A joint IPWEA and Northern Beaches Council project addressing the impact of climate change on infrastructure has won at the Keep Australia Beautiful NSW Awards.
Damage to stormwater infrastructure at Collaroy Beach, following the June 2016 storm event.
(PN12.1) and related case studies won the Keep Australia Beautiful NSW Response to Climate Change Award, announced at the 2018 Sustainable Cities Seminar and Awards on October 17.
The
Response to Climate Change Award recognises actions taken by communities to tackle climate change, through:
- Providing real and practical solutions to meet the challenges of climate change in their area.
- Planning long-term for the management of climate change events, which includes partnerships, collaboration and community engagement.
- Educating communities and building capacity about the causes and effects of climate change and what individuals can do to take action.
- Acting to combat existing climate change events and improving infrastructure etc to improve an area’s resilience.
Judge Peter Clark said, “Councils are responsible for a significant amount of infrastructure threatened by the impacts of climate change. The Building Resilience into Infrastructure Project undertaken by Northern Beaches in collaboration with IPWEA is a valuable step in mitigating impacts on current infrastructure and future construction.
“The project strengthened Council's professional capacity through the four case studies which covered stormwater, roads, and amenities and also included the development of IPWEA Practice Note 12.1, which has application throughout Australia and New Zealand.”
It was the first time the award category was included, and judges said they were happy to receive such high-level applications.
Authored by highly respected climate scientist Dr Jacqueline Balston, PN12.1 is an essential tool for local governments.
PN 12.1 proposes alternate and resilient designs in response to impacts such as rising sea levels and increased extreme weather events for assets like community facilities, roads and stormwater outlets.
Northern Beaches Council put PN 12.1’s principles were put to the test in a number of real-world case studies, including an upgrade to Macpherson Street in Warriewood which had a history of inundation during heavy rain events, and the rebuilding of the amenities building on Marine Parade in Manly, which was damaged during the June 2016 storms.
IPWEA CEO Robert Fuller said PN 12.1 filled the need for evidence-based guidance that decision-makers can use to protect their community’s assets.
“Coastal communities around the world are preparing for a predicted rise in sea levels. As custodians of their community’s assets, local governments need to be informed about the options available to safeguard their roads, stormwater outlets and surf clubs for an uncertain future," Mr Fuller said.
The project was made possible by an $80,000 grant that Northern Beaches Council secured through the NSW Government’s Building Resilience to Climate Change grants program, which is administered and supported by Local Government NSW. Free digital copies of PN12.1 are available for
NSW councils.
Learn how to integrate the likely impacts of climate change into an assessment of the useful life of your infrastructure assets with the PN 12.1 Decision Tree Process Webinar on Wednesday, 21 November. Register now.
Buy PN 12.1 here.