PIA believes that planning is critical to responding to a changing climate and that planners must take up the challenge of mitigation and adaptation in their work. Innovative approaches to planning can strengthen resilience, reduce greenhouse emissions and empower communities.
The objective of this award is to highlight the important and varied role planning can play in responding to climate change, and also to strengthen professional knowledge and highlight planning system improvements required to manage this challenge.
This award recognises projects and initiatives that provide outstanding leadership and/or innovation that makes a positive impact on addressing climate change and can be held up as case study of best practice for the planning profession.
Meet the nominees:
ACT Nominee: North Wright Compact Housing Precinct
Suburban Land Agency
This project demonstrates excellence in urban planning and design for net zero medium density housing, ‘the missing middle’. It incorporates a commitment to planning with First Nations peoples and country in the process of co-designing the brief and subsequent planning. Sustainability and climate change is central to its approach to housing design and choice including water sensitive urban design, significant landscaping, and light surface colours.
NSW Nominee: Building Back Northern Rivers
Cred Consulting, the NSW Department of Planning and Environment Planning Delivery Unit, Ballina Shire Council, Byron Shire Council, Clarence Valley Council, Kyogle Council, Lismore City Council, Richmond Valley Council, and Tweed Shire Council
The establishment of guidelines relevant to the various local Councils across a large geographic footprint required a broad level of consultation, engagement and agreement. The resulting document offers a simple yet highly effective guide to navigating the development application and planning process required by those impacted.
QLD Nominee: Natural Hazard Risk Assessments and Place-based Land Use Policy Development Program
Ipswich City Council, Meridian Urban, and Water Technology
Ipswich City Council embarked on a comprehensive review of its natural hazard, risk, and resilience policy settings in 2020. What resulted was the creation of truly risk-responsive land use policy and risk-based mapping that aimed for proper integration of these policy directions at the local area scale. It is arguably one of the most comprehensive and detailed risk-based planning programs across natural hazards undertaken in Queensland.
SA Nominee: River Murray Flood Resilience Code Amendment
Planning and Land Use Services, Department for Trade and Investment and the River Murray Flood Planning and Building Working Group
The Code Amendment arose from the devastating consequences of flooding on the River Murray communities in December 2022 and into 2023. The Code policy changes and related process are a demonstration of how the planning system can respond quickly and efficiently with improved policy to assist in mitigating future flood risk as the impacted communities commenced the ongoing rebuilding process.
VIC Nominee: South Gippsland Coastal Strategy
South Gippsland Shire Council
The ‘South Gippsland Coastal Strategy’ project is an example of Council - as custodian of approximately 300 kilometres of Victoria’s coastline and the towns and communities therein – proactively planning to minimise risk of future coastal hazards related to sea level rise, including coastal inundation and erosion.
WA Nominee: Environmentally Sustainable Design of Single Houses and Grouped Dwellings
City of Vincent & Cerclos
This project demonstrates effective collaboration between government and the private sector to address climate change challenges at the development-scale in an affordable and accessible way. The Rapid Life Cycle Assessment app, which calculates life cycle carbon and water impacts of low to medium-density residential buildings, is an innovative and cost effective way to support the delivery of the City’s built-form policy objectives.