How this new Melbourne suburb is dodging baking heat in summer

ABC NEWS (Australia)

Melbourne’s booming growth areas sometimes get a bad reputation for being urban heat islands. With their rows of black roofs and concrete driveways without much shade.  But one outer suburb is hoping to change all that by increasing the requirement for trees on streets and on private blocks.

Transcript

00:00From above, this new development in Melbourne's outer south east looks pretty familiar.

00:08But the difference is growing from the ground up.

00:12More trees, it's bigger, healthier trees.

00:15It is all about changing the way that we build new suburbs, so having a tree first approach.

00:19This neighbourhood in Clyde North is designed to achieve 30 per cent canopy coverage in all public spaces.

00:27It's more than double what's required.

00:29We want to create connected communities and having pathways and green paths is really important to that.

00:36It's not just street trees.

00:38The project also has a minimum requirement for two trees on residential blocks.

00:43It has become a real challenge because over the last, let's say, 30 to 40 years,

00:48probably the average size of a block of land, it's now half what it used to be.

00:54For residents, it's worth it.

00:56And the greenery side is pretty good.

00:58And that's what my family likes, because my family likes to roam around.

01:01On a hot day, you can really feel the difference in temperature standing under a tree can make.

01:06Some studies estimate shadier suburbs can be cooler by up to 10 degrees.

01:11The state government has a target of 30 per cent canopy in urban areas.

01:16But the most up to date data from 2018 shows an average cover of just 15 per cent across Melbourne.

01:25The leafy eastern suburbs have the most coverage with 25 per cent.

01:30It's 15 per cent in the southern suburbs and just 5 per cent in the west.

01:35Analysis from Casey Council shows Clyde North only has about 5 per cent canopy coverage.

01:42I think there's a good appreciation, but we're not seeing it as a critical infrastructure of cities.

01:48Next, green shoots for a shadier future.

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