Studio 4/02

High Speed Rail Corridor as Ecological Infrastructure

Christopher Newman

This studio is available to students enrolled in ABPL90170 Landscape Architecture Studio 4.

Studio Description

The Victoria Government is currently in Stage2 planning for a High-Speed Rail (HSR) line between Melbourne and Geelong, a project which will cut the 80km journey to 17 minutes travelling at speeds of 350km/hr . This initiative has been extended with an additional proposal for a regional rail upgrade which includes a new Surf Coast rail project to Torquay.

The City ofWyndham, City of Greater Geelong, and the Surf Coast Shire are within one of the fastest growth areas in Australia, with population growth and economic activity being two of the main drivers shaping this region. The changes currently in play, place ecological and infrastructure systems under extreme pressure leaving existing ecology, and infrastructure fragmented and dysfunctional.

The HSR corridor as ecological infrastructure can mitigate issues with population burden, water protection, and management of natural resources, carefully and within a context of ecological balance. With further understanding of the balance of these complexities and the ecological systems built upon at varied scales, the more communities may harness the natural energies, flows and materials. The HSR as ecological infrastructure will come with new opportunities too, enabling development to extend to neighbouring cities, while rewarding human settlements with equilibrium in nature. Ecological infrastructure landscape planning is positioned to provide solutions to industrial age problems.

Studio Outcomes

Using ecologically sensitive landscape planning theory, open data and ArcGIS Pro as a tool, students will strategically investigate locations for the HSR corridor within a systems perspective. Each project will aim to create a network of designed ecosystem services which propose to mitigate any damaging effects and build resilience back into the existing ecological systems and communities, so development may coexist with the natural environment.

Students will design ecological infrastructure strategies, with potential novel outcomes by applied focus on a regional scale through a series of topics related to ecological infrastructure. A comprehensive design process to inform each project as evidence-based outcome

Schedule Lecture: Thursdays 12:00-13:00; Studio: Thursdays 13:00-19:00

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