Evolving the concept of WSUD in statutory land planning

CRCWSC PhD candidate Don Williams has recommended that Australian statutory land use planning systems be modified to ensure water sensitive urban design (WSUD) encapsulates the complete urban water cycle.

Don recently presented this recommendation at Stormwater 2016. The findings are based on a survey on the influence of land use planning laws on the implementation of WSUD practices. The survey, which was assisted by the CRCWSC and distributed to CRCWSC affiliates, provided insights that will inform changes to land use planning frameworks, so they better support the adoption of WSUD.

While finding that planning regulation does encourage WSUD, the survey indicated that planning laws focus too narrowly on urban stormwater management, instead of the urban water cycle as a whole and how this cycle links with urban design. The survey also pointed to the key role of specific targets in achieving WSUD outcomes: ‘Quantitative controls are easier to administer by all parties as they know where the goal posts are and they can aim for them accordingly’.

Don is now investigating how planning laws influenced WSUD outcomes in a series of case studies and will integrate the findings of the survey and the cases.

For more information on CRCWSC’s Statutory Planning for Water Sensitive Cities project: https://watersensitivecities.org.au/content/project-b5-1/