1. General information
Location and description of the intervention
City or FUA
Melbourne
Region
Australia and Oceania
Native title of the NBS intervention
Green Your Laneway Program (GYL)
Short description of the intervention
The City of Melbourne, through its Urban Forest Strategy, has a comprehensive plan for greening major streets and precincts, but not the smaller laneways. Across the municipality, laneways occupy a ground area of 60 hectares, with a further 150 hectares of space on the walls in these laneways (3). "The City of Melbourne has established the GYL program in 2016 with the vision to help transform the city’s smaller laneways into leafy, green and better usable spaces for the residents and other visitors to enjoy while addressing the city’s sustainability challenges." (1 p27). So far, a pilot project has been carried our including the transformation of 4 laneways: Coromandel Place, Guildford Lane, Meyers Place and Katherine Place (1,3). The intervention included an intensive planning process with the involvement of stakeholders from the private and public sectors and the creation of an interactive map of laneways ideal for greening. (1,2). The GYL program aims to address the issues of urban heat islands, climate change impacts of flood mitigation while also improving local aesthetics, amenity and creating opportunities for recreation (1).
Location
The NBS is a city-wide initiative, the GIS point marks the centre of the city
Type of area before implementation of the NBS
Residential
Other
Please specify “other type of area” before implementation of the NBS
Laneways
Website of the intervention
https://participate.melbourne.vic.gov.au/greenlaneways
Timeline of intervention
Start date of the intervention (planning process)
2016
Start date of intervention (implementation process)
2016
End date of the intervention
ongoing
Present stage of the intervention
In piloting stage
Goals of the intervention
- Enhancement of the sustainability of Melbourne City’s laneways, and area that hasn't been addressed in other initiatives and programs of comprehensive municipal greening strategy (1)
- To make them more efficient at cooling the city, intercepting and cleaning stormwater and improving air quality and ambience (Mayor Doyle reported in CBD, 2016, 21 December)"
- Addressing urban heating by providing shading and local cooling
- Improvement permeability for flood mitigation
- Improvement of aesthetics for public
- Creation of amenities for recreation and relaxation (1)
Quantitative targets
Transformation of 4 laneways as part of the pilot project
Monitoring indicators defined
Unknown
Sustainability challenge(s) addressed
Climate action for adaptation, resilience and mitigation (SDG 13)
Climate change adaptation
Water management (SDG 6)
Flood protection
Green space, habitats and biodiversity (SDG 15)
Green space creation and/or management
Environmental quality
Air quality improvement
Regeneration, land-use and urban development
Promote natural styles of landscape design for urban development
Inclusive and effective governance (SDG 16)
Inclusive governance
Health and well-being (SDG 3)
Creation of opportunities for recreation
Climate change adaptation: What were the goals of the NBS?
Reduce the impacts of climate risks events on urban places and communities
Build resilience
Climate change adaptation: What activities are implemented to realize the conservation goals and targets?
Increase or improve urban vegetation cover to help reduce outdoor temperature
Implement green walls or roofs to lower indoor temperature and provide insulation
Create or improve outdoor spaces to help people escape from urban heat
Implementation activities
1. Development of an interactive map to identify laneways ideal to the GYL greening program. The assessment included solar analysis, wind exposure, drainage, and transport characteristics (1)
2. Consultation and selection process from the submitted proposals (1)
3. Design process including public engagement organisation, stakeholder and experts mapping and invitation (1)
4. Greening measures: creation of vertical gardens, tree planting, grey infrastructure enhancement, improvement of pedestrian and seating areas, green art installation (1)
Type of NBS project
Creation of new green areas
Strategy, plan or policy development
Please specify other type of green wall
Unknown
NBS domain and interventions
Ecological domain(s) where the NBS intervention(s) is/are implemented
Nature on buildings (external)
Green walls or facades
Grey infrastructure featuring greens
Alley or street trees and other street vegetation
Green parking lots
Parks and urban forests
Pocket parks/neighbourhood green spaces
Green areas for water management
Rain gardens
Type of Green Wall
Other
What is the level of innovation / development of the NBS related to water management?
Low: Simple rain water collection intervention (rain garden, local seepage pit) or simple permeable areas
Vegetation Type
Trees
Flower beds
Please specify how many trees were planted
Unknown
Amenities offered by the NBS
Benches and drinking water stations
Cultural (museum, concert areas)
Services
Expected ecosystem services delivered
Regulating services
Local climate regulation (temperature reduction)
Air quality regulation
Cultural services
Aesthetic appreciation
Inspiration for culture, art and design
Recreation
Mental and physical health and wellbeing
Scale
Spatial scale
Sub-microscale: Street scale (including buildings)
Beneficiaries
Primary Beneficiaries
Private sector/Corporate/Company
Citizens or community groups
Governance
Governance arrangements
Co-governance with government and non-government actors
Non-government actors
Private sector/Corporate/Business
Citizens or community groups
Please specify the roles of the specific government and non-government actor groups involved in the initiative
"The City of Melbourne has established the Green Your Laneway (GYL) program in 2016" (1 p27). However, the implementation of the project "required complex institutional arrangements since it has to deal with many different stakeholders and difficult legal settings regarding private and public land ownership" (1 p29). The pilot project included a diverse set of stakeholders from private sector actors, to experts and citizens. (1)
Key actors - initiating organization
Local government/municipality
Land owners
Private sector or company
Public space owned by the city
Key actors - Other stakeholders involved (besides initiating actors)
Local government/municipality
Non-government organisation/civil society
Private sector/corporate actor/company
Citizens or community group
Land owners
Private sector or company
Public space owned by the city
Participatory methods/forms of community involvement used
Co-planning (e.g. stakeholder workshops, focus groups, participatory mapping)
Dissemination of information and education
Consultation (e.g. workshop, surveys, community meetings, town halls)
Joint implementation (e.g. tree planting)
Policy drivers
NBS intervention implemented in response to an Regional Directive/Strategy
No
NBS intervention implemented in response to a national regulations/strategy/plan
No
NBS intervention implemented in response to a local regulation/strategy/plan
Yes
Please specify the "local regulation/strategy/plan"
The City of Melbourne, through the Urban Forest Strategy, has a comprehensive plan for greening major streets and precincts, but not the smaller laneways (3). The Green Your Laneway Program with its complementary projects aims to address this gap in the city greening initiative.
Mandatory or voluntary intervention
Voluntary (spontaneous)
Enablers
Presence of specific city-level GI/NBS vision/strategy/plan - mentioned in connection to the project
Yes
Please specify
Urban Forest Strategy: aiming at increasing the canopy cover and state of urban biodiversity in the City of Melbourne
Melbourne Open Space Strategy: City of Melbourne’s strategic response to future open space requirements (2)
Presence of specific city-level GI/NBS section/part in a more general plan - mentioned in connection to the project
Unknown
If there is a relevant strategy or plan, please specify the theme / type of the plan.
City specific green space strategy or plan
Municipal / city level environmental plan or programme
Presence of city network or regional partnerships focused on NBS - mentioned in connection to the project
Yes
Please specify
The Green Your Laneway Program itself brought together a diverse set of stakeholders with some key actors in the private realm creating sort of a network (1).
Presence of GI / NBS research project - mentioned in connection to the project
Yes
Please specify
A research was conducted on potential future funding; the manual which outlines how a co-funding framework could be designed for such greening initiatives (1,4).
Subsidies/investment for GI / NBS in the city - mentioned in connection to the project
Yes
Please specify
"The City of Melbourne has funded the measures for the first four pilot laneways with $1.8 million" (1 p27).
Co-finance for NBS
Unknown
Co-financing governance arrangements
Unknown
Was this co-governance arrangement already in place, or was it set up specifically for this NBS?
Unknown
Financing
Total cost
€500,000 - €2,000,000
What is/was the Cost/Budget (EUR) of the NBS or green infrastructure elements?
Unknown
What are the total amount of expected annual maintenance costs?
Unknown
What is the expected annual maintenance costs of the NBS or GI elements?
Unknown
Please specify cost savings
Unknown
Please specify total cost (EUR)
[T]he City of Melbourne has funded the measures for the first four pilot laneways with $1.8 million (1). There is no information whether there has been any other projects since the conclusion of the pilot projects and if so what their cost and budget has been (ed.)
Source(s) of funding
Public local authority budget
Type of fund(s) used
Direct funding (grants, subsidies, or self-financed projects by private entities)
Non-financial contribution
No
Business models
Green densification model
Which of the involved actors was motivated by this model?
Public actor (e.g. municipality)
Type of innovation
Technological
Product innovation
Infrastructural innovation
Social
Economic innovation
Governance innovation
System innovation
Please specify technological innovation
"Technological innovations in the GYL include (a) product innovations mostly through the experimentation with new plant species and small-scale greening measures and (b) infrastructural innovations in terms of redesigning streets to make space for nature and thus enabling a different type of flow of people and resources in these laneways." (1 p35)
Please specify social innovation
New forms of incentives and collaboration between the private and public sectors (laneways communities, local residents and small businesses). The program also required changes in public policy regarding laneway use and the permitting process of permanent planting pots and seats on the public pavement. (1)
Please specify system innovation
The Green Your Laneway prgram includes "mulit-functional interventions that together contribute to the large-scale transformation of laneway neighbourhoods" in the City of Melbourne (1 p35)
Novelty level of the innovation
Unknown
Please specify novelty level of the innovation
Unknown
Replicability/Transferability
Unknown
Please specify Replicability/Transferability
Unknown
Impacts, benefits
Environmental impacts
Climate change
Lowered local temperature
Reduced emissions
Environmental quality
Improved air quality
Reduced noise exposure
Water management and blue areas
Improved stormwater management
Green space and habitat
Promotion of naturalistic styles of landscape design for urban development
Increased green space area
Please specify other economic impact
- Reducing heat and cooling costs
- Improving the life expectancy of impervious surfaces
- Increasing useable green urban space (1 p28)
Description of environmental benefits
As of Spring 2021, no concrete long term impacts has been published. According to the official website of the project, the evaluation of the pilot projects in the GYL program is still in progress. Therefore, only expected environmental benefits can be listed.
"- diverting stormwater run-off from laneways into the soil
- filtering dust and pollution from the air
- improving biodiversity levels in the central city
- providing habitat for wildlife
- reducing noise levels in the city
- insulating buildings from heat and cold
- reducing energy expenditure and carbon emissions
- reducing the urban heat island effect through shading and cooling" (1 p28)
Economic impacts
Increased property prices
Other
Description of economic benefits
As of Spring 2021, no concrete long term impacts has been published. According to the official website of the project, the evaluation of the pilot projects in the GYL program is still in progress. Therefore, only expected economic benefits can be listed.
"- Improving building insulation
- increasing property values" (1 p28)
Social and cultural impacts
Safety
Decreased crime rates
Social justice and cohesion
Improved social cohesion
Improved liveability
Improved access to urban green space
Increased opportunities for social interaction
Increased involvement of locals in the management of green spaces
Health and wellbeing
Improved mental health
Gain in activities for recreation and exercise
Cultural heritage and sense of place
Increased appreciation for natural spaces
Description of social and cultural benefits
As of Spring 2021, no concrete long term impacts has been published. According to the official website of the project, the evaluation of the pilot projects in the GYL program is still in progress. Therefore, only expected social benefits can be listed.
"- reinvigorating laneways from waste areas to usable public spaces
- more pleasant walkways and thoroughfares
- encouraging people to walk and spend time outdoors
- reducing vandalism and antisocial behaviour
- bringing nature into the city, which has positive effects in reducing depression and illness" (1 p29)
- As local communities are primarily responsible for the maintenance of the greenery installed within the GYL program, it had a community building impact (1)
Type of reported impacts
Expected impacts
Indicators
Unknown
Analysis of specific impact categories
Job creation: The NBS created ...
No information available
Negative impacts: Did the project cause any problems or concerns?
Yes
Please specify the negative impacts
There was tension between some residents due to conflicting interest regarding the greening of laneways. "While some were asking for permission to have seating outside their buildings (e.g. for commercial use), others wanted to perceive their privacy and rather reduce noise pollution" (1 p34)
COVID-19 pandemic
Unknown
Methods of impact monitoring
Process of recording NBS impacts
Conduct a baseline survey before and after NBS implementation
Methods used to evaluate the impacts of NBS
Observation (including virtual surveillance methods)
Evidence for use of assessment
Presence of an assessment, evaluation and/or monitoring process
Yes
Presence of indicators used in reporting
Yes
Presence of monitoring/evaluation reports
No evidence in public records
Availability of a web-based monitoring tool
No
Impact assessment mechanism
Name of any specific impact assessment tools
Unknown
Use of GIS in mapping impacts
No evidence in public records
Citizen involvement
Citizens involvement in assessment/evaluation
Unknown
Citizens involvement in the analysis of the assessment/evaluation
Unknown
Follow-up to the evaluation / assessment
Unknown
References
List of references
1) Kiss, B., McCormick, K., and Wamsler, C. 2018. NATURVATION - Case Study Working Paper: Melbourne, Australia
2) City of Melbourne. (n.a.). Green Your Laneway: Transforming the city’s laneways into leafy, green and usable spaces for everyone to enjoy.​ City of Melbourne. Accessed on 17th March, 2021. https://participate.melbourne.vic.gov.au/greenlaneways
3) Participate Melbourne. (n.a.). Laneway visions. City of Melbourne. Accessed on 17th March 2021. https://participate.melbourne.vic.gov.au/greenlaneways/laneway-visions
Comments and notes
Public Images
Green Laneway, Melbourne
Source: https://participate.melbourne.vic.gov.au/greenlaneways/laneway-visions
Green Laneway, Melbourne
Source: https://participate.melbourne.vic.gov.au/greenlaneways/laneway-visions
Green Laneway Melbourne