Werrington


Proposed Werrington developmentThe redevelopment of the Werrington Estate has been identified as a focus for multidisciplinary Living Labs. Along with a Reference Group of senior staff, the research component of this initiative will be led by Professor Nicky Morrison of School of Social Sciences (opens in a new window).

A series of workshops were convened with staff from the Environmental Sustainability Research Theme, and broad ranging academic and operational interests, to identify preliminary opportunities across the themes of Urban Living Futures and Society, Health and Wellbeing, Education and Work, and Environment and Sustainability.

One project underway is an ecological investigation of the mob of kangaroos who live on Werrington North.

Another important initiative is investigation into the potential application of Green Star Communities to the master planning for the precinct.

Strategic workshop - identified preliminary opportunities

Urban Living Futures and Society

Transformational Impact/Reputational Enhancement

  • Build with Lightweight Structures - as this reduces embodied energy in concrete e.g. building energy monitoring and modelling, C02 enhanced concrete for biosecurity structures
  • Validate learning through failure - A space for experimentation and discovery trial prototype radical sociotechnical innovations

Contribution to Community

  • Infrastructure to support pedestrian accessibility - e.g. Urban built form and Sustainability
  • Natural cooling effects -  study cool channels and prevailing breezes align development to maximise these e.g. Resilience Planning

Synergy between Academic and research benefits

  • Engage property and construction management students with continued planning reform for the area - e.g. water recycling and reuse, urban built form and sustainability

Economic Benefits

  • Engineer community involvement through incentives - opportunity to engineer social inclusion through residential (financial) incentives

Health and Wellbeing

Transformational Impact/Reputational Enhancement

  • A community to avoid loneliness
    • Accessible public commons, 
    • Intergenerational living - retirement villages linked to student accommodation
  • Healthier living initiatives
    • Recognition of air pollution
    • Sports and play spaces including non-elite sports hub with a focus on community access

Contribution to Community

  • Affordable Housing through reduction in cost of living - partnership with Wentworth Community Housing as per the organisation's Strategic Alliance

Synergy between Academic and research benefits

  • Consider mental health impacts - collaboratively owned resources so people value them

Economic Benefits

  • Incentivize community-focused businesses and residence - Home and salary packages to encourage staff to settle and foster long-term communities

Education and Work

Transformational Impact/Reputational Enhancement

  • Aboriginal voice in the governance of the community - e.g. videography and cultural ecology
  • Vertical and Horizontal Integration of Education - project modules linked across institutions, following students as they grow e.g. Precision Agriculture in Grazing Systems, Student Led Horticultural garden

Contribution to Community

  • Provide precinct wide Wi-Fi
    • Accessibility – no digital locks
    • Collect digital data for university research

Synergy between Academic and research benefits

  • Incorporate Partnership Pedagogy Principles within the 21st Century Curriculum Initiative - co-design, co-deliver, co-develop and co-credential with precinct partners

Economic Benefits

  • Collaboration with a transient community? Consider the area and choose the correct Schools to teach – encourages graduates to work and live in the space enticing non transient residents

Environment and Sustainability

Transformational Impact/Reputational Enhancement

  • Climate change and effects on resident behaviour - e.g. solar carpark, medicinal herbs, water recycling and reuse, Hawkesbury Bushfire Unit
  • Achieve principles of a circular economy - offer food security through edible gardens and urban farming e.g. Precision Agriculture in Grazing Systems

Contribution to Community

  • Build a carbon negative precinct - eg. videography and sustainable Infrastructure, building energy monitoring and modelling
  • Wildlife and biodiversity -  find solutions to protecting wildlife in the area eg. videography and cultural ecology, bush regeneration and environmental education

Synergy between Academic and research benefits

  • Baseline monitoring for local micro environments - understand what are the most effective urban cooling strategies eg. resilience planning for Western campuses

Economic Benefits

  • Create solar panels and solar car parks eg. photovoltaics and engineering systems, resilience planning
  • Lighting plan for dark skies and energy efficiency

SDGs 3,4,7,9,11,13,17

Related Action Plan Themes