Home
Research
Projects
People
Newsletters
+ News & Events
Papers
& Publications
Partners
Links
Contact
Steering
Committee Resources
Fact
Sheets
 |
News and Events
News November 2007
On-line Questionnaire Results 'Sustainable Urban Water Management'
The National Urban Water Governance Program conducted an on-line survey in November 2006. The questionnaire focused on perceived 'barriers' and 'drivers' to advancing sustainable urban water management in three case study regions: Melbourne, Brisbane and Perth. The questionnaire was aimed at range of stakeholders, but specifically urban water professionals. The questionnaire response was overwhelming with over 300 respondents in Perth and Brisbane and over 420 in Melbourne (n=1041).
Analysis is currently underway and scheduled for completion by May 2007. The results will be disseminated via a series of workshops and written reports. The research findings will be available on our website later this year.
The Research Team would like to extend thanks to all those who participated in the on-line survey. The team would also like to congratulate three respondents who won prizes for completing the questionnaire:
- Stuart Craven, Manager - Major Recycling Projects, Department of Sustainability and Environment (Melbourne)
- Liz Ronson, Development Manager, Mirvac WA Pty Ltd (Western Australia)
- Nic Smith, Environmental Engineer, Brisbane City Council (Queensland)
Department of Water (Western Australia) Joins the Program!
We are delighted to welcome the Department of Water as a funding partner to the Program. The Department of Water is a new department of the Western Australian Government designed to: provide information and advice on water resources issues, regulate and issue licences prepare policies and plans for the State Government and protect the quality of Western Australian water. During March 2007, the Research Team will be undertaking induction presentations to staff members on what the Program is working towards, the research underway and a brief introduction to the preliminary research results.
The Department of Water joins a long list of other program funding partners that are leading the field in investigating sustainable urban water management issues.
The Inaugural 'Annual Stakeholder Forum', December 2006
The first annual Stakeholder Forum was held over the 12th and 13th December 2006 in Melbourne. The forum was attended by the Program's research team and research students, Steering Committee Members and invited Industry Experts. The forum was used to present the preliminary qualitative and quantitative findings of Theme A - Institutional Barriers to advancing sustainable urban water management. The session was also designed as a validation process to ensure the results 'made sense' to industry and to provide an opportunity for industry leaders to make further comment. Questions were also asked of forum participants on how best to disseminate the research findings.
Day one began with Program Leader, Dr. Rebekah Brown talking about the background to the research, knowledge gaps the Program is addressing and key social theories the research draws from. Following this talk, Rebekah, along with Research Fellow Nina Keath, presented the results of 250 interviews and over 1000 questionnaire respondents from Melbourne, Brisbane and Perth. Following each case study presentation, forum participants were asked to comment on the results and assess each city's 'receptivity' to sustainable urban water management.
The next day focused on how the research findings could help inform current practice. Participants reflected upon the following questions:
- What are the similarities and major distinctions among the three cities?
- What lessons from the other two cities are useful for your city?
- What lessons can your city productively offer the other two cities?
This process elicited much lively debate and discussion regarding the similarities and differences amongst the case study regions. Following these discussions, guest speaker Dr Tony Wong of Ecological Engineering presented Water Sensitive Urban Design for Resilience to Climate Change. Next, forum participants broke into 'city groups' to discuss what they perceived a 'water sensitive city' was for their region and what is required to achieve this vision? The final discussion focused on the possible methods for disseminating the research findings.
The next Steering Committee meeting will be held in Brisbane on Thursday 29th March.
Comings and Goings of Research Team Members
Sadly we said goodbye to Adriane Pollard who had joined the Program's research team for a six-month stint from July 2006. Adriane left the program in December 2006 to shift back home to Victoria Island, British Columbia (Canada). Her contributions to the Program were important and we look forward to staying abreast of her work in this area in Canada.
To fill this research gap, Dr. Megan Farrelly was appointed to the team as a Research Fellow in December 2006. Megan completed her PhD in June 2006 at the University of Western Australia (Perth) and had been working with the Institute for Regional Development situated in the School of Earth and Geographical Sciences. Megan has a strong background in both physical science and applied social science research, refining her research skills through her PhD. The thesis examined the regionalisation of environmental planning and management in Australia through an evaluation of the Australian Government's Natural Heritage Trust funding initiative. Her main areas of expertise are in environmental/regional planning, policy evaluation, community engagement and participation and environmental management systems. We look forward to Megan's contributions to the team and in particular her insights into Perth as a (ex-) local.
Stacey Sawchuk also joins the program as a part-time Research Assitant. Currently studying for her Masters degree at Monash in International Development and Environmental Analysis, Stacey will support the team by undertaking administrative tasks and assisting the Team in their research activities.
Farewell to Jodi Clarke The Program must say yet another sad farewell, Research Assistant Jodi Clarke is leaving the Program to explore the world. Jodi joined the Program at its inception in 2005 following her undergraduate degree at Monash University. She worked tirelessly with both the National Urban Water Governance Program and the Facility for Advancing Water Biofiltration. Jodi was co-researcher and author on the 'Transitions to Water Sensitive Urban Design: the Story of Melbourne, Australia' and wrote the Program's context reports for Perth, Brisbane and Melbourne. She has also contributed to the research program by presenting at numerous conferences, writing research publications and active engagement with industry stakeholders. From all the Research Team and our funding partners, we wish Jodi all the very best for her future career. Good luck Jodi!
Transition to Water Sensitive Urban Design: The Story of Melbourne, Australia.
The Facility for Advancing Water Biofiltration (FAWB) in association with the National Urban Water Governance Program has released a working paper entitled Transition to Water Sensitive Urban Design: the Story of Melbourne, Australia. This report, the first in a planned series by FAWB, details the shifts in urban water governance in Melbourne over the last 40 years. The research, undertaken by the Urban Water Governance Program's Rebekah Brown and Jodi Clarke, examined the socio-technical initiatives, such as innovative technologies like water biofiltration and gathered a number of oral histories from industry experts. The report was released in Melbourne to industry experts to allow an opportunity for additional comments and feedback. Following any necessary revisions the document should be available to the public in May 2007. The FAWB research report is expected to help the urban water sector learn about how innovative approaches are adopted and made mainstream in an attempt to become a 'water sensitive city'. See the FAWB website for further information.
Internal Research Team Meeting, December 2006
To wind down the year (2006) in the lead up to Christmas, the National Urban Water Governance Program's research team and students met for an informal meeting to present the research they have or are planning to do. This was a great opportunity for sharing ideas, research methods and to learn about the different work happening across the Program. Rebekah Brown kicked off the presentations with a useful discussion on the differences between physical and social science research methodologies. For the rest of the day, postgraduate, masters, and honours students presented their work to date, as did Program research members. To wind down the day, the new recruit to the research team, Dr Megan Farrelly, presented an overview of her PhD thesis and provided a brief background of her research interests.
The day was wrapped up with drinks and dinner in an end-of-year/ Christmas celebration.
