BellingenNSWHow the house and car nexus is destroying biodiversity
"Australian houses are among the largest in the world, averaging 236 square metres of living space"
"Local urban greening outcomes are subjugated to state government housing priorities."
"Driveway area has increased on average by 57% from 29m2 to 46m2."
"Front garden area has reduced on average by 46% from 102m2 to 55m2."
"Redevelopment has reduced canopy cover by 62% at the lot scale."
"Middle-ring suburban Sydney is experiencing a quiet yet profound transformation. As redevelopment accelerates, larger houses with expansive footprints and additional driveways are steadily replacing traditional front yards and gardens. This study examines 370 properties across Northern and Greater Western Sydney to quantify these changes. In areas where older, low-density homes have been replaced by newer, larger detached dwellings, the average front garden area has declined by 46%, while driveways and other impervious surfaces have increased by 57%. Most notably, front yard canopy cover has fallen by 62%. These patterns are not due to a lack of policy, but to a planning system in which local controls have become discretionary under ongoing state-level legislative reforms. Broader social trends toward larger homes and greater car ownership further reinforce this shift. The cumulative effect is leading to a substantial loss of private green space, contributing to higher urban heat, reduced biodiversity, and diminished connections with nature. Urban planning reform is urgently needed to embed minimum standards..."
Death of the front yards: How the house and car is replacing residential gardens >>
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0264275126001617
#cars #roads #housing #driveways #sprawl #expansion #MumAndDadDeveloper #UHI #UrbanHeat #gardens #backyard #GreenSpace #UrbanGreening #wildlife #biodiversity #trees #children #SmallLandclearing #UrbanPlanning #FossilFuel #dependency #failure #regulation #suburbia #Australia #culture
Image: Housing cars
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Mark Burton
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