New resources for water practitioners

A couple of new resources are available for water practitioners, to help them better manage water. These resources were created for Victoria, but the principles and practices can be applied around Australia.

Water’s Role in Liveability

The CRC for Water Sensitive Cities has released an infographic—Water’s Role in Liveability—to show councils how combining water management with urban planning can make communities more liveable.

The infographic was a collaboration between two of our SME partners—Foundry Associates and Water Technology. Lindsey Brown (Managing Director, Foundry Associates) explained the idea for the infographic came from the CRCWSC’s Victorian Regional Advisory Panel.

“The idea was to create something that would be accessible for people who are not familiar with water sensitive cities, particularly professionals in local government who may not think that they have a role in water management,” she said.

“We wanted to show how functions such as town planning and urban design can affect water, and vice versa. The infographic makes the benefits of water sensitive cities easy to identify. The format—one page, landscape—makes it easy to include in presentations and to share on social media.”

The infographic was developed for councils in Victoria, but the water sensitive urban design principles can be applied anywhere.

Did you know:

• Vegetation - especially trees, but also including green roofs, walls and gardens - reduces the effect of heatwaves in cities. In addition, people are willing to pay for some projects that reduce peak summer air temperatures.
• Adding street trees can improve neighbourhood character and aesthetics. People are willing to spend more on houses with access to green spaces.
• Managing water better in urban landscapes can reduce stormwater pollution in streams and make ecosystems healthier. Plus, communities value projects that improve the health of local waterways.

Resilient Melbourne’s Integrated Water Management Information Hub

Resilient Melbourne has launched an Integrated Water Management Information Hub, sharing the latest information and updates on integrated water management (IWM) in metropolitan Melbourne.

The hub is run by the IWM Working and Alignment Group of Resilient Melbourne. The group encourages increased local government engagement in activities relating to metropolitan Melbourne’s water infrastructure systems.

On the hub, you’ll find:

• IWM forums
• information on current reforms and impacts for councils
• a guide for local government and water sector stakeholders
• information on IWM and city resilience
• tools and resources
• a ‘Policy, strategy and governance’ section.

More about Resilient Melbourne

Resilient Melbourne is a collaborative project delivered by the City of Melbourne, with input, guidance and support from organisations and community groups across Melbourne, including, but not limited to: Melbourne’s 32 metropolitan councils, Department of Premier and Cabinet, Victoria; Emergency Management Victoria; and the Municipal Association Victoria.