Government plans for the redevelopment of the Waterloo public housing estate, with a population increase from about 2,000 to 10,000, will see the large open space at Waterloo Green built over. Existing community members will compete with residents in the planned new private developments, re-developments and landscaping, for access to parks and open spaces.
On April 7, REDWatch met for its monthly meeting, with guest speaker Professor Susan Tompson of the UNSW City Futures Research Centre giving a presentation on “Green Space in the Inner City”. Professor Thompson specifically works at the intersection of urban planning and public health.
Professor Thompson spoke of the benefits of access to green space to individuals and communities. The “restorative benefits” of time spent in green space should inform urban planning, she argued. The needs of different sectors of the community require access to different types of open space, from highly structured and manicured spaces within new developments, to “wild” green space that is distinct from the built environment.
Vi, a local resident who is active in her neighbourhood community garden, spoke of the strong community she has encountered since becoming a member of Charlie’s Garden at Charles Kernan Reserve on Abercrombie Street in Darlington. Vi enthusiastically described the social, health and community benefits she has experienced, as well as the satisfaction of being able to grow her own food in an urban environment.
During discussion, residents reflected upon the difficulty of maintaining access to green space because of increasing developments. Residents also felt that access to green space is a low priority for government bodies such as UrbanGrowth NSW. Its North Eveleigh developments were given as an example of NSW government plans for a development on publicly owned land that did not add a commensurate amount of green space to the local area, compared to the proposed increase in population.
The meeting ended with a reflection that our community will need to practise constant vigilance to prevent green space from vanishing from our neighbourhoods. Projects such as UrbanGrowth NSW’s Central to Eveleigh developments and WestConnex both threaten public access to green space in the inner city.
