Human settlements
Theme commentary
Professor Peter W. Newton, Swinburne University of Technology
prepared for the 2006 Australian State of the Environment Committee at CSIRO, 2006
Conclusions
Population, economy and environment: the need for transition to a green economy
The twin drivers of economic and population (consumption) growth have both been influential forces in urban development since SoE2001; they are forecast to continue at similar levels through the next state of the environment reporting period to 2011 (Macfarlane 2005, Trainer 2003). It is apparent that, to date, Australia has been unable to find the formula for decoupling its economic growth from the significant demands it continues to make on resource consumption and environmental impact. This key transition to decouple economic growth from resource consumption will require new technologies that significantly dematerialise current industrial processes (that is, they are less energy and water intensive), enable eco-efficient design of the built environment as well as creation of eco-industrial systems that utilise wastes as resources—this means new engines are needed for the green economy. At the same time, adaptive management by government and industry will be required to orchestrate this transition, including change in the behaviour of the population towards more sustainable outcomes (see Table 8, which mirrors the structure of the extended urban metabolism model of urban development shown in Figure 1).
| Direction | Objective | Interim Target |
|---|---|---|
| Using resources more efficiently | Reduced ecological footprint Increased use of renewables Increased water, energy and materials efficiency Reduced climate impact |
Water usage Energy usage Waste generation Land consumption and conversion Renewables Biodiversity |
| Sustainable urban and industrial planning, design, management | More liveable cities Efficient transport systems Buildings designed for climate, lifestyle, occupant health and productivity |
Dwelling performance and rating Commercial building performance and rating Eco-labelling of construction materials Traffic congestion |
| Maintaining and restoring urban environmental quality | Clean air Healthy marine and coastal areas Healthy soil Healthy waterways Maintain and enhance biodiversity Increase green space Reduce environmental noise |
Air quality Water quality Urban salinity |
| Using wastes as resources | Less waste and increased resource efficiency New eco-industrial clusters that utilise waster streams |
Quantity of solid and liquid waste generated reduced and the amount recovered for reuse, recycling and energy generation increased New eco-industrial products |
| Enhancing human well-being | Enhance social and human capital Good physical and mental health |
Health target Income distribution target Access to services |
Source: Newton (2005, Table no. or page no.)
Settlement transitions
There are four transitions of note underway:
- all the capital cities continue to be key population magnets, but Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Perth are accelerating physical as well as functional transitions to mega-metropolitan region status—a system of cities; key challenges relate to strategic planning for smart growth and redevelopment that have clear sustainability targets (see Appendix 3)
- there is a trend towards higher density urban development as high rise, medium density, infill and smaller-lot greenfield development; key challenges involve achieving positive social and aesthetic outcomes to balance the environmental benefits
- the development of a contiguous urbanised east coast seaboard stretching from the Sunshine Coast (in Northern Queensland) to the Surf Coast (in Victoria)
- a raft of small rural towns and Indigenous communities are currently non-viable due to rural de-population and welfare dependency; key challenges relate to their sustainability for national cultural significance.
Settlements and environmental resilience
Assessing the extent to which Australian settlements are subject to a range of natural and human-induced hazards has not yet been the subject of state of the environment reporting, despite the costs to local and national economies and human lives. Three global hazards of recent times—climate change, biological invasions, and terrorism—raise key questions related to the robustness of Australia’s settlements to such shocks, structurally and operationally.
Infrastructure transitions for human settlements
The infrastructures upon which Australia’s settlements have developed are unlikely to sustain future urban populations and economies beyond the next generation at current quality of life levels. The transitions envisaged are from linear, centralised systems that are wasteful of water, energy and material resources to closed-loop, distributed systems that attempt to maximise collection, recovery, reuse and recycling of each resource. Specifically, the required transitions are towards:
- integrated urban water systems based on utilisation of stormwater and wastewater
- green energy systems based on distributed renewable energy and a hydrogen economy
- zero waste economies based around eco-industrial development (utilising solid and liquid waste streams as resources) and cradle-to-cradle manufacturing
- sustainable subdivisions, integrating housing and neighbourhood innovation across ten key liveability dimensions
- minimal traffic congestion by utilising intelligent transport systems, road pricing, spreading peak travel, and broadband communications.
The ultimate transition: changing individual attitudes and behaviour to consumption
The ecological footprints of Australia’s settlements are increasing at a faster rate than population growth alone would dictate, and are due primarily to continued growth in rates of per capita resource consumption. Consumption was identified in Australia State of the Environment 2001 as a key environmental challenge, and this is still the case in relation to:
- gross material flows: 20–25 tonnes per person per annum
- energy use: 260 gigajoules per person per annum
- water use: 115 kilolitres per person per annum
- travel: 8000 kilometres per person per annum car travel
- housing: 235 square metres per dwelling
- greenhouse gas generation: 27.5 tonnes per person per annum
- waste generation: approx one tonne per person per annum.
Over the past decade, the wealth of individual Australians as measured by gross domestic product per capita has continued to rise (Figure 8). Consumption aspirations have, however, risen faster for many sections of the population and this is reflected in the rapid growth in personal debt, which has been in advance of gross domestic product per capita since the late 1990s. The challenge for all Australians is to encourage a transition in attitude among the population from viewing Australia as a Norman Lindsay (1918) ‘magic pudding’ (which is able to endlessly supply needs) to that of adopting a lifestyle that is less materialistic and consumptive.
