The City Services Directorate is to trial a new urban design strategy to grow healthier trees in car parks and provide more shade without reducing parking spaces.
The Directorate said traditional carpark arrangements usually created unfavourable growing conditions for trees due to insufficient soil volume, compacted root space and the limited availability of water.
It said the issue would be studied using Water Sensitive Urban Design (WSUD) technology at the Jamison Group Centre in Macquarie.
“The WSUD trial aims to improve shade and amenity for users of the Jamison shopping centre by providing more space and improved growing conditions for trees without reducing the number of existing parking spots,” the Directorate said.
“The trees within the Jamison Group Centre carpark are currently growing in small, raised islands of heavily compacted soil and are generally undersized and unhealthy,” it said.
“Many trees have also failed and, as a result, the carpark is lacking shade and has poor landscape amenity.”
The Directorate said the WSUD trial would see the installation of a system that supported tree health and growth; provided localised stormwater treatment; and reduced the need for supplementary watering of trees.
City Services said a structural tree pit would be installed underground to increase the volume of soil available to the trees while supporting other uses, such as carparking and pedestrian footpaths, on the surface above.
It said the uncompacted soil, increased space and increased access to water was expected to extend the life of the tress and improve canopy cover; reduce ongoing irrigation and tree care; and prevent the uplift of pavement by tree roots.
Further information on the Directorate’s WSUD trial can be accessed at this PS News link.
