When Emeritus Professor Linda Corkery, a founding director of the Landscape Foundation of Australia, approached ZNET Uralla to partner with the Foundation on a project addressing the liveability of urban landscapes during heat events, we were delighted to join with them as it tied in with the focus of ZNET Uralla’s ‘Greening Uralla’ project to support initiatives that improve the liveability, beauty, resilience and biodiversity, as well as lowering carbon emissions in our shire.
Consequently, the Keeping Uralla Summers Cool (KUSC) project was undertaken through a collaboration between the Landscape Foundation of Australia (LFA) and ZNET Uralla, funded in June 2022 by the NAB Foundation Community Grants.
Most research in this area of urban heat has been focussed on cities and larger towns, however daily activities of residents in smaller towns and villages are also compromised during heat events. With good planning around appropriate shading, seating, water stations, tree canopy and connectivity with green spaces much can be done to ensure that those daily activities can continue with a level of comfort and accessibility.
We hope that this project deepens residents’ understanding and appreciation of the need for actions, such as those outlined in the report’s Action Strategy, to be implemented now to provide an environment that supports a healthy lifestyle and sustainable environment for the near future.
To read more of our report; Improving Health & Liveability for a Resilient Uralla click here.
