When urban stormwater meets high groundwater

2021 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-12
Author(s):  
Sally Thompson ◽  
Margaret Shanafield ◽  
Ana Manero ◽  
Greg Claydon
Keyword(s):  
Urban Development ◽  
Coastal Plain ◽  
Land Surface ◽  
Best Practice ◽  
Expert Panel ◽  
Land Development ◽  
Research Centre ◽  
Cooperative Research ◽  
Bottom Line ◽  
Swan Coastal Plain

New land releases in the Perth Region on Western Australia’s Swan Coastal Plain are increasingly constrained by seasonally high groundwater (within 4m of the land surface). The measurement, modelling, and management of the effects of urbanisation in these high groundwater environments remains a challenging problem. To address this problem, the Cooperative Research Centre for Water Sensitive Cities (CRWSC) funded the “Knowledge-based water sensitive city solutions for groundwater impacted developments” Integrated Research Project, IRP5. In 2019, this project convened an Expert Panel to assess best-practice, and make recommendations to land development, engineering consulting, regulatory and advisory stakeholders. The Expert Panel explored strategies for groundwater risk assessment and provided technical guidance for measuring, modelling and predicting changes in groundwater as urbanisation progresses. It also obtained extensive input from stakeholders on the need to reduce the costs and risks of urban development in sites with high groundwater. In this paper, we argue that, by integrating technical best-practice groundwater assessments with design innovations and reforms to governance, urban development on high groundwater sites on the Swan Coastal Plain can minimise the current reliance on large volumes of sand fill. Although challenging, shifting to a low-fill development paradigm would represent a triple-bottom-line “win” for developers, homeowners and the environment.

Sustainable urban development in Brisbane City - the Holy Grail?

2003 ◽  
Vol 47 (7-8) ◽  
pp. 73-79 ◽  
Author(s):  
K. Rahman ◽  
T. Weber
Keyword(s):  
Water Management ◽  
Urban Development ◽  
Policy Formation ◽  
City Council ◽  
Sustainable Urban Development ◽  
Research Centre ◽  
Cooperative Research ◽  
Holy Grail ◽  
Integrated Water Management ◽  
Evaluation Programs

Impacts from urban stormwater runoff on receiving environments have been well documented, particularly through specific regional scientific studies. Using various local government planning and management elements, urban developments in Brisbane City are now able to address stormwater management in an increasingly holistic context. One key initiative includes facilitating Water Sensitive Urban Design (WSUD) components within an Integrated Water Management Strategy that looks at policy formation, planning strategies, design option, community marketing and acceptance, maintenance programs and finally evaluation of various WSUD approaches. These can include the use of Natural Channel Designs, grassed swales, bio-filtration systems, porous pavements and roofwater tanks in several economic combinations. By linking with the Cooperative Research Centre for Catchment Hydrology, Brisbane City Council has influenced the design of WSUD planning tools and benefited the city with academic inputs into extensive evaluation programs. As well, it has also contributed to the Cooperative Research Centre's research outcomes. These evaluation programs are increasingly providing better understanding of various stormwater quality best management practices throughout Australia. As part of the overall implementation process, active involvement by a range of stakeholders has been crucial. These stakeholders have included internal planning, development assessment and design staff, external consultants, developers, and other local and state government agencies. The latter two groups are assisting in the important task of “regionalisation” of Brisbane City Council's policies and guidelines. Implementation of WSUD initiatives and stormwater re-use strategies under Council's new “Integrated Water Management” agenda are showing some excellent results, suggesting that sustainable urban development is no longer like the search for the Holy Grail.

Overview of CAST and Australian Magnesium Research

2007 ◽  
Vol 546-549 ◽  
pp. 49-54 ◽  
Author(s):  
David H. StJohn
Keyword(s):  
Research And Development ◽  
Best Practice ◽  
Joint Venture ◽  
Significant Proportion ◽  
Casting Process ◽  
Research Centre ◽  
Light Metals ◽  
Transfer Program ◽  
Research Groups ◽  
Cooperative Research

The CAST Cooperative Research Centre was established in 1993 as a joint venture between industry, research and government partners to carry out research and development in the area of light metals. Over the thirteen years since its formation CAST has developed a world class research program and, in addition to the significant application of outcomes by our industry partners, much of our research is being commercialised. In addition, CAST has developed a significant education and training program, a best practice technology transfer program for small and medium enterprises, consulting and design activities and established an alliance with Advanced Magnesium Technologies as a provider of their research and development needs. The development of CAST has been achieved by cooperation between all our partners who represent most of the light metals research groups and a significant proportion of light metals industries in Australia. The close involvement of the industry partners in all aspects of the operation of CAST has ensured we have a program of activities focused on delivering benefits to Australia’s light metals industry. This paper presents an overview of the magnesium research undertaken by CAST and other research groups such as the Centre of Excellence in Design of Light Metals and the CSIRO including their Light Metals Flagship program. Some highlights are new magnesium powertrain alloys, an alloy suitable for decorative and domestic applications called AM-lite, and new CSIRO casting technologies T-Mag and a twin roll strip casting process.

Out of sight out of mind – subsea pipeline decommissioning

2017 ◽  
Vol 57 (1) ◽  
pp. 79 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eric Jas ◽  
Allison Selman ◽  
Valerie Linton
Keyword(s):  
Best Practice ◽  
Oil And Gas ◽  
Oil And Gas Industry ◽  
Research Centre ◽  
Maturity Stage ◽  
Cooperative Research ◽  
Gas Industry ◽  
Offshore Pipelines ◽  
Offshore Oil And Gas ◽  
Offshore Oil

Existing legislation, regulation and documentation dealing with decommissioning of offshore oil and gas infrastructure has traditionally been derived from experience gained in the North Sea and the Gulf of Mexico. The Australian operating environments are very different and, consequently, there is no Australian industry-wide engineering standard dedicated to the decommissioning of offshore pipelines. Decommissioning of Australian offshore pipelines is currently handled on a case-by-case basis. The efficiency and effectiveness of any given decommissioning project is variable, and highly dependent upon the experience of the pipeline operator. Given the maturity stage of the Australian offshore oil and gas industry, it is foreseen that in the coming years many operators will approach the task of decommissioning offshore pipelines for the first time. In 2014 the Energy Pipelines Cooperative Research Centre (EPCRC) formed an offshore users group, comprising pipeline experts from several offshore oil and gas operators and engineering consultancies that are members of the Australian Pipelines and Gas Association’s Research and Standards Committee (APGA RSC). This group is developing an engineering guideline for the decommissioning of offshore pipelines. It is being developed in close communication with the Australian Petroleum Production and Exploration Association (APPEA), which has formed a decommissioning committee in relation to offshore facilities. This ensures the guideline is being developed by and with input from a broad spectrum of the Australian offshore oil and gas industry, with the aim of capturing best practice in the Australian context.

A sustainable future for the Australian rangelands

2012 ◽  
Vol 34 (1) ◽  
pp. 27 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jan Ferguson
Keyword(s):  
Rangeland Management ◽  
Research Centre ◽  
Weed Species ◽  
Cooperative Research ◽  
Graduate Courses ◽  
Bottom Line ◽  
Sustainable Future ◽  
Feral Animals ◽  
The University ◽  
Business As Usual

This paper proposes a broad overview of possible responses to the challenges posed by rangelands to promote discussion on a sustainable future for these vast regions. Rangelands Australia, an organisational unit of the University of Queensland, which promotes and delivers post graduate courses in rangeland management, assesses these challenges as managing the landscapes sustainably; supporting viability for pastoralists, tourism operators and miners; and maintaining benefits to our communities. It describes the desirable triple bottom line as profitable enterprises, healthy landscapes and vibrant communities. While there may be general agreement on these challenges and objectives, how we as a nation – and we as land managers specifically – meet them is the subject of intense debate. What is clear is that we can no longer maintain a ‘business-as-usual’ approach. We are all familiar with the effects of salinity and erosion and the impacts of feral animals and weed species. We understand the need for business in the rangelands to think smart about the environment, about markets and about communities and get smart or go under. We know that we have to do things differently or our rangeland communities will wither away as businesses fail and young people leave the bush due to lack of meaningful opportunity where they have grown up. The experiences and observations of the Desert Knowledge Cooperative Research Centre and the new Cooperative Research Centre for Remote Economic Participation complement and bring together existing strands of activity across jurisdictions and disciplines. This synthesis of understanding offers some insights in how to conceptualise the future and act on the vision for a sustainable future for these extensive areas.

Impact of animal health and welfare research within the CRC for Cattle and Beef Quality on Australian beef production

2006 ◽  
Vol 46 (2) ◽  
pp. 233 ◽  
Author(s):  
I. G. Colditz ◽  
D. L. Watson ◽  
R. Kilgour ◽  
D. M. Ferguson ◽  
C. Prideaux ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Best Practice ◽  
Acute Stress ◽  
Animal Health ◽  
Road Transport ◽  
Research Centre ◽  
Cooperative Research ◽  
Beef Quality ◽  
Beef Industry ◽  
Cattle Industry ◽  
Knowledge Industry

Research within the health and welfare program of the Cooperative Research Centre for Cattle and Beef Quality has delivered important improvements to the Australian cattle industry. Vaccines to assist with the control of bovine respiratory disease were developed and commercialised from Australian isolates of Mannheimia haemolytica and pestivirus (mucosal disease). Our understanding of the benefits of weaning cattle by confinement and hand feeding in yards (yard weaning) has been consolidated, and yard weaning has been adopted as ‘best practice’ for cattle production in the temperate zones of Australia. The importance of good temperament for improved growth rates and reduced morbidity during feedlot finishing, and for adaptation to stressors such as road transport, has been demonstrated. In response to this knowledge, industry is increasingly measuring flight time for use in breeding programs and feedlot management. The risk to meat quality of stressors such as mixing unfamiliar cattle in the weeks preceding slaughter or acute stress in the last 15 min before slaughter has been described. Adoption of these findings through Quality Assurance schemes will assist in assurance for the community and for export markets of the welfare standards of the Australian cattle and beef industry. This review provides details of the experiments that led to these achievements and to some improved understandings of temperament and behaviour of beef cattle.

scholarly journals From TOD to TAC: Why and How Transport and Urban Policy Needs to Shift to Regenerating Main Road Corridors with New Transit Systems

Urban Science ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (3) ◽  
pp. 52
Author(s):  
Peter Newman ◽  
Sebastian Davies-Slate ◽  
Daniel Conley ◽  
Karlson Hargroves ◽  
Mike Mouritz
Keyword(s):  
Urban Planning ◽  
Urban Development ◽  
Urban Policy ◽  
Land Development ◽  
Transit Oriented Development ◽  
Transit Systems ◽  
Historical Perspectives ◽  
Early Case ◽  
Entrepreneurship Theory ◽  
Road Corridors

The need for transit oriented development (TOD) around railway stations has been well accepted and continues to be needed in cities looking to regenerate both transit and urban development. Large parts of suburban areas remain without quality transit down main roads that are usually filled with traffic resulting in reduced urban value. The need to regenerate both the mobility and land development along such roads will likely be the next big agenda in transport and urban policy. This paper learns from century-old experiences in public–private approaches to railway-based urban development from around the world, along with innovative insights from the novel integration of historical perspectives, entrepreneurship theory and urban planning to create the notion of a “Transit Activated Corridor” (TAC). TACs prioritize fast transit and a string of station precincts along urban main roads. The core policy processes for a TAC are outlined with some early case studies. Five design principles for delivering a TAC are presented in this paper, three principles from entrepreneurship theory and two from urban planning. The potential for new mid-tier transit like trackless trams to enable TACs is used to illustrate how these design processes can be an effective approach for designing, financing and delivering a “Transit Activated Corridor”.

scholarly journals Innovation Performance and Its Impact on Profitability Among Different Sectors in the Australian Construction Industry

2012 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-11 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mary Hardie ◽  
Graham Miller ◽  
Karen Manley ◽  
Stephen McFallan
Keyword(s):  
Construction Industry ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Innovation Performance ◽  
Research Centre ◽  
Research Information ◽  
Cooperative Research ◽  
Building Research ◽  
Evaluation Systems ◽  
Formal Evaluation ◽  
Industry Sectors

The BRITE (Building Research Information Technology and Environment) project was established by the Australian Cooperative Research Centre for Construction Innovation to encourage innovation in the construction industry. While innovation is generally perceived to be broadly beneficial, there has been little formal study of its occurrence or impact in Australian construction or of the factors which foster an innovative atmosphere within an enterprise. In order to benchmark innovation performance, the BRITE project conducted a survey in 2004 into the nature, incidence and variety of technological and organisational innovations in various sectors of the industry. With some exceptions, the survey found that clients and consultants engaged in significantly higher levels of innovation than did suppliers, main contractors or trade contractors. Within the industry sectors those organisations classified as high innovators favoured the adoption of advanced management practices and had formal evaluation systems in place to judge their progress. They reported significant positive impacts on their profitability from innovation and can therefore provide instructive examples for the rest of the industry to follow.

CRC 'Regional Combinations' project — effects of genetics and growth paths on beef production and meat quality: experimental design, methods and measurements.

2005 ◽  
Vol 45 (8) ◽  
pp. 959 ◽  
Author(s):  
W. A. McKiernan ◽  
J. F. Wilkins ◽  
S. A. Barwick ◽  
G. D. Tudor ◽  
B. L. McIntyre ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Meat Quality ◽  
Bos Taurus ◽  
Experimental Designs ◽  
Research Centre ◽  
Eating Quality ◽  
Beef Production ◽  
Cooperative Research ◽  
Beef Quality ◽  
Genetic Potential ◽  
And Storage

As a component of the second term of the Cooperative Research Centre (CRC) for Cattle and Beef Quality, a project to further test and validate the effects of varying nutritional growth paths pre-finishing and slaughter on cattle of varying genetic potential for meat yield and eating quality was designed and implemented. This project, ‘Regional Combinations’, was a multi-site experiment, using Bos taurus cattle generated at 4 locations across southern Australia. The design of imposing different growth paths between weaning and finishing on cattle with specific genetic potential is common across sites. Treatment and interaction effects on beef production and meat quality were examined within and across sites. This paper describes the experimental designs, generation of experimental cattle at the various sites and the measurements, collection and storage of the data for multi-site analyses.

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