LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE: A $2.875 billion urban greening project to mitigate urban heat in Parramatta is turning heads with its innovative rethink of what light rail tracks should look like, and what function they should serve in the community.
Taking inspiration from Europe’s Porto to Paris, Transport for NSW in collaboration with WSU and the project’s delivery partner Parramatta Connect designed a green landscape between and along the Parramatta Light Rail tracks stretching for over one kilometre.
In partnership with Western Sydney University researchers, Green Tracks for Parramatta Light Rail was commissioned to assess the viability of green tracks for the Parramatta Light Rail project.
More than 1.3 kilometres of vegetation and grasses were planted across three sections of rail in the Cumberland precinct, the Robin Thomas Reserve, and Tramway Avenue in Parramatta.
Rail tracks need not be grey any longer – green tracks provide numerous benefits to the urban environment including reducing urban heat island effect, improving surface permeability for stormwater infiltration, and reducing pollution.
The sections are the first green track laid in NSW and the longest stretch in Australia.
Gigi Lombardi, TfNSW landscape architect told The Fifth Estate the design took inspiration from Europe’s grass-lined green railways which have long been hailed as features of good urban design.
From Barcelona to Prague, Frankfurt, St-Etienne and Strasbourg, grass is helping European cities and rural areas alike combat pollution and lower heat.
The project presented an opportunity to respond to the growing community concerns around urban heat currently experienced in Western Sydney, Ms Lombardi said.
“The key inspiration was to deliver a track form finish that provides significant environmental and public health benefits.
“The response from the community has been overwhelmingly positive as they have witnessed the successful implementation of the green track across three areas of the alignment where it is integrated beautifully with parkland, river foreshore and heritage areas.
The green track initiative is part of the Parramatta Light Rail stage one $2.875 billion program, which includes two major contracts to build, operate and maintain the light rail (including the delivery and maintenance of the green track in three areas), remediation works of the future light rail depot site, road and traffic works and upgrades, new bridges, walking and bike riding paths, urban design, changes to the bus network and project costs from 2015 to 2032.
Ms Lombardi says some key challenges for the project were a lack of technical knowledge and understanding for building the green tracks.
“It was for this key reason that Transport for NSW commissioned Western Sydney University to carry out research and make recommendations on constructability, soil composition and depth, drainage, irrigation plant species, etcetera. A key recommendation from this research was to build a prototype in the location of the alignment and trial it for 12 months to inform the detailed design phase.”
The project is now in the running for the Australian Institute of Landscape Architects national awards to be awarded on 14 October, after scooping two awards for the NSW state competition in June.
Green Tracks for Parramatta Light Rail was awarded in two categories: research, policy and communications, and also infrastructure.
The jury commended the project’s innovation and practicality and said it paved the way for similar projects in the future: “The intellectual rigor and commitment to collaboration across disciplines such as engineering, climate science, soil, biodiversity and landscape architecture demonstrates a truly integrated and creative approach to design.
“The problem-solving is elegant and unyielding, the outcome transformational and no-doubt one that will enable more sensitive and systems-based approaches to creating resilient, cool, and inspiring places in future.”
Ms Lombardi is now working on exploring opportunities to feature green tracks for the Parramatta Light Rail stage two to connect stage one and the Parramatta CBD to Sydney Olympic Park via Camellia, Rydalmere, Ermington, Melrose Park and Wentworth Point.