Accounting for carbon in planning residential neighbourhoods

There is a need to understand how planning for new residential neighbourhoods can best contribute to reducing greenhouse gas emissions (GHG). This should consider how accounting for emissions can be accomplished at the planning stage and followed through to the implementation and delivery stages.

Western Australia’s State Planning Policy (SPP 7.2) includes a requirement for precinct structure planning to consider greenhouse gas emissions reduction and incorporation of renewable energy sources, and the preparation of an Energy and Greenhouse Gas Emissions Statement.

This research will support meeting this requirement, providing an evidence base and tools to support better decision making and assessment in planning and design of new neighbourhoods.

Participants

• Department of Transport WA with the Western Australian Planning Commission and the Department of Planning; Lands; Heritage
• University of Western Australia

Project background

Policy need

Climate change is a significant and immediate challenge, having both global and local impacts. GHG must be reduced to mitigate against more severe climate change; and adaptation initiatives put in place to manage the impacts of changes already underway.

Western Australia’s (WA) Climate Policy released by the State Government in 2020, sets an aspiration for net zero GHG emissions by 2050, with plans underway to develop a state emissions reduction strategy to be released end of 2023. A WA Climate Bill is also in development to embed this target in Law, including annual GHG emissions reporting through Parliament.

The Federal Government has legislated through the Climate Act a 43% reduction in GHG emissions by 2030. At the international level – the UN IPCC report has stated that significant emissions reduction is needed this decade to avert dangerous climate change, ideally to a 1.5C warming or less.

As cities are significant contributors to GHG emissions, there is a priority need to understand how planning processes for new residential neighbourhoods can best contribute to reducing GHG emissions. This should consider how accounting for emissions can be accomplished at the structure planning stage and followed through to the implementation and delivery stages.

WA’s State Planning Policy (SPP 7.2) includes a requirement for precinct structure planning to consider GHG emissions reduction and incorporation of renewable energy sources, and the preparation of an Energy and Greenhouse Gas Emissions Statement. This should outline and demonstrate how the planning and proposed design of a precinct plan area reduces greenhouse gas emissions over business as usual approaches and incorporates renewable energy sources.

A methodology for the assessment of planning intent, as well as more detailed consideration through construction and operation, would provide a valuable addition to the toolkit for these statements and consistency across planning applications and processes.

Significance

This project is of considerable significance as the impact of poor planning of new residential areas is a significant contributor to GHG emissions. This research will provide an evidence base and tools to support better decision making and assessment in planning and design of new neighbourhoods.

Scope

The research task will consider the physical and social geography factors of residential neighbourhoods in metropolitan Perth and Peel and how planning and design impact behaviour of residents, including factors affecting travel, building energy consumption and other activity

Project objectives

• Examine how the design of new greenfield and existing densifying neighbourhoods can reduce carbon emissions and contribute to the creation of low or zero-carbon neighbourhoods.
• Identify the primary contributors to greenhouse gas emissions in neighbourhoods and how emissions can be reduced through urban planning and design interventions related to road networks, open space systems, residential densities, building types, subdivision patterns and environmental conditions.
• Determine how the modelling and reporting of emissions would occur at the district and local structure plan stages and how these could be followed through to implementation; and
• Establish key indicators and assessment

Please note …

This page will be a living record of this project. As it matures, hits milestones, etc., we’ll continue to add information, links, images, interviews and more. Watch this space!