Creating urban environments that are good for people and good for nature
Biodiversity sensitive urban design is a protocol for urban design that aims to create suburbs that are a net benefit to native species and ecosystems through the provision of essential habitat and food resources.
It represents a new approach to urban biodiversity conservation by seeking to achieve biodiversity benefits on site, in contrast to the standard offsetting approach, which reduces the opportunity for urban residents to engage with nature and, at the same time, delivers questionable ecological outcomes.
What are the benefits?
Biodiversity sensitive urban design aims to protect native species and ecosystems in the places where people live and work. Urban greening associated with biodiversity sensitive urban design also provides a range of proven benefits to individuals, communities and cities, including:
- Cooling of urban areas
- Air & water purification
- A range of human health and wellbeing benefits in areas such as mental health, cardiovascular health, social cohesion and cognitive ability
- Increased workplace productivity
How can I implement biodiversity sensitive urban design?
Biodiversity sensitive urban design can be implemented at a range of scales, and by a range of people, from individual home owners wanting to reduce their impact on nature, through to local and regional authorities responsible for the planning and development of major towns and cities.
Biodiversty sensitive urban design proceeds in 6 steps, outlined and available for download here.
Biodiversity Sensitive Urban Design a Banksia Award finalist!
Biodiversity sensitive urban design was nominated as a finalist in the 2016 Banksia Sustainable Cities Award. The judges felt that BSUD was an innovative concept that inspired hope for a more sustainable future.
This research was undertaken by Dr Georgia Garrard and Associate Professor Sarah Bekessy at RMIT University with support from The Myer Foundation.
For further information, please contact Georgia (georgia.garrard@rmit.edu.au) or Sarah (sarah.bekessy@rmit.edu.au).
Georgia Garrard 