Online Forum Series - The State of Water Sensitive Urban Design in NSW
The School’s Water Research Centre (WaterGUM group) jointly with Stormwater NSW is hosting upcoming Online Forum series – “The State of Water Sensitive Urban Design (WSUD) in NSW - Challenges and Opportunities”.
WSUD began to take hold at the turn of the century, promising to reduce the environmental impacts of conventional approaches to stormwater management whilst improving urban aesthetics. It combines the use of nature-based solutions with traditional urban drainage and promotes environmentally friendly urban water recycling and reuse.
UNSW represents the sustainability leader in NSW through research and engagement of WRC’s WaterGUM group formed three years ago, which conducts cutting-edge research on WSUD design and function. While the research has been progressing at a fast pace, WSUD adoption has been highly variable between Australian states and in other parts of the world.
WaterGUM academics Dr Kefeng Zhang and Dr Veljko Prodanovic have started WSUD Forum initiative to deepen the understanding of where NSW sits in the adoption of WSUD stormwater solutions and the barriers and challenges still standing in the way of the transition towards more sustainable stormwater management practices.
Researchers and partners at Stormwater NSW hope to gather a large crowd of professionals from diverse backgrounds in stormwater management, waterway protection, policy development and urban planning, to thrash out ideas and ascertain the status-quo (i.e., everyone and anyone with an interest).
Forum sessions are free and will be interactive allowing attendees to have their say and shape how WSUD needs to progress in NSW. The findings from these seminars will be used to develop a white paper outlining the current status of WSUD adoption in NSW and suggested areas for research and development to further drive sustainable stormwater practices in NSW.
The first webinar will be held on Wednesday, 15th July and will focus on the knowledge and practice behind water sensitive urban design. During this webinar, a panel of industry experts will discuss if NSW has the capacity required for the correct implementation of WSUD measures. The second panel will discuss if the correct communities of practice have been established and allow collaboration in a manner necessary to deliver improved standards, guidelines and other institutional instruments.
The second webinar will be held on Wednesday, 22nd July 2020 and will focus on the policy and resourcing required for effective WSUD implementation. These panel sessions will delve into the policy framework around WSUD in NSW, and how NSW fund the transition towards more sustainable stormwater management practices.
To register for this event please follow these links:
Free registration for Webinar 1: https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_17kxSP3mSCCYdtVL7-V0fA
Free registration for Webinar 2: https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_pJ0UP8ivS52h7jT9YbA7Iw
Researchers are hoping to gather valuable information out of these events and prepare industry document that can further research and implementation in area of WSUD.This is a unique opportunity to hear back from the NSW stormwater community and plot a path forward.
