Part of Bicentennial Park consists ‘only of individual trees and lawn and completely lacks an understory planting’ (Photo: City of Sydney)

By Andrew Wood and Helen Randerson, June 2024, from Bulletin 4/2015, June

City of Sydney is updating its environmental strategy and has sought feedback on its draft Environmental Strategy 2025-2030.  On 4 May, the Society responded with a submission. We have raised the following issues about the proposed strategy:

1. Increasing the size and diversity of the green cover and the canopy target

The Society believes that the City’s target of increasing green cover to 40%, including a 27% tree canopy, by 2050 is not ambitious enough, and it should be brought forward to 2040. In considering the tree canopy, the City should ensure that a range of trees is planted that support a diversity of native fauna including pollinators. The percentage of green cover can be enhanced by the understory planting of native flora to provide habitat for native fauna (small woodland birds, foraging microbats, reptiles and insects). Many parks in Glebe and Forest Lodge consist only of individual trees and lawn and completely lack an understory planting – examples include Harold Park and the Johnstons Canal Reserve (upstream from the naturalised section).

The exisiting Orphan School Creek biodiversity corridor could be expanded to link to green spaces within the University of Sydney.

2. Tracking the biodiversity corridors that connect green spaces

Given the extreme density of housing and commercial premises in our City, the recognition, establishment and maintenance of wildlife corridors is imperative. Connectivity between our limited green spaces ensures our native fauna can move between them and thrive. It is essential to accurately map these corridors and demonstrate how they are being enhanced by new plantings of native flora.

3. Urban green space and urban green space accessibility per capita

As far as we are aware, the City does not measure its urban green space or urban green space accessibility per capita of its population. A World Health Organisation report[1] summarises the evidence on the health effects of urban green spaces, concluding that

there are many public health benefits through diverse pathways, such as psychological relaxation and stress reduction, enhanced physical activity, and mitigation of exposure to air pollution, excessive heat, and noise as well as other harmful factors in the urban environment. A city of well‐connected, attractive green spaces that offer safe opportunities for urban residents for active mobility and sports as well as for stress recovery, recreation and social contact, is likely to be more resilient to extreme environmental events, such as heat waves (due to the mitigation of urban heat island effect) and extreme rainfall (due to reduced surface run‐off). Such a city is also likely to have healthier citizens, reducing demands on health services and contributing to a stronger economy.

The World Health Organization’s ideal level is 50 m2 of urban green space per capita and its minimum recommended urban green space accessibility (within 300 m of a residence) is 9 m2 per capita. Each indicator is recognised as a crucial metric for assessing urban sustainability. We have estimated the size of Glebe and Forest Lodge’s 36 parks and reserves to be 243,784 m2. Using a population figure for postcode 2037 of 21,000, we estimate that we have 11.6 m2 of green space per person – slightly above the WHO minimum recommendation for urban green space accessibility, but well below the ideal standard for urban green space per capita of 50 m.

As the City does not already appear to do so, the Society has asked that it commence collecting and monitoring data for per capita urban green space and urban green space accessibility. The data should be collected and updated annually (by suburb), taking into account the expected increase in population density and new building approvals in the local government area.

It is very important that the City should collect such data by suburb. For example, there is to be an extensive redevelopment of the existing fish markets site with the construction of many hundreds of apartments. In providing the associated essential increase in green space, the redevelopment must add to such spaces in Pyrmont/Ultimo and not rely on established green spaces in Glebe, especially Wentworth Park.

[1] WHO Regional Office for Europe (2016). Urban green spaces and health: Intervention Impacts and Effectiveness. World Health Organization.