How CSIRO science could shape Ginninderra’s future

During the community consultations CSIRO has conducted so far, we’ve been asked a number of questions about how CSIRO might continue to be involved in the Ginninderra site moving forward.

We are still early in the process of requesting the land be reclassified to urban, but we have already identified approximately 150 hectares of land that is to be kept aside for ecological values and open space.

Preserving green space and integrating this into the eventual design of the space is not the only way CSIRO will be involved in the project. We aim to continue our involvement in providing scientific, evidence-based recommendations for the site’s future development.

This could include a variety of recommendations – from shared spaces to help enhance the development of communities, to environmentally sustainable energy, water and building design. We hope that implementing cutting edge research at Ginninderra can provide a model and better understanding of urban environments that can be applied across Australia.

In order to understand whether these measures are effective, of course some monitoring would be required. This could take the form of sensors installed in energy or water systems, or surveys conducted with residents of the area. We view this as an opportunity to work collaboratively with the community, as we have done in our science for many years.

If they wished, households in the area could have the opportunity to contribute to a long-term science program with CSIRO to help collect data on energy use, water use, and liveability of the area. For example, contributing knowledge and information on energy and water use could help us use these resources more sustainably Australia-wide and even globally.

All CSIRO research involving people is bound by extensive ethical guidelines to ensure the welfare of participants, and is always voluntary. Read more about CSIRO’s Ethical Human Research Guidelines.

Trialling new urban design is not unique in Australia. The Gen Y Demonstration Housing Project in Western Australia is working closely with researchers on a four year project with Curtin University’s Cooperative Research Centre to test sustainable, affordable living options for the next generation of Australians. It incorporates aspects of sustainability and design through shared spaces to reduce both the environmental impact and cost of these houses.

Eco-living features will be incorporated into all aspects of the design, including: a climate responsive layout, lightweight and sustainable building design, solar power, water and energy monitoring to identify opportunities to improve efficiency, underground rainwater tanks and low water use landscaping. Read more about this project.

Any development at Ginninderra is still years away. When it comes time to start building, we’ll have more in-depth research to inform CSIRO’s own science.