Article: New communities carbon concern

[ozbob]

From the Brisbanetimes click here!

New communities carbon concern

New communities carbon concern
TONY MOORE
June 24, 2010

The State Government's plan to build master-planned communities far from public transport would make it difficult for it to meet its own greenhouse gas emission targets, the Queensland Conservation Council said yesterday.

Premier Anna Bligh announced plans to build new communities at Ripley Valley, near Ipswich, and Yarrabilba and Flagstone, south of Logan, last month and the Urban Land Development Authority yesterday outlined how it would plan these communities.

However, QCC executive director Toby Hutcheon said the three new 'cities' would make it very hard for Queensland to meet its carbon targets, due to emissions from cars, trucks and other vehicles travelling to and from the communities.

The Queensland Office of Climate Change yesterday could not provide trend figures, but it is understood the state has the highest rate of per capita carbon emissions in Australia, at about 25 to 26 tonnes per person.

Two weeks ago, brisbanetimes.com.au revealed the State Government would build the rail line through to Springfield, near Ripley, by 2013, bringing the public transport project ahead by two years.

However, Mr Hutcheon said questions about sustainable development should frame the new developments at Ripley, Flagstone and Yarrabilba, not the conventional thinking about roads, sewerage and infrastructure payments.

"Our point on these master-planned communities is, do they answer the central tests that should be asked of them?" he said.

"Will they reduce per capita emissions from energy, will they reduce per capita consumption in water and will they reduce per capita transport miles?"

Mr Hutcheon said there were many examples of urban villages that were self sufficient in energy and water, including the Currumbin eco-village and examples throughout The Gap.

He called for each community to include pilot projects in genuine sustainable housing design and to promote public transport, not the private vehicle.

"We have had Campbell Newman say that, when these were first announced, 'We should be starting with public transport'," Mr Hutcheon said.

"So that is where our frustration is coming from. You have to start there and then plan it, rather than this 'business as usual' approach, but we will put solar hot water systems and rainwater tanks in all the houses and call it green."

The ULDA will respond today.

[Golliwog]

Interesting to hear what the ULDA's response is. Its not that hard to plan these things, its really just the same as planning for roads, you just need to think in a different way, which is what the government is saying its trying to do.

[mufreight]

Unfortunately the track record of this government and the Transport Minister is mostly just that, what they say they are going to do.
Now if it were possible to convert all that hot air into electricity we could halve the cost of power to run the trains.