Over 70 stakeholders gathered to fine tune the Western Sydney Urban Heat Strategy during November.
Participants gathered from across all industries and sectors to contribute to a document which will guide the future liveability and resilience of Western Sydney.
WSROC President Cr Stephen Bali said “Urban heat isn’t just about being uncomfortable, it causes major problems for human health, infrastructure, emergency services, and the natural environment.
“The universal challenge of extreme heat is clear from the range of organisations which have put up their hands to get involved.
“We have all levels of government, health professionals, designers, developers, industry, utility providers, environmental organisations, academics and community groups all singing from the same song sheet,” said Cr Bali.
“They all agree urgent, coordinated action must be taken to prevent, mitigate and prepare for extreme heat events in our city; and that doing so is essential for the resilience of our community, our environment, our infrastructure, and our economy.
“The final Western Sydney Urban Heat Strategy is due to be released early in the New Year, and I thank all participants for taking the time to ensure this document truly reflects the complexity and breadth of the challenge ahead.
“The Strategy will provide a guide for coordinated action into the future, but participants are already getting on with the job of building a cooler city,” said Cr Bali.
Sydney Water and the University of New South Wales have just released a joint report, Cooling Western Sydney, examining the role of water in mitigating urban heat in the region.
“Water sensitive urban design will be a critical part of cooling our city, and one which I hope will receive greater attention in future,” he said.
For more information on urban heat and WSROC’s Turn Down the Heat initiative, visit: https://www.wsroc.com.au/projects/project-turn-down-the-heat
Organisations involved in the strategy’s development include:
Councils:
Blacktown City Council
Blue Mountains City Council
Camden City Council
Campbelltown City Council
City of Canterbury-Banks town
Cumberland Council
Fairfield City Council
Hawkesbury City Council
Hills Shire Council
Liverpool City Council
City of Parramatta
Penrith City Council
Wollondilly Shire Council
State Government departments and agencies:
NSW Department of Health
NSW Department of Planning and Environment
NSW Department of Premier and Cabinet
NSW Office of Environment and Heritage
NSW Office of Emergency Management
Urban Growth NSW
NSW Government Architect’s Office
Greater Sydney Commission
Sydney Water
Endeavour Energy
Resilient Sydney
CSIRO
Western Sydney Diabetes
Universities
Western Sydney University
Sydney University
UNSW
Wollongong University
Private industry
Bluescope Steel
Stockland
AECOM
Arup
GHDWoodhead
Optus
Elton Consulting
Muller Enterprise
General Mills
The Bravery
Non-for-profit
ParraCAN
202020Vision
Unfolding Futures
The Walking Volunteers
Conservation Volunteers
Bridge Housing
Health and Arts Research Centre (HARC)