Cool Places Cool Spaces

Resilient cities

Urban areas face increasing challenges from globalisation, urbanisation, climate change, natural disasters and socioeconomic inequalities. The need to build cities that can withstand and recover quickly from various shocks and stresses led to the emergence of the term resilient cities.

The Rockefeller Foundation's 100 Resilient Cities (100RC) initiative 2013 was aimed to help cities around the world build resilience. Sydney joined this initiative in 2015. With the support of the NSW state government Resilient Sydney is a collaboration of all 33 local councils of Greater Sydney working to develop and implement a city-wide resilience strategy. 

Learn more about Resilient Sydney here. 

Ryde Resilience Plan 2030

To act on the Resilient Sydney initiative the City of Ryde developed the Ryde Resilience Plan 2030. This plan contains nine key response areas that propose actions to guide, build, encourage and facilitate preparedness for acute shocks and emergency situations. It will enable the local community to adapt, survive and thrive into the future.

The issue of urban heat islands is addressed in the key response area; Climate change, extreme weather events and natural hazards. 

Learn more about the Ryde Resilience Plan 2030 here.

Meet the Resilience team

The Ryde Resilience Plan 2030 sets out the plan to reduce the impacts of climate change, extreme weather events and natural hazards on human comfort, safety and health and the environment. The targets include:

• By 2030, urban heat island affected precincts will be cooled by an average two degrees Celsius (compared to 2019 ambient heat levels). 

• By 2030, at least 40 percent of the City of Ryde will have tree canopy cover, which is an overall increase on 2019 levels. 

To meet these targets a number of strategies have been implemented including monitoring and measuring local urban climate and weather related conditions (particularly urban heat), patterns and changes. To make this happen the Cool Places Cool Spaces citizen science project was developed.

Cool Places Cool Spaces citizen science project

As a contributor of the Cool Places Cool Spaces citizen science project you will be conducting fieldwork to collect microclimate data. This data will be considered in the present and future shaping of the City of Ryde. You will be an active part in how local government and communities can mitigate and adapt to local climate change impacts. This data (depending upon quality and appropriateness) may be utilised for future Council works and projects to address heat issues.

Welcome to the team!

Activity 1

During fieldwork you will have the opportunity to interview people who live or work within the study site. 

1. In class, discuss the use of surveys and interviews during fieldwork. 

Consider:

• survey sample size 

• survey design with questions that will gain the information required

• the different types of questions including multiple choice, ranking questions and dichotomous questions (yes/no), rating scales (star system), likert scales (strongly disagree, disagree, neutral, agree, strongly agree) or open-ended questions

• how to conduct yourself during an interview.

2. In groups, design a set of questions that can be used during fieldwork to investigate the impact of urban heat on the people in the study site. 

3. Rehearse your interview to improve your interview technique and edit questions as required.

Activity 2

Conduct internet research on your local council, their involvement in Resilient Sydney and how they are building resilience to the challenges of climate change and urban heat.