Assessment Preparation - Urban Sprawl

1. Identify specific examples of Urban Sprawl and Consolidation in Sydney and describe how these are examples of urban sprawl (include photos). (1 of each - consolidation and sprawl)
a) URBAN SPRAWL: Ropes Crossing in Parramatta is an example of urban sprawl. Located 10km east of Penrith CBD, it is the creation of a new suburb in rural Parramatta to create more housing, schools and parklands for the growing population of Sydney. It is approximately 900 hectares of land. There were many challenges and protests against the making of Ropes Crossing. People became aware that although it would make much more housing for Sydney's population growth it was destructing natural habitats for native flora and fauna. This is an example of Urban Sprawl because it is the production of a new suburb on the outskirts of Western Sydney.
 

b) URBAN CONSOLIDATION: Warriewood Valley has been under heavy commercial, industrial and residential development during the past 17 years and it is predicted that this is merely the halfway mark. What was once a valley filled with rural areas such as; horse paddocks, is now guttered streets paved with townhouses filling the streets. Althought there has been much debate against the development of Warriewood, Pittwater council and the state government feel it is necessary to house the large population increase but the approval has not occurred yet for Meriton Apartments to built their 600 appartments, 16; 3 and 5 storey apartments costing over $100million. This is an example of consolidation because an existing area is being built on and non-detached houses are being placed there, building up the population density rather than spreading it.

 

Proposed Style of Apartments in Warriewood.

2. In one of these examples you need to identify and list all of the INVOLVED PARTIES - (NGOs, governments, individuals, businesses or groups)

For Ropes Crossing in Parramatta, Delfin had a huge influence as they were producing the suburb. The Parramatta Council also welcomed the development as it was expected to supply a huge array of job opportunities and invite new families to join the area. However, there was some arguement, the NGO known as 'Western Sydney Regional Community Care Forum' felt that valuable habitats that were home to native flora and fauna would be lost with the creation of such a suburb.

In Warriewood, the council and government played an important role. Due to its unforeseen size and height, Oceanvale Apartments by Meriton has been moved to state government matter. At the moment they are pending their decision whether to allow it  or not. The council also played a large part in the planning, they supplied information, data and suggestions to the state government so they were fully informed on their decision. Meriton is also involved in the process as they are the developers of the project. Sydney Water has stepped into the process as well as they have received reports that residents in the higher appartments will be able to see in the the local sewerage plant. Various residents have also been involved as well because they are concerned that this huge project will destroy what defines Warriewood.

3. Describe how all of these parties (at least two) are involved in this example of Urban Consolidation/Sprawl. Talk about what their interest is in this development/area of development. (At least two paragraphs for each group.)

Meriton: The developers and managers of the entire project obviously have a key influence. Many residents and Pittwater Council are strongly opposed to the idea of allowing them to build such unnecessary projects but Meriton claims that because they are only five storeys high they are not considered 'highrise' appartments and all views of the sewerage plant will be appropriately screened.

Pittwater Council: After putting so much work into the arguement against high rise apartments Pittwater Council are no longer involved. Due to its enormous price and size, the proposed Oceanvale appartments have become state matter. The council feels hurt as they had placed so much effort into a counter attack but it is no longer in their hands, all their work may be worthless.

NSW Government- Department of Planning: As the cost and size of Oceanvale apartments exceeding the control of the council, the state government for planning needed to step. They were always for the construction of the homes because of the large population increase that has ocurred recently. However, many residents and councillors feel cheated because the government and the opposition both received donations from the Meriton boss Harry Triguboff. For this reason they should not have a say in this as their opinion has been made bias by Meriton.

Sydney Water: Sydney Water needed to step into the project development as it became apparent that residents in the higher appartments could see into the sewerage plant. They have said that they do not oppose the project but simply needed to highlight the fact.

4. What are the possible responses to the issue? Or, if there has been a response already, what is/has been, the response to this issue? (at least two responses)

 There have been many responsesOceanvale apartments. Residents are concerned that their quiet suburb will become busy and traffic prone. Various groups have stated that the apartments will not fit into the environment or suburb due to its size and sense of grandeur. People also feel that apartments are not necessary  where they live and that the council planned dwellings would suit much better. However, Meriton has trumped these claims saying that young couples are their demographic, those who can not afford detached housing.

5. Evaluate the effectiveness of one of the possible responses to this instance of Urban Sprawl/Consolidation.

The responses of residents have been very effective. Protests have occurred throughout Warriewood and many complaints sent. In the end this could have a huge affect on the decision made by the state government. When they come out in large numbers, the residents can create quite a stir. The media attention surrounding the development has become huge as it greatly influences everyone in the area. If this single development goes through, it could create a pathway for many other projects in the future which is something that the once farmland, Warriewood does not want.

Jordan Springs - Questions

1. Is this an example of urban consolidation or urban sprawl? Why?
Jordan Springs is an example of urban sprawl because land ownership and homes are being built further away from the city. Jordan Springs is located in Penrith.
2. Do you think that this development is positive or negative for the surrounding community? For Sydney? For Australia?For Australia this development will allow space and housing for the increasing population. For Sydney it could mean that our urban centre is spreading thinner, more and better transport systems need to be made for this to occur successfully. Penrith will recieve an increase in job oppurtunities however, the production means that natural habitats will be destroyed for new ones to be made and various groups are against this.

9.1 Australia - The Urban Nation

Questions 1 - 12

1. Urban Sprawl is the movement of urban centres outwards to reduce population density.

2. Urban consolidation is when land within existing city's boundary is developed with high-rise apartment complexes, town houses and villa developments. 

3. A highly urbanised country is when majority of the population live in urban centres. 

4. Australia is a highly urbanised country because, it has a high population density, a high proportion of the population working in manufacturing and/or professional or service related industries and it is a centre of business, trade, tourism, entertainment and finance. 

5. The main cities of Australia are all located on the coast due to historical reasons, easier transport linking to rivers and harbours. 

6. Population density is the amount of people located per square kilometre. This is linked to urban sprawl as the population density shows how much urban sprawl has occurred. 

7. Australian cities have very small population density compared to other capital cities of the world. 

8. Urban consolidation is an advantage  over urban sprawl as it allows to have greater population density in a smaller area. 

9. Urban planners have had to be innovative in their design of apartments and new estates to manage the impacts of population growth in cities. 

10. a) Melbourne

b) Population density is calculated by dividing population by land area. 

c) Population Density - 1. Sydney, 2. Melbourne, 3. Adelaide, 4, Wollongong, 5. Perth, 6. Gold Coast, 7. New Castle, 8. Canberra, 9. Brisbane, 10. Gosford

d) 80%

11. The construction of the apartments in this area will have caused many issues to the residents of the detached houses. The creation of high rise apartments would have caused the loss of views and the increase of noise within a once quiet suburb. An example of some residents in stress over high rise apartments is "no high rise in Ku-ringai". 

12. There are many advantages of having a housing estate is the freedom. Freedom of having more space, having a backyard and not being concerned of sharing a wall with others. A disadvantage is that you have no view and the facilities available in apartments are not available to you. 

Urban Renew and Decay

• Define the following terms and include an example of each and explain how your example relates the word:
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• Aesthetics - 
• Aesthetics are the way in which something looks and/or is perceived. 
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• The Beijing Opera House (also known as 'the egg')
• The Beijing Opera House is an example of something that was designed for aesthetics. They made the opera house with the lake around it so it would look whole and egg shaped. 
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• Safety - 
• Having a reduced risk of injury, illness, danger or loss of life. 
• 
• The Taipei 101 skyscraper in Taiwan
• This building was made as a safe structure to withstand the frequent earthquakes that occur in Taiwan. Buildings like these have begun to be made in countries vulnerable to earthquakes such as New Zealand. 
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• Slums - 
• A slum is a thickly populated, run-down, squalid part of a city, inhabited by poor people. 
• 
• One of the largest slums in the world, located in Mumbai 
• The amount of decay and terrible conditions that people who live in slums live with is practically equal to living on the street. Their houses run next to sewers and the people inside the places are often exposed to vicious diseases. 
• 
  

• Decay - 
• Urban decay is a process by which a city, or a part of a city, falls into a state of disrepair and neglect. It is characterized by depopulation, economic reconstructing, property abandonment, high unemployment fragmented families, political disenfranchisement, crime, and desolate urban landscapes.
• 
• An example of urban decay.
• This picture, showing an example of urban decay, portrays the amount of waste can be produced from it. After being abandoned, parts begin to weather and infestations and creatures take over. 
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• Reconstruction and renewal - 
• Areas devastated by war or invasion challenge urban planners. Resources are scarce. The existing population has needs; buildings, roads, services and basic infrastructure like power, water and sewerage.
• 
• A city plan for Kabul (post-war)
• After the wreckage of war, many towns needed to re-established lost homes and resources. Kabul is an example of the planning of the rebuilding of a city area. 
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• Transport - 
• Transport is to carry, move, or convey from one place to another.
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• A busy train station.
• With a growing population, transport becomes more and more necessary in society's day to day lives, but is the Australian government doing enough to control the influx of people travelling by public transport?
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• Suburbanization - 
• To suburbanize is to make a place look more like suburbia as well as being used as a suburb. 
• 
• By planning an area, suburbanization can be controlled and specified to a particular area. This picture shows the plan of a suburb created away from urban areas. 
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• Environmental factors - 
• Environment protection and conservation are of utmost importance to many planning systems across the world.
• 
• Even though urbanization is almost inevitable with the amount of population increase, by keeping certain environmental factors, area and city planners can control and lessen the amount of pollution and environmental impact they cause. 
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• Light and sound - 
• Light and sound can affect the distance from houses and their neighbours as well as the distance in width of the street. 
• 
• They flight path of airplanes can affect where a house might be built as well as how the house would be built. For example; including double glazed windows to reduce noise pollution into the house. 

7.8 Dune Revegation at Stuarts Point - Questions

1. Name and locate the coastal dune management area discussed in this unit.
The area discussed in this unit is Stuarts Point. Stuarts Point is located at the mouth of the Macleay River just south of Grassy Head headland and North of Shark Island and South West Rocks. 


2. Using the material in the unit, construct a timeline that highlights the changes in the Stuarts Point sand dune ecosystem. 
1893 - A large flood opened up a gap for the Macleay River at South West Rocks causing the original mouth of the Macleay River to close due to build up of silt and lessen in flow. 
Early 1900's - The gap closed allowing cattle to graze along the dune barrier system. Eventually the vegetation was lost and on three consecutive occasions of heavy storms the dunes were drowned. The idea of the dunes being lost caused action from the community as there was threat against some property.
1965 - After approaching the Soil Conservation Service of New South Wales for advice and assistance, they provided native plant seedlings to what was going to be the start of the revegetation program for Stuarts Point. Unfortunately, this scheme failed in August due to cattle grazing. 
1970 - With all the organisations working together, they developed a scheme that would re-establish the dunes in three parts. They would have a primary dune consisting of grasses and creepers, a secondary species consisting of shrubs and short-lived trees and a tertiary species consisting of long-lived trees. 
Today - It continues to be a success today with the plan still intact and very few issues. 


3. Describe the role of the local community in managing the sand dune area.
The community had a large role in making the management of the sand dunes successful. They had the responsibility to keep on the walking tracks, keep litter to a minimum and some people from the communities even volunteered.  Their involvement was a key area of the re-establishment of Stuarts Point. 


4. Why is the sand dune area important to the people of Stuarts Point?
The dune area is very important to the the people of Stuarts Point. Without it, some properties would be lost making it almost crucial to have the dunes in place. 


5. Using 7.35 describe the natural vegetation succession on sand dunes.
The sand dunes are built up of three separate and different plant types.  The first section being made up of grasses and creepers that trap dry sand in the frontal dunes and reduce the sand and spray onto dunes behind it. The second section is made up of  shrubs and short lived trees that are highly adapted prolific re-seeders, fast-growing plants. Finally the third section is made up of long-lived trees that are permanent, highly interdependent, surviving in protection of dune and secondary species. 


6. Explain why vegetation is so important in stabilising sand dunes. 
Vegetation is important in stabilising sand dunes as it stops the wind from blowing the sand away and keeps the sand firm from being washed away by long shore transportation. 


7. What impact did cattle grazing have on the sand dune area?
Cattle grazing meant that the vegetation was lost and therefore the were no longer any plants to keep it firm/strong. 


8. Describe the changes to the sand dune area that would have occurred after cattle grazing. Identify the geographical processes that would have been altered as a result of the removal of vegetation from the dunes. 
The sand dune would have become less dense or firm and there would be great loss of sand due the the natural process of long shore transportation. 


9. Identify the groups involved in the rehabilitation program.
The groups involved in the rehabilitation of the sand dune were the Department of Lands, the Department of Public Works, the Macleay Shire Council and he Soil Conservation Service of New South Wales. 


10. Outline the stages involved in the management program undertaken to re-establish the coastal vegetation. 
The stages taken to re-establish the coastal vegetation included; using a tractor to form a small foredune, then they planted trees along the river band, then they planted the native seedlings between the foredune and the river band and finally once the plants were established coastal tertiary species. 


12. Use maps to explain the geographical process that would have caused the river mouth to silt up. 
The geographical processes that would have caused the Macleay River to silt up include; long shore transportation from the southern parts of the beach as well as wave refraction because the beach faces east. 


13. Evaluate the success of the revegation program in the following areas:
a) Stabilising the sand dunes. The stabilising of sand dunes through revegetation was an enormous success as the sand dunes are still standing strong. By using a multi-part system they made a successful stabilised dune. 
b) Protecting the Macleay River ecosystem. The success of protecting the Macleay River ecosystem was very true, they managed to replant native bushes and trees without causing harm to the dune system. They only issue was that Bitou Bush, a toxic weed that spread all of the fore and hind dunes. 
c) Benefiting groups from the local community. The community benefited immensely from this project. They now had a clear pathway which occasionally needs maintenance and a sand barrier to protect some properties. 


14. (power point presentation)