Here’s some great news for anyone wanting to find out about options for sustainable city living. For about a decade I’ve been a supporting member of Urban Ecology Australia .. It’s an inspiring group of people who have managed to pull off a huge challenge in addressing the disastrous impact of urbanization:
– Many of us spend hours commuting each week, at an enormous cost to the economy, the environment and our climate.
– We live in homes that use twice the energy they used thirty years ago.
– Urban sprawl increasingly encroaches on prime agricultural land.
So what to do? Urban Ecology’s extraordinary team of volunteers have succeeded in their quest to develop a working alternative model, Christie Walk, in the heart of the City of Adelaide.
Christie Walk is remarkable in that it manages to combine:
– Low impact, high efficiency housing.
– High density living – 27 households on 2,000 square metres of land.
– Facilities that encourage social connections and a strong sense of community.
– Biodiversity – despite the high density, the overall impact is of a green, welcoming space, including a community kitchen garden and relaxing rooftop garden.
As one of the founders commented, there’s now no excuse. We know it can be done. Urban Ecology’s determination for Christie Walk to be a model for future sustainable city development has resulted in the production of a brilliant DVD and CD-ROM pack, Christie Walk – a piece of ecocity. It’s an inspiring and hopeful pack, just what’s needed.