Integrated uban planning
Integrated urban water planning aims to achieve more effective approaches to urban water demand management and supply planning.
Urban water supplies are under increasing pressure to meet the demands of growing populations in the face of extended drought and a changing climate. To ensure water supply into the future, cities must become 'water sensitive' by minimising waste, recycling and looking after the environment.
Building water sensitive cities
The basis for creating water sensitive cities is integrated water cycle management and water sensitive urban design. This is the integration of urban planning with the management, protection and conservation of the urban water cycle. Water sensitive urban design ensures that urban water management is attuned to natural hydrological and ecological cycles.
Water sensitive urban developments apply water sensitive urban design principles at the on-site scale. These developments include:
- large-scale residential developments (typically greenfield developments)
- small to medium-scale residential developments (likely to include infill developments and conversions in existing urban areas)
- large and small to medium scale industrial developments
- regional developments.
Water sensitive urban design and developments are not enough to create water sensitive cities unless they form part of a larger, coordinated approach to urban water management. The integrated management of all water sources, so that water is used optimally within a catchment resource, state and national policy context, is termed integrated urban water cycle management. This approach promotes coordinated planning, sustainable development and management of the water, land and related resources (including energy use) linked to urban areas and the application of water sensitive urban design principles.
Integrated urban planning and water reform
The National Water Initiative (NWI) contains commitments to develop innovative ways of achieving more efficient water use in our cities, as well as to support broader health and environmental sustainability needs.
The NWI recognises the importance of integrated urban planning in the development of water sensitive cities. Support for icon water sensitive urban developments and guidelines for evaluating options for water sensitive urban design have progressed these NWI commitments.
Institutional and regulatory models for achieving integrated urban water cycle planning and management are now under review.
Progress
Phase one of the national health and environmental guidelines, covering re-use of sewage and greywater, have been prepared. The phase two guidelines are nearly complete. These cover the planned use of recycled water, stormwater and groundwater to augment drinking water supplies (indirect potable re-use). Guidelines for evaluating water sensitive urban developments in new urban sub-divisions and high-rise buildings are also near completion.
The Australian Government has funded an integrated resource planning project to assist urban water service providers and government agencies to determine more accurately:
- how much water is used in their region
- how much water is available (while protecting and delivering environmental and social values)
- how they can best provide or support water services (through water use efficiency, source substitution, supply options) for their region in the future.
These resources will include guidance on incorporating climate change into utility planning.
National Guidelines have been published for evaluating water sensitive urban developments in new urban sub-divisions.
Case studies of icon water sensitive urban developments in each state are informing the development of a report documenting the key lessons learnt in supporting the development of icon water sensitive urban developments.
An issues paper relating to integrated urban water cycle planning and management has been developed by the National Water Commission in consultation with the states. This paper helps identify the priority areas that need to be progressed, including:
- enhancing the coordination of water resource and urban planning at a whole-of-government level
- assisting water agencies to undertake integrated water supply and demand planning and regional supply strategies
- reviewing and clarifying entitlements to new sources of water (e.g. recycled water, stormwater, desalination water)
- examining issues relating to intra-urban trading and trading between urban and rural sectors.