URBAN WATER CYCLE PLANNING GUIDE
1
2
3
Nicole Sexton , Shelly Taylor , Tony Overman
1. Barwon Water, Geelong, VIC, Australia
2. City of Greater Geelong, Geelong, VIC, Australia
3. Barwon Water, Geelong, VIC, Australia
ABSTRACT
The Urban Water Cycle Planning Guide (‘‘The
Guide’), is an online resource to help urban
developers, consultants and planners embed the
concept of integrated water cycle management
(IWCM) in the design of new urban subdivisions.
‘The Guide’ provides a structured process for
considering the following aspects of the urban
water cycle:
Figure 1 ‘The Guide’ Web Interface
•
natural
aspects
-
waterways,
wetlands,
floodplains and natural drainage;
•
built aspects - residential, commercial and
industrial land use layout, public open space;
Water is essential for all life. The way the natural
water cycle interacts with the urban form is called
and
•
INTRODUCTION
water servicing aspects - stormwater, drinking
water, sewerage and alternative water.
Supported by the Smart Water Fund, ‘the guide’
was developed by a consortium of agencies
involved in urban water cycle management within
the urban water cycle. Cities and towns need
adequate drainage and protection from flooding,
reliable water and sewerage services and access to
the well-being that comes from green open spaces,
parklands, waterways, lakes and wetlands.
the Barwon region of south west Victoria. The web
The Geelong region includes some of the fastest
based guide is an adaptable platform which can be
growing areas in Australia. Demand for affordable,
tailored to meet specific needs of other regions and
accessible and liveable residential developments is
jurisdictions.
increasing. The process for planning, designing and
constructing these developments can be confusing
Whilst
the
concept
of
IWCM
is
universally
and time consuming.
supported, there are very few practical tools
available to support application of the concept. ‘The
Guide’ is helping to achieve this aim.
www.urbanwaterplanner.com.au
Developers and their consultants are faced with a
myriad of decisions with respect to what water cycle
options to consider, who to consult with, the rules
that apply and when to move forward or back in the
planning process. Many of these challenges are
due to poor communication between the key
stakeholders. The purpose of ‘the Guide’ is to help
to overcome some of these communication issues
by:
•
•
Embedding water cycle planning into urban
utilities regarding the selection of water supply
planning at a practical scale and enhancing
options and the long-term management and
the liveability of new urban developments.
operation of these assets.
Improving communication between developers
and
agencies
with
respect
to
disconnection
between
water
resource
-
A
disconnection
between
new
urban
process.
development planning and the impacts on
Developing a consistent planning approach to
ongoing operations and maintenance costs.
managing water cycle issues in new urban
-
Not getting the best outcome for water
management at a precinct level.
developments.
•
A
management and the urban planning process.
decisions
regarding water cycle issues in the planning
•
-
Developing an adaptable toolbox (Figure 1) of
-
IWCM information and guidelines.
information, case studies and resources for
-
IWCM at a precinct scale.
An uncoordinated approach to the provision of
Inconsistent
planning
approaches
across
different regions in Victoria.
METHODOLOGY/ PROCESS
‘The Network’ agreed to work together to develop a
resource to assist with addressing and attempting
Identifying the Issues
The Barwon Region
Integrated Water
Cycle
Management Network (the Network), launched in
August 2012, is a formal commitment by the
to resolve these issues. Funding was sourced from
the Smart Water Fund and a project team formed
and implementation plan developed.
region’s lead agencies in urban and water planning
to work cooperatively towards a more integrated
Market Research – Communication challenges
approach to urban water cycle management.
The process for planning and designing new urban
Signatories include the five local governments of
developments is complex, costly and confusing.
the G21 region, i.e. City of Greater Geelong, Surf
The urban water cycle is just one of many ‘systems’
Coast Shire, Borough of Queenscliffe, Colac Otway
that developers, their agents and consultants need
Shire
the
to consider in their proposed sub-division. Engaging
Corangamite Catchment Management Authority,
with these stakeholders confirmed that problems
Barwon Water and Southern Rural Water. ‘The
with communication and sharing of information is
Network’ meets quarterly across the region and
often the key issue that can cause delays, conflicts
regularly includes representatives from other key
and cost blowouts. A range of communication
government agencies.
related issues were acting as barriers to greater
A major action ‘the Network’ is focussed on is how
uptake of IWCM thinking in the planning and design
the region can deliver better water solutions for new
of new developments. These issues include:
urban developments.
With so much growth
•
Limited understanding of IWCM in planning;
occurring in the region ‘the Network’ is aiming to
•
Lack of clarity around IWCM in policy and
and
Golden
Plains
Shire,
plus
ensure that better decisions are made for future
developments from a water perspective.
Having
regulation;
•
already identified a number of issues including:
A lack of understanding of IWCM.
-
A lack of collaboration between stakeholders
including
developers,
Councils
planning;
•
-
and
water
Little formal consideration of IWCM in urban
No incentives for developers to push the
boundaries;
•
Uncoordinated decision making;
•
•
Limited knowledge on the impacts of IWCM
preferred sequence for considering the different
solutions on operations and maintenance;
aspects of the urban water cycle and a staged
Failure to incorporate IWCM solutions in
approach to the design of a new urban area.
development design; and
•
Inefficient timing of decisions.
The project team considered all these issues and
identified that an online guide could help alleviate
some of these communication issues.
Developing the Solution
The project team sought to better understand the
links between urban planning and water cycle
planning aspects. This mapping of the intersections
between the two agendas led to agreement on a
The Flowpath
The project team agreed on an ‘architecture’ for the
guide that provides a consistent, logical and easy to
understand framework for users.
This IWCM
‘Flowpath’ is a preferred sequence to the order of
how the user should consider each aspect of the
urban water cycle (Figure 2).
The
natural
water
cycle
aspects
such
as
waterways, floodplains and major drainage are
considered before a land use plan is developed and
applied to the area. Servicing aspects including
drinking water, sewerage and alternative water can
be discussed after the land use plan has been
determined. This sequence is designed to ensure
urban planning is in synergy with the natural water
cycle aspects in the landscape and servicing is cost
effective and efficient.
Figure 2: Aspects of the urban water cycle system and ‘the Guide’s ‘
‘Flowpath’
The Modules
‘The Guide’ has the functionality for users to pose
‘The Guide’ applies a staged approach to the
questions to agency representatives as they work
planning process to reduce confusion. There are
through each module.
three stages, or modules (Figure 3). The user
agency representatives to have closed online
completes each module before moving to the next
conversations to agree on particular responses and
one.
then respond in a timely and efficient manner whilst
1. The first stage is the Concept Stage in which all
at the same time documenting all conversations
options are considered and consultation with
There is the ability for
and decisions.
the relevant parties is encouraged to ensure
there is an agreed approach moving forward.
Sometimes there will be major ‘deal-breakers’
which
prevent
some
options
from
being
pursued. It is better to know this early rather
than wasting time and effort on options which
Alignment with existing Planning Process
The project team ensured that ‘the Guide’ was not
creating additional work for all involved, instead
creating consistency and structure within the
existing planning process as detailed in figure 4.
will not proceed. By working through this
module, the user develops a Concept IWCM
Plan which can be signed off by agencies
before proceeding to the Functional Module.
2. The Functional stage is where more information
will be required to analyse and discuss
preferred options and approaches. This is
where the negotiations can begin to take place,
looking at combinations of options across the
water cycle aspects that generate a better,
more integrated solution. The discussion will
lead to a Functional IWCM plan which will be
submitted formally to council as part of the
Planning approvals.
3. The final Detailed Design stage includes
finalising all the details of the users plan and
the user subsequently applies for a permit.
Figure 4: ‘The Guide’ aligns with the planning process
Building Capacity
The funding organisation, Smart Water Fund, was
conscious of ensuring that the outcomes of the
project
were
well
communicated
to
relevant
stakeholders, involved in water cycle aspects of
development planning, right across Victoria. This
included developers and their consultants who
design and plan new urban developments, agency
Figure 3: The three modules for progressing a development's IWCM
plan
representatives who approve IWCM options for new
urban developments and government agencies who
develop the policies and content for Structure
•
Encourage better collaboration between often
Plans. Several workshops were held to trial ‘the
disparate agencies involved in urban and water
Guide’ and gain direct feedback on how future
cycle planning, through the Barwon Region
users find its use. Users found ‘the Guide’ to be
Integrated Water Cycle Management Network.
logical and straight forward.
Some users were
disappointed that ‘the Guide’ applies only to the
•
management ‘flowpath’ which considers each
G21 region at this stage, as they could see its
potential
applicability
to
their
own
Introduce a unique integrated water cycle
aspect of the water cycle in a logical sequence
regions.
to understand complexity and aid decision
However, given the complexity of the subject matter
making.
and the different approaches that apply within
jurisdictions, it was never going to be possible to
•
Agree on three progressive stages to guide the
develop a generic guide that fits all user needs. The
users through progressively higher levels of
inherent adaptability of ‘the Guide’ does, however,
detail and consultatation.
provide a solid platform for others to adapt and
•
Encourage
more
effective
and
timely
tailor to meet their own needs. Each jurisdiction will
communication to facilitate greater consultation
have its own unique approach to how they apply it
between users and planning decision makers.
in practice and therefore it will be up to each
jurisdiction to organise itself to adapt ‘the Guide’ to
•
Have a structured, flexible and adaptable web
platform that allows ‘the guide’ to be tailored to
meet its needs.
meet local needs.
RESULTS/ OUTCOMES
The project achieved more than just developing this
The Urban Water Cycle Planning Guide, developed
resource for future use.
by ‘the Network', is a useful tool for helping to
were those that were identified through the process
embed urban water cycle thinking into the design
and the key factors that are vital to achieving
and planning of new urban developments. It is clear
integration. These included:
from the feedback from workshop participants and
•
The greatest learnings
having an already established multi agency
trial users, that ‘the Guide’ provides a simple and
working
easy to follow sequence for considering all aspects
identified a common problem they needed to
of the urban water cycle when faced with the
address.
•
complex process of urban design.
group,
‘the
Network’,
who
had
having a lead agency responsible for project
The project team has successfully collaborated
delivery and engaging with the early adopters
across a wide range of normally disparate and
who had a role to play in the issues we were
fragmented subject areas to develop a web-based
trying to resolve.
tool that meets
the region’s
current needs.
•
Importantly, the high level of interaction between
the project team and the web developers has
having an agreed definition and understanding
of IWCM .
•
having capable/knowledgeable participants on
ensured that the tool is highly adaptable to meet the
the project team who were willing to contribute
needs of other jurisdictions.
in honest, open and transparent discussions.
The project has very successfully met its original
Early in the project development the agencies
aims to use the Barwon Region as a case study to
acknowledged that they were a large part of the
develop a resource for developers, their consultants
problem. The predominant issue was specific to
and agencies to:
communication
and
what
information
is
communicated to whom, at what time and for what
CONCLUSION
reason. ‘The Guide’ provides an agreed framework
for how these communication issues can begin to
be resolved. It was agreed that small steps lead to
better, longer term outcomes and it is better to work
through something that, in the first instance, is not
perfect but once used and adapted can start to
Creating the Urban Water Cycle Planning Guide
has been a very exciting and engaging journey for
all involved and has helped the region to achieve its
original objectives:
•
IWCM in urban planning
merge into something much more powerful.
By
undertaking
the
journey
collectively,
identify the gaps and barriers to embedding
the
•
water planning
agencies now have an agreed way of thinking,
enhanced relationships which allow for open and
•
encourage collaboration between key
stakeholders in IWCM and urban planning
transparent conversations and a more cohesive
approach to decisions.
encourage greater integration or urban and
•
encourage best outcomes for liveability from
Now that there is a platform which can continue to
urban water cycle planning at the development
drive these collaborative discussions the ongoing
scale
limitation that still stands is the lack of formal
•
encourage greater consistency in how the
endorsement of ‘the Guide’ as the preferred
urban water cycle is considered in new
integrated water cycle planning model for a
developments.
particular region. More work needs to be done
Now the focus for ‘the Network’ is to continue to
locally to make this the accepted guide for
embed the use of the resource into existing
satisfying planning requirements for all aspects of
processes and to educate and train practitioners
the urban water cycle in new urban developments.
involved in making water cycle decisions.
‘The Network’ intends to pioneer the development
‘The Guide’ may in time become an important tool
of a regional MOU/Agreement to enable this
to drive a more collaborative approach that aims to
endorsement to occur.
make our cities, towns and suburbs more liveable,
There is still ongoing work that needs to occur to
sustainable and productive by integrating urban
drive the use and continued improvement of ‘the
planning and water cycle planning.
Guide’. ‘The Network’ will commit to continue to
Overall, ‘the Guide’ fills a void of accessible tools
drive this project with Barwon Water facilitating the
for applying the principles of IWCM in practice. The
process.
There will continue to be an ongoing
project team is proud of its achievement in bringing
learning and development plan to attempt to embed
the project to fruition and appreciates the support of
the use of ‘the Guide’ in urban water cycle planning
all parties involved and the constructive feedback
decisions.
from workshop participants.
Finally, we gratefully acknowledge the financial
support provided through the Smart Water Fund
and hope that the guide finds many applications
across the state to progress IWCM in practice.
‘The Guide’ is now on line and available for use:
www.urbanwaterplanner.com.au.