a major step forward in Melbourne’s growth journey. However
as we learnt from
Fishermans Bend, great visions need to be underpinned
by mechanisms that move decisively on their implementation.
The Government has committed to making Arden an exemplar of sustainable
urban renewal. To achieve this, the Vision recommends the use of ‘best
practice standards’ for environmental, economic and social
sustainability in terms of both community and building design. The
Vision seeks to support both community wellbeing and the natural
environment through outcomes such as:
-
Energy efficiency, low carbon buildings and infrastructure
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An urban structure that supports active transport
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Integrated water and flood management
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High quality open spaces and green links for people and biodiversity
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Precinct wide shared energy, water and waste management systems
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Best practice waste minimisation and conversion of waste to energy
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Environmentally responsive urban design
The Vision’s reference to a
nationally recognised accreditation scheme to guide the delivery of the
precinct’s sustainability goals, is arguably one of the most important
initiatives in the strategy. Large urban renewal projects like Arden are
vital to retaining Melbourne’s precious liveability and productivity,
and implementation will depend on having a framework that translates
strategic directions into measurable outcomes
Integrating these sustainable approaches in the renewal of Arden will
require all stakeholders to work together and use a common language and
definition of ‘best practice’. We welcomed the Vision’s reference to
Green Star as an example of a nationally recognised accreditation scheme
that is need to guide the delivery of these goals, but this is only the
first step. Going forward, we look forward to working with the VPA and
the City of Melbourne to help put Arden on the front foot for achieving
its sustainability vision.
--ENDS--
Source: Green Building Council of Australia - www.gbca.org.au
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