APFED Booklet on Good Practices and Innovative Activities 2005 ...

Award
Australia
etc.
2006
*etc.=Urban Environment
Christie Walk Ecocity Project
2009
Project Site Location
South Australia, Adelaide
2008
2007
2006
Background - Problems Addressed and Policy Responses
Christie Walk was designed to demonstrate the concept of building
housing which is resource efficient, non toxic, energy and water efficient
and which increases biodiversity, as envisaged by the Urban Ecology
Australia Inc (UEA) vision and Ecopolis Architects. As the project is
situated in Adelaide - the most mixed-use, culturally diverse part of the city
- the design had to overcome complex inner-urban contextual issues.
Project Outline - Objectives and Activities
Christie Walk is a research and development project, tasked with
the objective of developing a mixed, medium-density community
housing project that maximises lifestyle options and minimises
Christie walk complex
environmental impact for a cost comparable to conventional innerurban
developments, and with very low energy bills. In this communitytitled
development, residents own their own properties and share the common areas. This project
demonstrates sustainable development and the importance of urban environments and community
processes to overall goals of sustainability.
Impacts and Achievements
Christie Walk was designed to demonstrate the feasbility of addressing key environmental issues via
the method by which the built environment is planned and developed, and that social sustainability,
the support of community processes and the creation of convivial places are all integral to achieving
this. The project has tackled environmental issues such as water conservation, water capture, energy
conservation, energy capture, biological productivity, biodiversity, air quality, transport and social
sustainability. It has also received much media exposure and welcomed thousands of visitors keen to
learn about ecological architecture within the community.
Future Challenges
Future challenges involve ensuring that the wider community is kept informed of the programmes and
concepts embodied in Christie Walk. To date this has involved regular site tours, a community mural,
videos and an information booklet, as well as the Centre for Urban Ecology, run by the UEA using
common facilities and space within the five-storey apartment building. The biggest challenge, however
- convincing developers and the government to fully adopt such holistic solutions involving community
adaptation to climate change - remains.
General Information
Name of the Implementing Organisation:
Urban Ecology Australia Inc & Ecopolis Architects Pty Ltd.
Type of Organisation: Private Company & NGO/CBO
Contact: Paul Francis Downton
109 Grote Street, Adelaide, SA 5000, Australia
Tel: +61-8 8410 9218 Fax: +61 8 8212 6760 E-mail: paul@ecopolis.com.au
Website: http://www.ecopolis.com.au
Project Reviewer (NetRes / Collaborators) that monitors the project:
Shash Kad, Institute for Global Environmental Strategies (IGES) E-mail: apfed@iges.or.jp
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