Studio 5/02

INMBY ‘In My Back Yard’: Design speculations for a creek-side park in Darebin

Madhu Lakshmanan

Studio Description

The notion of “Not in My Back Yard” (NIMBY) is a phenomenon often associated with opposition to change in one’s neighbourhood. The aim of this studio is to speculate on the notion of “In My Back Yard”, or a community’s embrace of landscape changes. The aim of this studio is to explore ways social-ecological systems associated with a site that adjoins Darebin Creek, a tributary of the Yarra, including Bundoora Park, can be made more sustainable through encouraging sentiments associated with this notion of INMBY. The site is approximately 20 hectares in area and is overlooked by residential areas mostly lined by the back fences of neighbouring homes. The site also includes a remnant wetland, which is fenced off for its protection. This juxtaposition between private residential and public natural areas raises the question of whose backyard it really is and who benefits from changes to the site. Creek-sides are often hidden landscapes in suburbs and this site is no exception being located at the cusp of the gentrifying suburbs of Kingsbury and Reservoir in Melbourne’s inner north.

Studio Outcomes

This studio will address the questions:

• What are the primary social, economic, and environmental drivers that influence the health, habitat and quality of the site and surroundings?
• What are the strategic actions that can be taken to improve the site’s public access for enjoyment by the local community? And what are the ways in which the local community can be engaged in the conservation, management, and long-term sustainability of the creek’s biodiversity?
• Which design actions are critical for guiding the development and management of the site for a 15-year horizon?

The semester will be divided into three parts, each considering three nested scales of the site.

• Weeks 1 to 4 will involve undertaking site visits, analysing the broader context, developing a site program and identifying precedents.
• Weeks 5 to 8 will involve developing a master plan and illustrating relevant design strategies.

Weeks 9 to 2 will involve preparing detailed designs for two areas within the master plan.

Studio Leader

Dr Madhu is an AILA-registered landscape architect with professional qualifications in both landscape architecture and architecture. He works as a Senior Strategic Planner at the City of Darebin and is an Accredited Professional in Neighbourhood Design with the USGBC. He brings over two decades of experience in landscape architecture, environmental planning, and architectural practice. He has successfully planned, designed, and documented a range of projects in Australia and overseas. Madhu has taught various urban planning, urban design and landscape architecture subjects at the Melbourne School of Design and at Deakin University. His doctoral research focused on green urbanism by investigating factors that influence to adopt climate mitigating ways of life by Australian households’.

Readings & References

• Devine-Wright, P. (2009). Rethinking NIMBYism: The role of place attachment and place identity in explaining place-protective action. Journal of Community & Applied Social Psychology, 19 (6), 426–441.
• Pickett, S. T. A., Cadenasso, M. L., & McGrath, B. (Eds.). (2013). Resilience in Ecology and Urban Design (Vol. 3). Springer Netherlands.
• Roggema, R. (Ed.). (2012). Swarming Landscapes: The Art of Designing for Climate Adaptation (Vol. 48). Springer Netherlands.
• Thompson Berrill Landscape Design. (2017). Darebin Creek Management Plan. Darebin Creek Management Committee Inc.
• Windhager, S., Steiner, F., Simmons, M. T., & Heymann, D. (2010). Emerging Landscapes: Toward Ecosystem Services as a Basis for Design. Landscape Journal, 29 (2), 107–123.

Schedule
Lecture Tuesdays 16:15-17:15  in MSD Room B120 (Singapore Theatre)
Studio Tuesdays 17:15-20:15 in MSD Room 125 and Thursdays 18:15-21:15 in MSD Room 240

Off-campus Activities
Week 3 / Darebin Creek in the suburbs of Kingsbury and Reservoir in Melbourne's inner north

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