Professor John Glasson, Oxford Brookes University, UK Curtin University, WA April 2009

1. KISS—Keeping it Simply SustainableThe importance of a working set of Sustainability Indicators for the WA planning system • Professor John Glasson, Oxford Brookes University, UK • Curtin University, WA • April 2009

5. Also first ‘Fairtrade University’‘Local’ food initiative

6. But Perth and WA have so many excellent sustainability features—but also sustainability problems like other cities

7. But how do we assess sustainability performance? • And shouldn’t this be a central feature of • the WA planning system?

8. PURPOSEOF PRESENTATION • to report on recent research activities, for WA DPI, on developing a set of performance indicators for a sustainable WA Planning System ( regional and local) • to set in context of work in UK for European Investment Bank (EIB) on developing a set of Social Sustainability Indicators for urban areas (JESSICA Project)

9. STRUCTURE OF PRESENTATION • Context – key drivers • Indicators of sustainability • Some comparative practice-brief overview • 4. Towards a comprehensive QBL approach • Narrowing down to a land use planning focus • 6. Implementation/next steps

10. 1. CONTEXT – KEY DRIVERS • International/national • Climate change and sustainability— • IGPCC/ Stern/ Garnaut —an inconvenient truth, but major benefits of strong early action • Sustainability is a global movement; • . from TBL to QBL (quadruple bottom line) • importance of a sustainability hierarchy • importance of assessing performance in relation to sustainability issues-indicators and targets; adaptive management; especially for planning system

11. Importance of Hierarchy of From TBL • Synergy Sustainability to QBL

12. WA government – drivers and responses • Importance of Outcome Based Management in WA Public Sector-2004 guidelines • highlight importance of performance against KPIs, to be • determined in consultation with key stakeholders • Specific Department /Agency drivers eg • -DPC (2003) Better Planning Services • -DPC (2003) State Sustainability Strategy • -DPI (2005/6) Outcome/ Service Structure • -EPA (2006/2007) State of Environment Report • -Landcorp (2006) Sustainability Report • Premier’s (May 2007) policy document on ‘Making Decisions for the Future: Climate Change’

13. Some key reports

14. 2. INDICATORS OF SUSTAINABILITY • Indicators: need and nature • ‘An Indicator is something that helps you understand where you are, which way you are going and how far you are from where you want to be. A good indicator alerts you to a problem before it gets too bad, and helps you to recognise what needs to be done to fix the problem’ (Hart, 2000) • Constraints to date : institutionaland methodological • ‘traditional’ (e.g. GDP) or more ‘sustainable’ (e.g. number of green jobs); simple (eg. Air quality) or more complex (e.g. Environmental Footprint; Index of Economic Welfare)? • need to compromise in choice of effective indicators

15. State Sustainability Strategy, DPC 2003 • ‘ With a few exceptions, many integrative sustainability indicators have yet to be tested with any scientific rigour and, as such, lack the robustness to be applicable at the State or regional level. • Until such time that integrative sustainability indicators are more fully developed, a TBL reporting approach will provide a useful indication of WA’s progress to sustainability. • Accordingly, the WA Government is looking to develop headline sustainability indicators to demonstrate WA’s progress across the TBL and to assist with informing the community’.

16. Some other characteristics of good Sustainability Indicators • be fit for purpose • avoid indicator overload • be clear, understandable, reliable and generally measurable (what gets measured gets managed) • reveal direction of performance • be cascadeable through the WA planning system, and aid benchmarking with national/international indicator sets • have scope to adapt

17. 3 SOME COMPARATIVE PRACTICE • Ideas from comparative practice • Key structuring elements • Scope (eg from narrow Environmental to wide QBL) • Indicators and Targets • Spatial basis

18. OECD--PSR indicators by environmental issues (includes ‘sink oriented’ issues, dealing with environmental quality; and ‘resource-oriented’ dealing with quantity of natural resources) Source: OECD (1996)

19. UK/EU • National headline indicator categories (UK Sustainable Development Commission, 2004) • Economic growth Greenhouse gas emissions • Investment Air quality • Employment Road traffic • River water quality • Poverty Wildlife • Education Land use • Health Waste • Housing • Crime

20. Examples of objectives, indicators and targets for SE England (Integrated Regional Framework) Source: SEERA (2004)

21. Building in the Socio-Economic Dimension on a Spatial Basis in the UKeg via Index of Multiple Deprivation (IMD)

23. Rotterdam (NL)—recent(2008) example of the Social Index

24. Dimensions and Sub-Dimensions of Social Quality

25. Presentation of findings (for each of 64 city districts)

26. An alternative display approach for specific areas

27. AUSTRALIA • National: ‘Measuring Australia’s Progress 2005’ (ABS 2005/6) – key indicator sets • health (life expectancy) - natural landscape • education and training - human environ. (eg air (non-school qualifications) quality) • work (unemployment rate) - oceans and estuaries - international environ. concerns (eg greenhouse gas emissions) • national income • financial hardship - family, community and • national wealth social cohesion (eg % • housing voluntary work) • productivity - crime - democracy, governance and citizenship

28. NSW State Planning Strategy (2006) • Includes attempts to provide clear and measurable • indicators, for example:

29. WESTERN AUSTRALIA • Constraints of competing perspectives eg: • from • complex – URS study (2004) for WA SSS (DPC) • pragmatic narrow focus – eg for housing (2005) (Landcorp)

30. Extract from URS study on ‘Draft headline Indicators’ (URS 2004)

31. Landcorp • WA Land Authority, has been working with builders and local authorities to achieve affordable sustainable housing with the features of: • Water conservation • Energy efficiency • Resource and waste management • Liveability • Accessibility, and • Affordability

32. Extract from Landcorp current indicator/project list

33. Network City-some key drivers • make fuller use of urban land (eg. 60% • of required dwellings in existing urban areas) • nurture the environment • encourage public over private • transport • align transport systems and • land use to optimise • accessibility and amenity • strengthen local sense of place • develop strategies which deliver • local jobs • provide for affordable housing

34. WA State of Environment Report (2006/07) • ‘Human Settlements’ theme includes • Settlement patterns • Transport • Water use in settlements • Energy use in settlements • Waste generation and disposal • Stresses importance of measuring, monitoring and • reporting on environmental impacts of WA’s settlements • Includes objectives and indicators (mixture of • Pressure, State and Response)

35. 4. TOWARDS A COMPREHENSIVE QBL APPROACH

36. possible way forward • Key Dimensions (QBL)Structured into various • indicator types Economic prosperity Supporting indicators Social advancement Headline/Core indicators Environmental sustainability Sustainable governance

37. headline/core indicator set • Economic prosperity Environmental sustainability •  economic growth climate change and energy use •  employment and unemployment air quality •  economic diversification water use •  disparities/poverty waste management •  innovation public transport • land use and abuse • sustainable building • Social advancement •  crime and safety Sustainable governance •  health •  education and skills democratic participation •  housing community participation •  accessibility to services international responsibilities •  well being

38. examples for economic prosperity (to achieve a sustainable economy

39. examples for social advancement (achieve a strong, healthy and just society)

40. examples of environmental sustainability (living within environmental limits)

41. examples of sustainable governance (promoting good governance)

42. 5. NARROWING DOWN TO A LAND USE PLANNING APPROACH Categories/themes-Environment + Driven by WASoE Human Settlements categories Settlements/Transport/Water/Energy/Waste + Biodiversity/Housing/limited other Socio-Economic Overarching Climate Change objective and target world wide scientific opinion suggests global emissions cuts of at least 50-60% needed by 2050 (on 2000 base) . WA government target is 60% cut from current 71 m tonnes pa (2007) to 26 m tonnes (2050); and 20% cut by 2020? Sources of specific targets –as grounded as possible Focus on regional and local levels; urban-rural issues Tested in Stakeholder workshops and presentations to WAPC

43. Theme: Settlement Patterns

44. Theme: Transport

45. Theme : Water

46. Theme: Energy

47. Theme: Waste

48. Theme: Biodiversity

49. Theme : Housing

50. Theme: Other Socio-economic (but was concern that not direct role of WA land use planning system )