Works Approval Report.pdf - the National Capital Authority

Campbell Section 5 - Works Approval Project Ref: 110029Prepared for the Land Development Agency Street PatternStreets are an enduring cultural tradition, and Canberra has many memorable streets of varioustypes that are characterised by wide reservations and generous tree planting. Streets should not bedominated by the motorcar but instead provide for a balance of transport modes including walking,cycling and local bus services. The street pattern provides orientation and address, and should havea clear and legible hierarchy and must be flexible over time.Currently the streets surrounding Campbell Section 5 include two of the most important structuralAvenues in Canberra – Anzac Parade and Constitution Avenue. Opportunities for improving theexisting street character should be made with regard to extensive work previously undertaken forenhancements through the NCP and the Griffin Legacy. It is important on such a key site that thisland is appropriately valued and planned, and that urban capable land is not used profligately. Thedesign of new streets should carefully relate to the local topography; should be enhanced byintegrated water management and landscape strategies; and should seek to make strategicconnections to the existing adjacent urban area of Campbell as well as other nationally significantsites in the vicinity.Community FacilitiesPublic works should express community aspirations. The judicious placement and design of parksand squares, community buildings, community services and artworks make the environment morememorable and purposeful, adding a sense of generosity and civility to the urban landscape.Campbell Section 5 provides many opportunities for community facilities as an integrated part ofopen space and public domain strategies. There is obvious potential for public and communal usesin the park in the northeast portion of the site. Consideration to improving the existing urban interfaceto Constitution Avenue and Anzac Parade will help to define its cultural significance more sharply.The site is proximate to existing recreational open space resources and monuments of nationalsignificance and strong links should be provided to this existing cultural infrastructure.Public DomainThe public domain is the framework for community life and to a large extent determines the image ofa place. Streets, parks and civic spaces will create a network for walking, cycling, casualsocialisation and active recreation. The public domain should foster landscape planting instreetscapes and parks that provide links to the natural environment – remnant, adjacent and preexisting.In Canberra, there is a particularly strong cultural landscape inventory, which has become astrong and memorable characteristic of the city’s identity. Urban projects in Canberra should protectand supplement this fine cultural asset.Water Sensitive Urban DesignLandscape character and environmental systems are increasingly ‘hot’ issues in urban design.Multifunctional landscapes are being designed to contribute to environmental sustainability andamenity – to retain and distribute water; to contribute to air quality; and to ameliorate climate change.The existing drainage corridor that bisects the site provided an opportunity to reconsider thecharacter of this feature and to propose new types of streets that collect and treat water in an openlylegible and celebratory manner - and that also contribute to the creation of a site-specific andneighbourhood-specific character.November 2012 Cardno 4