Melbourne Climate Futures: Climate Research Accelerator (CRX)
In August 2021, Melbourne Climate Futures awarded its first round of ‘sapling’ funding through its Climate Research Accelerator (CRX) program to eight diverse projects that bring together interdisciplinary teams from across the University with a range of external partners. In November 2022, the UEDLAB - lead by Alex Felson and Kirstine Wallis - was awarded the second round of 'sapling' funding ($40k) to support the following project proposal:
“Integrating Indigenous design with climate science to inform near, mid, and long-term scenarios for the Great Birrarung Parklands.”
The CRX funding is designed to support established projects that can demonstrate high likelihood of making an immediate impact on the climate problem.
In early 2021, the Birrarung Council – the voice of the Yarra River – invited postgraduate landscape architecture students from three universities to collaborate and develop a vision for the Great Birrarung Parkland. They asked for regeneration ideas from Naarm, the Birrarung murron (Yarra River Protection Act of 2017) Legislation that defines the river as a living entity.
In response, the Melbourne School of Design created the Design with Country: Resilience Studio, comprising urban designers, landscape and built-form architects, to explore the large, urbanised riverine system and develop and visualise design interventions for present to future scenarios. This multi-disciplinary studio brings together Aboriginal perspectives, heritage and Country living systems with contemporary urbanisation and Birrarung catchment management.
We have established a co-educational course working with the Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung Cultural Heritage Aboriginal Corporation (WWCHAC) on envisioning the Birrarung (Yarra River) as a living entity and shaping the future vision. Led by UoM staff including First Nations teachers and guests, students are immersed in local culture and science to navigate the concepts of connection to Country, building cultural awareness and engaging bi-culturally with Traditional Owners and knowledge holders, city managers, stakeholders and design professionals in order to understand the challenges and opportunities of the river precinct and surrounding areas from multiple perspectives and future scenarios.
This project will establish a science advisory group to work with landscape architecture, urban design and architecture students, alongside the WWCHAC and Indigenous designers, to incorporate the latest climate projections (such as drought, increased weather intensity, and more frequent and intense rainfall events) and apply a better climate understanding of these challenges. Through the Design with Country initiative (studio and consultancy), we will develop data and climate visualisation strategies to inform the designs and to feed into planning for the Great Birrarung Parkland. This will involve a focus on regional watersheds, sub-basins and neighbourhoods, drainage and infrastructure systems, and biology with the goal of developing multi-scale resilience strategies.
MCF’s CRX funding will support workshops and research support staff members to gather information on and support the development of hydrologic and climatic modelling for 2050s and 2100s scenarios along the Birrarung and its tributaries.
CRX Partners
