The City of Sydney, Australia plans to plant 700 new street trees a year and cover 40% of the city in greenery by the year 2050. The urban forestation plan is part of the city’s Greening Sydney 2012 and 2030 strategies. Along with tree planting, the city also plans for new and improved parks, green roofs and walls, and streetscape gardening.
In order to achieve this goal, Greening Sydney 2030 outlines 20 priority actions, including:
- Green laneways, roofs and walls: Laneways are narrow streets that are often underutilized. Laneway greening projects and programs will be reviewed, and the most easily provided will be implemented. The City’s planning controls will be gradually amended to increase the adoption and use of green roofs in new developments, and retrofitted onto existing buildings where possible;
- Green Factor Score: a planning tool that evaluates and quantifies the amount and quality of urban greening a project provides will be used. All projects will need to achieve a required score – based on the type of development, location and other site considerations. The Green Factor Score will be embedded into updated planning controls;
- Greening Sydney Fund: the fund will be used specifically to improve greening outcomes on private land – by matching grants programs for residents and landowners to plant new trees, or for the installation of green roofs, green walls and façades;
- Indigenous ecological knowledge: The City plans to work with the local Aboriginal community to identify cultural and practical principles to that should be considered when designing new spaces, or that can help integrate people with nature;
- Community participation: The City will continue to encourage participation in greening activities by supporting education programs, community gardens, the Sydney City Farm, bushcare and landcare groups, and footpath gardening projects; and,
- Equitable access: the fair distribution of greening across the local government area so that everyone shares the benefits provided is deemed vital.
“The City of Sydney is one of only a few councils in Australia that has consistently increased canopy cover, and the only capital city to do so. Greening Sydney 2030 allows us to build on this progress and provides the next important chapter in the City of Sydney’s green story,” Lord Mayor Clover Moore said. “We’re in the middle of a climate crisis and we’re already experiencing its impacts. Dangerous heat waves are arriving earlier, are hotter and last longer. Our city must adapt to the changing climate and increase its resilience to the likely impacts.”