2020-09-30
Canberra will rival the world’s best cities for building quality development and ‘green’ infrastructure, under an ACT Greens plan to deliver three world-leading, climate- ‘showcase’ developments across the city in the next four years.
The ACT Greens today committed to ensuring that the ACT’s land release program includes at least one ‘showcase’ development per year that pilots a big step forward on development quality.
‘Showcase’ developments demonstrate world-leading, zero emissions buildings, in practice. Across the world, demand for climate-friendly commercial and residential developments like these are on the rise. These buildings have features like:
- being covered by green ‘living’ walls and roofs (i.e. a 150% green plot ratio), that will add to the ‘look’ of a building, keep temperatures down, and counteract the ‘concrete jungle’
- being highly energy efficient and cheaper to heat in cold winters and keep cool in hot summers.
- being clean and green, powered by 100% renewable electricity (rather than polluting fossil fuels, like so-called ‘natural’ gas)
The Nishi Building in Acton is Canberra’s first eight-star energy efficient rated building, and the only building in Canberra with green walls included as part of its initial design.
Comments attributable to ACT Greens leader Shane Rattenbury:
“With Greens leadership in Government, the ACT is a globally recognised climate action leader. But in a time of climate crisis, we can’t stop there.
“For too long, many Canberrans have lived in homes that are expensive to heat and freezing in winter, and boiling hot in summer. We need to raise the standard on the homes and buildings that a city like ours deserves - and world-leading ‘showcase’ developments will do exactly that.”
“This is a climate election. We need all political parties to make clear their commitments to deliver a clean, green and safe Canberra for future generations to enjoy. Showcase precincts are just another part of the Greens plan to Build a Better Normal.”
Comments attributable to Rebecca Vassarotti, ACT Greens Planning Spokesperson:
“The decisions we make today will have consequences for generations to come. Right now we’re seeing too many poorly designed, poorly constructed and unsustainable new buildings going up around town - and Canberrans expect better.
Many of our town centres lack trees and green spaces. A building covered with plants can make a huge difference to how it looks and how we feel around our city.
With this plan, the ACT Greens know we can move from being a community fed up with poor design, to being a community that is delighted and inspired by the buildings we see in our city - buildings that embrace high quality, respond to the challenges of a changing climate and are built to be welcoming and accessible.
“We know that we can move away from the old notions that create concrete jungles and heat sinks - instead, proposals for high green plot ratios, with more trees and buildings covered with plants not only make sense from a design point of view, but will increase the livability of our city.
“With creativity, expertise and political will, we can work together to design better targeted land release and a new planning system for our city that deliver well-designed, affordable and sustainable housing, and give the community a real say in how our neighbourhoods develop - now and into the future.”