Architecture, Building and Planning - Theses
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ItemRethinking the Inflexible City: what can Australian planning learn from successful implementation of ‘temporary uses’ across the world?( 2013)Temporary uses have been identified as a low-cost, participatory, and economically beneficial method of managing urban change. As planning practice increasingly deploys temporary use, good outcomes require an understanding of how the two interact. Using the case study methodology, this thesis examines the ways in which formal planning practice can encourage, support, complicate and hinder informal temporary urbanism. The thesis does this by analysing the experiences of four agencies facilitating the implementation of temporary uses worldwide, examining their interaction with the planning system, and identifying common constructive and obstructive policy mechanisms. Temporary use projects can be initiated without high levels of support from formal planning; however, having to comply with the formal planning process is a significant hurdle. Traditional planning does not make provisions for short-term urbanism, imposing costly and time-consuming processes incommensurate with the short duration and low cost of the temporary use. Applications for change of use, requirements for building safety triggered by the planning process, and the perceived arbitrariness of the decision-making process are the biggest hurdles that formal planning imposes on temporary use. Temporary uses are best supported through dedicated processes, staff, and relaxed regulations. The findings confirm that temporary uses are a successful method for finding opportunity in situations of uncertainty and crisis. Formal planning practice can strategically deploy temporary projects to achieve long-term planning objectives. These findings should spark more debate about, research on, and experimentation with temporary uses.
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ItemHealthy Public Space: Assessing the contribution of green space policy & design in Melbourne( 2023)Green spaces provide many benefits for the urban environment and for human health. Strategies in different countries are placing growing emphasis on green areas, and the City of Melbourne is following suit. Melbourne's current strategic planning document advocates the need for sustainable cities and promotes the planning and design of green spaces in the city. However, how policy influences the design of green space and the extent to which policy and practice are aligned for green space is not clear in Melbourne. This thesis first examines the relationship between strategic planning documents and green space, and understands which environmental factors contribute to the green space design. It then, analyses the consistency between policy and design by assessing three parks in Melbourne. The strategies analysed in this research are the Urban Forest Strategy, Open Space Strategy, and Nature in the City Strategy; and the three green spaces in Carlton, are University Square, Lincoln Square and Argyle Square. The analysis shows that there is a high degree of consistency between the three strategies and the three green space plans, with the exception of Argyle Square, where there is some inconsistency in its policies. In addition, University Square and Argyle Square have inconsistencies between their policies and the implementation of designs. The ultimate results of the research indicate the degree of consistency between the policy, plan, design, and actual implementation of the three green spaces. It was also found that Argyle Square, with the oldest park plan, lacks the design features that can more effectively support the delivery of green space benefits and functions. As such, the research highlights the roles of maintaining up-to-date park planning and design, to ensure parks can continue to support healthy public spaces.
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ItemFor what is Artificial Intelligence likely to be useful in Victorian urban planning?( 2023)The prevalence of artificial intelligence has led to various industries expanding their use of AI technology to assist them in their daily work. However, there is currently no precedent for the use of AI in urban planning in Victoria. In a wide range of sectors, it has been demonstrated that artificial intelligence can assist personnel and help them achieve outstanding results. Would people better contribute to urban sustainability and use AI to revolutionise urban planning with the assistance of AI? This article focuses on the prospects for the use of AI in the Victorian planning system. The article uses pattern matching, seeking examples and interviews with people from different parts of the Victorian planning system. Through the mix-method, it assesses whether AI might be able to navigate 'what planning does' and 'planning challenges' better than current methods. According to research, artificial intelligence can assist with urban planning in Victoria. This can be accomplished through the provision of support in the identification of spatial environmental factors, the improvement of consultation efficacy with various planning institutions, the facilitation of policy formulation and planning decision-making, and ultimately, the mitigation of planning risks. The lack of widespread adoption of AI in planning systems and the constraints of AI technology contribute to a lack of public confidence in AI, which is one factor impeding its advancement in urban planning. Moreover, 'planning challenges' such as political negotiation, community engagement, and other intricate planning endeavours that influence society greatly will be beyond the capabilities of AI due to its deterministic nature. This study demonstrates the significance and trajectory of artificial intelligence, or digitalisation, in the context of Victorian urban planning.
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ItemBarriers and facilitators to nature-based stormwater management in Melbourne’s private realm: the role of statutory planning frameworks and actors( 2021)Sustainability transitions in Australia’s Stormwater Management (SM) sector over the past two decades have led to the realisation that achieving a ‘Water Sensitive City’ is critical to ensure the health and wellbeing of urban residents and urban ecosystems, as climate change and urbanisation increase uncertainty around the quality and quantity of water in urban environments. ‘Nature-Based Stormwater Management’ (NBSM) is increasingly acknowledged as an important approach to accelerate transitions to a Water Sensitive City due to the multifunctional role of vegetation. In response to sustainability shifts in planning and urban water sectors, the Victorian state government and several municipalities across Melbourne introduced strategic plans and guidelines supporting Integrated Water Management (IWM), Water Sensitive Urban Design (WSUD). More recently, a series of local and state-wide planning scheme amendments in the statutory system have formalised IWM, WSUD, SM and Environmentally Sustainable Development (ESD) requirements for development on private land. However, current literature highlights that a wide variety of systemic and actor-based factors influence uptake of NBSM in Melbourne and ultimately restrict practical implementation of NBSM systems. This thesis employed qualitative semi-structured interviews with twelve public and private statutory actors to identify barriers and facilitators in Melbourne’s inner-city statutory framework that influence uptake of NBSM on private land. Findings suggest that while more prescriptive policy requirements are important to prioritise the use of vegetation, they are insufficient in isolation to produce effective NBSM outcomes. This is due to barriers presented by competing interests, inconsistencies between councils, poor technical knowledge, and siloed decision-making. Instead, targeted collaboration between actor groups at the early stages of project development, supported by state-led knowledge-sharing initiatives, will be necessary to successfully deliver NBSM and maximise co-benefits provided by vegetated systems. Recommendations from this study can be used to inform targeted strategies for Melbourne’s public and private practitioners to establish healthier relationships with urban water systems long into the future and simultaneously achieve a wide variety of planning objectives.