Where Have All the Trees Gone?

A talk by Professor Peter Davies, followed by afternoon tea at the nearby Visitor Centre.

Sydney’s suburbs are undergoing a gradual transformation, largely unnoticed. Knockdown-rebuild redevelopment is reshaping the landscape in ways that undermine liveability and environmental sustainability. Larger building footprints and expanded driveways are gradually displacing canopy trees and gardens, eroding the private green space that once underpinned Sydney’s “garden city” ideal. This process is contributing to urban heat intensification, increased stormwater runoff and declining urban biodiversity. We are creating a greyer, less resilient urban form. So, the question is: How can redevelopment include nature?

Professor Peter Davies is the Course Director for the Master of Sustainable Development, Macquarie University