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In canberra, the future is green(er)
By
Roland Simbulan
An aerial view of Canberra's
urban landscape |
Canberra
brings nostalgic feelings and good memories for me. Probably because
it was my second home. Almost 40 years ago, my family and I were
the only Filipino residents there when Australia still had its unwritten
“White Australia Policy” for immigrants. When my father studied
for his Ph.D. in Canberra and brought along the family, my brothers
and I spent three years of our primary school in Australia’s beautiful
capital which is regarded as one of the most well-planned cities
in the world.
It is said
that when Australia was deciding which city to have as its capital,
Sydney and Melbourne were the top choices. But neither city wanted
to give way to the other and so the national government had to settle
for an alternative – Canberra. Built between Sydney and Melbourne,
Canberra which is part of the Australian Capital Territory (ACT),
became the site of the Federal Government and the country’s premier
university, the Australian National University (ANU). The ANU is
to Australia what the University of the Philippines is to our country.
Today, more than 50% of Canberra’s work force is in public services
(or government sector), employed by the Federal Government of Australia
which includes the Australian Parliament. Foreign embassies and
diplomatic missions from more than 70 countries are also found in
the city. Except for some information technology and wine companies
that have started to move in, there are almost no private enterprises
in the city. The Canberra Wine District, just seven kilometers away
from the city center, has begun to flourish. There, visitors can
tour the vineyards, taste wine and buy wines at cheaper prices.
From its population of 50,000 in 1960, the city’s residents have
gone up to 370,000 in 2002. Despite this, Canberra’s environment
is greener than ever, a model for ecological management and green
urban planning and development. Carved into the city is Lake Burley
Griffin, surrounded by federal buildings and the ANU campus. Forty
years ago, this man-made lake was just a medium-sized pond where
my brother and I used to pull miniature sailboats with strings.
Today, it is wider beyond what the eyes can see.
City with a view
Canberra is a carefully planned city. Well laid out, the road system
of concentric circles and circuits surrounds the commercial area
and Capital Hill. Canberra has one of the most comprehensive cycling
networks of any Australian city: 140 kms of lanes are designed specifically
for bicycles, and most of the city’s roads have parallel cycling
lanes. But if one prefers to walk, one can go to any of several
parks or follow the paths along the lake while enjoying the view
of the natural reserves that surround Canberra’s suburbs.
Almost every morning, one can see colorful hot air balloons in the
Canberra sky. The Telstra Tower, located on Black Mountain behind
the sprawling ANU campus, offers probably the best mountaintop view.
With a revolving restaurant, the tower is actually a telecommunications
structure servicing television, radio and mobile phone transmissions,
with two open levels for public use.
The city offers architectural and landscaping delights to any urban
planner who visits the New Parliament House, the High Court of Australia
(the equivalent of our Supreme Court), the Australian War Memorial,
the National Gallery and the National Museum. The Old Parliament
House, facing Lake Burley Griffin and the New Parliament House,
is now the site of four national cultural institutions: the National
Museum, the Australian Archives, the National Film and Sound Archive
and the National Portrait Gallery. For those who appreciate the
performing arts, there is the Canberra Theatre Center where dance
and stage shows of local and foreign artists are held.
Visionary planning
The city started from a visionary plan of Walter Burley and Marion
Mahoney Griffin that brought together excellence in urban design
and environmental sensitivity. The “Y-Plan,” which has largely guided
Canberra’s development since the 1960s, focuses on decentralized
development of separate towns and the preservation of bush land
between the towns.
Modernity, however, has exacted its price: private cars being the
main means of transportation have resulted not only in low-density
urban development and extensive road systems but also in increased
air and noise pollution as well as higher energy consumption. Valuable
land has been sacrificed to concrete. The demand for more medium
and high-density housing near the city’s centers is also putting
pressure on ecological resources.
Because of these, a new approach to urban planning has been introduced,
one that is based on ecological and social sustainability. Older
parts of the city, such as local shopping centers that are now in
decline, are up for development. The long-term plan for Canberra
is to enhance the decentralized town structure by creating a network
of village-style neighborhoods built around existing commercial
centers. These centers, in turn, are to be linked by a high-quality
public transport system and integrated with the existing parks and
bush land.
Kerrie Tucker, a member of the Green Party and representative of
the Molonglo district for the ACT Legislative Assembly, told me
that green planning and development in Canberra is a combination
of “social justice, ecological sustainability, participatory decision-making
and grassroots democracy.” Australian Green Party initiatives have
had increasing influence on urban planning. Although politicians
have not been quick to adopt these, such initiatives have succeeded
in stopping some environmentally damaging urban policies.
Equity in environment
A new framework for green planning and development has been introduced:
social change with equity for all members of the community are as
important as saving the environment.
A new strategic plan to guide Canberra’s development over the next
decades is being prepared to take into account demographic changes
and increase the city’s ecological, social and economic sustainability.
ACT is the only state in Australia with an office of Sustainability
which regularly monitors and reports on the progress of green urban
planning using sustainability criteria and performance indicators.
Development pressures, such as the construction of freeways, are
always present, according to Tucker, but these are balanced by strict
monitoring by the communities. This is probably why Canberrans say
theirs is a city where tap water is even cleaner and safer than
the much-vaunted bottled mineral water.
Tucker emphasized the need for stakeholders to be involved, especially
at the local level, with the young and the elderly being invited
to take part in the process. New mechanisms are now being designed
to allow the community as a whole to participate in planning and
implementing urban redevelopment, she said.
Avoiding disaster
Canberra proves that the concentration of populations in cities
need not lead to ecological or social disaster. Governments can
be effective in reversing this trend and managing the possible consequences.
In fact, managed carefully, densely populated cities and towns can
still conserve forests, woodlands and other ecosystems. The key
is the provision of excellent services that conserve resources and
energy and eliminate, reduce or deal sustainably with wastes. The
government must work with communities to manage the development
or redevelopment of the cities.
Canberra’s urban planning encourages the transformation of existing
commercial centers into eco-villages where most services are located
within walking or cycling distance. These are linked to each other
and to town centers by accessible bus services.
From the University House, a hotel within the ANU, I took a leisurely
five-minute walk to the city’s commercial center. It is called the
City “Civic,” dotted by Vietnamese, Mediterranean, Italian, Mexican,
Turkish, Greek and Thai restaurants as well as trendy bars and cafes.
Various shops surround the Vernon Circle. Around the Canberra Center
are at least 180 specialty shops stocked with fashion items, giftware,
jewelry, books and shoes. There is no mall in Canberra.
For entertainment, one can go to the Westfield Belconnen in North
Canberra, which houses a cinema complex and other centers for young
people. Older structures like the National Library and the Australian
War Memorial can also be visited but you need at least a day for
each of these. Or for variety, one can also visit the Stromlo Exploratory,
an astronomy center perched on the top of Mt. Stromlo, a mountain
located just outside the city. Here one can use the Mt. Stromlo
Observatory telescopes to view the galaxy, the hidden planets and
also learn about Aboriginal Astronomy.
Dream Time
The feeling of oneness with the land is best described in an Aboriginal
word – “bungaree” – which has been adopted by Australian ecologists.
Aboriginal people of Australia believe that the earth is man’s sacred
relative, and a very special relationship “based on nurturing, caring
and sharing” can be developed with it.
Aborigines also believe that “the spirit of creation is in all things,
for all life forms are related to each other, so every aspect of
the natural world is honored and respected, and we learn to tread
lightly on the earth.” Their worldview – reflected in what the Aborigines
refer to as “dream time” – centers on a philosophy of respect for
all living things in the past, present, and future.
Australia is a nation and continent that has modern cities like
Canberra, yet it has preserved its secluded nests of bush lands.
It has limited itself to medium-density housing and residential
development. In effect, native habitat is maintained to support
kangaroos, koalas, wallabies and possums.
To protect existing vegetation and prevent the loss of habitat and
diversity in the environment, degraded communities are regenerated
and restored. Pedestrian access to the pristine bush land habitat
in the woodlands and re-vegetation sites are limited. Walking trails
are constructed along the scenic areas to direct visitors away from
fragile habitat areas and protect native plant and animal spaces.
For a visitor who has no need for nostalgia, the diversity of Australia’s
capital is cause for much celebration and appreciation. It makes
one realize that human creativity can be unleashed for a sustainable
future, not simply for commodities and consumer goods that make
the future unsustainable. Our treatment of the environment today
will have an impact on the quality of life of future generations.
It is a future worth working for.
(Since
the 1960s, the author has visited Canberra several times. The latest
was in October 2002 when he was invited to lecture at the Australian
National University on international issues. He is currently Vice
Chancellor for Planning and Development at U.P. Manila.)
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