Sustainable Urban Form Through Cluster Development: A Brisbane Case Study of Biodiversity and Water Life Cycles Responding to Socio-Economic Needs

Abstract

Brisbane is increasingly experiencing problems relating to ecological and water sustainability within the urban fabric. This is caused by developments that are overly focused on keeping itself sustainable but neglecting the overall scheme of the urban layout. As individual developments make up the larger part of the cities, an investigation on the benefits of having them clustered together is explored in this research. Through analyses of current urban practices in Brisbane, it was found that the city aspires to attain better standards in ecological sustainability, and has progressively supported sustainable practices in government and local groups alike. However, little has been done in terms of the larger urban fabric working cohesively in achieving sustainable goals. Investigation into the sustainable realms of ecology reveals other themes that must also be addressed, primarily subjects relating to social liveability, and the viability of increasing biodiversity in an already dense city. The results indicate that current practices and policies need a broader scope in application to the urban fabric, and are followed with proposals utilising clustered development in addressing the shortcomings of these on-going practices. The feasibilities of the proposals are addressed in regards to sustainability, liveability, and viability. The urban renewal proposal of Newstead Park also accepts the current urban form without making drastic changes to Brisbane’s character and culture. Overall, the findings of this research encourages a broader framework of thinking to address ecological concerns only solvable at a larger cluster scale, and ties together the many facets of ecological preservation and its relationship with socio-economic demands to solve Brisbane’s growing sustainable problems in their urban environment.