Trees

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GUEST OBSERVATION
There’s a <a href="https://www.sbs.com.au/news/the-feed/forget-housing-grave-space-is-the-new-millennial-headache" target="_blank">lack of new cemetery space</a> in parts of Australia but we could solve that problem by burying the dead among newly planted vegetation belts near our towns and cities.
Burial Belt is a proposal we’ve been working on for reinventing the Australian cemetery landscape by creating near-limitless land for burial. Our idea is currently on exhibition at the <a href="http://oslotriennale.no/en/aboutoat2019" target="_blank">Oslo Architecture Triennale</a>, in Norway.
This new approach to burial would feature native trees rather than rows of headstones.
It would reforest cleared land and provide an alternative to <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2018/may/31/avoiding-meat-and-dairy-is-single-biggest-way-to-reduce-your-impact-on-earth" target="_blank">high-emissions livestock grazing</a>. It could even prevent suburban sprawl by safeguarding green space in perpetuity.
All it requires is a new way of thinking about what happens to our bodies when we die.
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/294690/original/file-20190930-185369-1uzbli3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=1000&amp;fit=clip"><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/294690/original/file-20190930-185369-1uzbli3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;fit=clip" alt=""></a>
Burial space is running out in some Australian cemeteries. <a class="source" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/quirky/6527021105/" target="_blank">Flickr/Wendy Harman</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/" target="_blank">CC BY</a>
After life
Traditional burial in a local cemetery was the norm for most Australians until late in the 20th century. Today an increasing proportion of Australians choose cremation.
Unlike burial, cremation seems clean, efficient and free of the emotional weight of a sombre headstone in a grid of other graves. Cremation doesn’t have to take up space and ashes can be stored in a special place or dispersed into a favourite landscape.
Cremation now accounts for <a href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/https://www.abc.net.au/news/science/2019-04-27/green-death-funeral-environment/10994330" target="_blank">more than 70% of all Australian interments</a>. That is not surprising when you consider that the average cost of cremation is <a href="https://www.gatheredhere.com.au/burial-cremation-everything-need-know/" target="_blank">less than half that of burial</a>.
Soaring land costs and dwindling reserves of existing cemetery space have also contributed to the high cost of burial.
Australian burial plots are among <a href="https://www.domain.com.au/money-markets/the-most-expensive-land-in-australia-might-be-graves-heres-the-problem-20180627-h11wzp-441795/" target="_blank">the most valuable real estate</a> in the country.
What else goes up in smoke?
Most people we speak to are surprised to learn that cremation is an energy-intensive and toxic process.
The energy consumed by a single cremation is equal to about <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2005/oct/18/ethicalmoney.climatechange" target="_blank">one person’s average monthly domestic use</a>.
Each <a href="https://www.foreground.com.au/environment/urban-burial-cemetery-landscapes/" target="_blank">cremation</a> releases on average about 50kg of CO2 and other toxins.
When you consider both the economic and environmental costs of cremation, the obvious solution is to provide more affordable burial space.
But with scarce land available for this purpose close to our city centres, any solution is contingent on persuading large numbers of people to not only return to burial, but to reconsider the entire cemetery experience.
A more natural burial
The Burial Belt proposal relies on a societal shift from traditional burial and cremation to natural burial. <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2018/nov/11/pushing-up-trees-is-natural-burial-the-answer-to-crowded-cemeteries" target="_blank">Natural burial</a> does away with embalming, wooden coffins, concrete shafts and expanses of tarmac.
Bodies are placed in direct contact with the soil and buried within reach of microbes, where they can then truly return to the earth.
Natural burial is also <a href="https://www.gatheredhere.com.au/green-funerals-australia/" target="_blank">much cheaper to implement than traditional burial</a>.
Where would this take place? That’s where the Burial Belt proposal comes in.
Our future burial parkland already exists, just beyond the outermost suburban lots that ring Australian cities. This border land is currently occupied by sheep and cattle pastures but is increasingly being rezoned and amalgamated into an ever-expanding urban footprint.
Converting this territory into burial parkland, rather than housing subdivision, would protect whatever wildlife and vegetation remains in this cleared and denuded landscape, while curtailing urban sprawl.
Preserved forever
The key element of this proposed transformation is that, while natural burial land quickly becomes indistinguishable from bushland, current legislation provides for preservation of cemetery spaces in perpetuity.
Incorporating burial within the forest establishes a covenant over the revegetated grazing land that cannot be reversed. No more urban sprawl.
Fields and allotments would be individually acquired by public or private entities and converted into burial forest. Adjoining sections of forest would be gradually amalgamated into a single Burial Belt, a linear green swathe that halts further development and protects agricultural land and remnant habitat on the other side.
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/294474/original/file-20190926-51434-1co1tt5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=1000&amp;fit=clip"><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/294474/original/file-20190926-51434-1co1tt5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;fit=clip" alt=""></a>
View of a burial ring at the edge of a clearing in a proposed Burial Belt. Other Architects, Author provided
From an architectural point of view, there are many ways this general idea could be implemented to suit different site conditions and communities.
In the current proposal, large clearings are carved out of the immensity of the forest, with smaller hollows containing intimately-scaled burial spaces dispersed around the edges of these clearings.
Access could be provided via boardwalks and other temporary facilities similar to those found in national parks. The proposed forest cemetery requires little upkeep. Rather than returning periodically to sweep away leaves or lay flowers on a loved one’s traditional grave, visitors are free to let nature do its work.
There is no reason why the Burial Belt idea could not be widely implemented by local operators and councils as an effective method of funding habitat regeneration while providing for the community’s long term burial needs.
This article draws on UTS Master of Architecture design studios conducted by David Neustein and Grace Mortlock, and specific research contributions from UTS students Rowan Lear and Sora Graham.<img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/124259/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important; text-shadow: none !important;">
David Neustein, Associate, School of Architecture, University of Technology Sydney.
This article is republished from <a href="http://theconversation.com" target="_blank">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/buried-beneath-the-trees-a-plan-to-solve-our-shortage-of-cemetery-space-124259" target="_blank">original article</a>.
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j.ballantyne1990-6AQqhLzZaK

A plan to solve our shortage of cemetery space: David Neustein

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EXPERT OBSERVER
Sydney’s Inner West Council has a new policy that it is reported means “residents will no longer need to seek council approval to prune or remove trees within three metres of an existing home or structure”.
Hold on, don’t reach for that chainsaw yet, because <a href="http://www.aecom.com/content/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/Green-Infrastructure-vital-step-brilliant-Australian-cities.pdf" target="_blank">research shows</a> good green infrastructure – trees, green roofs and walls – can add value to your home.
 
Green infrastructure offers significant, economic, social and environmental benefits. Urban greening is particularly important in dense urban areas like Sydney’s Inner West. Among its benefits, green infrastructure:
<ul>
<li><a href="https://theconversation.com/how-urban-bushland-improves-our-health-and-why-planners-need-to-listen-72876" target="_blank">improves air quality</a></li>
<li>provides <a href="https://theconversation.com/many-people-feel-lonely-in-the-city-but-perhaps-third-places-can-help-with-that-92847" target="_blank">space for social interaction</a>
</li>
<li><a href="https://theconversation.com/more-than-just-drains-recreating-living-streams-through-the-suburbs-83345" target="_blank">manages stormwater</a></li>
<li><a href="https://theconversation.com/why-are-cities-warmer-than-the-countryside-53160" target="_blank">reduces the urban heat island effect</a></li>
<li>provides space for <a href="https://theconversation.com/three-ways-cities-can-help-feed-the-world-without-costing-the-earth-112186" target="_blank">urban food production</a>
</li>
<li>
<a href="https://theconversation.com/the-small-patch-of-bush-over-your-back-fence-might-be-key-to-a-species-survival-108672" target="_blank">improves biodiversity</a>.</li>
</ul>
Some of these benefits accrue to owners/occupiers, whereas others provide wider societal benefits.
A <a href="http://www.aecom.com/content/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/Green-Infrastructure-vital-step-brilliant-Australian-cities.pdf" target="_blank">2017 study</a> focusing on three Sydney suburbs found a 10% increase in street tree canopy could increase property values by A$50,000 on average. And the shading effect of trees can <a href="http://www.gallagherstudio.com.au/blacktown-cool-streets-pilot-project" target="_blank">reduce energy bills by up to A$800 a year in Sydney</a>. So retaining your green infrastructure – your trees, that is – can deliver direct financial gains.
On a larger scale, a <a href="https://opus.lib.uts.edu.au/bitstream/10453/121458/1/Ghosh_Yung-Full-paper-Ecocity-Summit-2017-Final.pdf" target="_blank">collaborative project</a> with Horticulture Innovation Australia Limited compared carbon and economic benefits from urban trees considering different landuses along sections of two roads in Sydney. Higher benefits were recorded for the Pacific Highway, with 106 trees per hectare and 58.6% residential land use, compared to Parramatta Road, with 70 trees per hectare and 15.8% residential.
For the Pacific Highway section, total carbon storage and the structural value of trees (the cost of replacing a tree with a similar tree) were estimated at A$1.64 million and A$640 million respectively. Trees were also valuable for carbon sequestration and removing air pollution.
Tree species, age, health and density, as well as land use, are key indicators for financial and wider ecosystem benefits. Specifically, urban trees in private yards in residential areas are vital in providing individual landowner and collective government/non-government benefits.
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/290832/original/file-20190904-175710-thqcje.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=1000&amp;fit=clip"><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/290832/original/file-20190904-175710-thqcje.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;fit=clip" alt=""></a>
Take away the trees close to these houses in Marrickville, in Sydney’s Inner West, and how much would be left? <a class="source" href="https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henson_Park" target="_blank">Graeme Bartlett/Wikipedia</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/" target="_blank">CC BY-SA</a>
<h2>Challenges of growth</h2>
As populations grow, cities increase density, with less green infrastructure. The loss of greenery affects the natural environment and both human and non-human well-being.
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/290809/original/file-20190904-175682-j6pcza.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=1000&amp;fit=clip"><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/290809/original/file-20190904-175682-j6pcza.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=237&amp;fit=clip" alt=""></a>
Tree canopy cover across Greater Sydney plummets closer to the city centre. <a class="source" href="https://www.greater.sydney/metropolis-of-three-cities/sustainability/city-its-landscape/urban-tree-canopy-cover-increased" target="_blank">© State of New South Wales through the Greater Sydney Commission. Data: SPOT5 Woody Extent and Foliage Projective Cover (FPH) 5-10m, 2011, NSW Office of Environment and Heritage</a>
Trees and other green infrastructure reduce some impacts of urban density. However, policies, government incentives and national priorities can produce progress in urban greening or lead to setbacks. In the case of the Inner West Council, for instance, the inability to fund monitoring of changes in tree cover could lead to reductions at the very time when we <a href="https://www.greater.sydney/metropolis-of-three-cities/sustainability/city-its-landscape/urban-tree-canopy-cover-increased" target="_blank">need more canopy cover</a>.
<a href="https://theconversation.com/if-planners-understand-its-cool-to-green-cities-whats-stopping-them-55753" target="_blank">Key concerns</a> include installation and maintenance costs of green infrastructure (trees, green roofs and walls) in property development, and tree root damage. Knowledge and skills are needed to maintain green infrastructure. As a result, developers often consider other options more feasible.
In the short and long term, multiple performance benefits and economic and environmental values are needed to establish the viability of green infrastructure.
<h2>Learning from Stockholm</h2>
Stockholm shares many issues found in Australian cities. Stockholm houses over 20% of Sweden’s inhabitants, is increasing in density and redeveloping land to house a growing population. Aiming to be fossil-free by 2050, Stockholm acknowledges the built environment’s role in limiting climate change and its impacts.
In a research project we intend to use <a href="https://theconversation.com/au/topics/virtual-reality-5439" target="_blank">virtual reality</a> (VR) and <a href="https://www.healthdirect.gov.au/electroencephalogram-eeg" target="_blank">electroencephalogram</a> (EEG) technology to assess perceptions of green infrastructure and reactions to it in various spaces.
Our project combines VR with EEG hardware, which measures human reactions to stimuli, to learn how people perceive and value green infrastructure in residential development.
<h2>Identifying all the value of green infrastructure</h2>
The many benefits of green infrastructure are both tangible and non-tangible. Economic benefits include:
<ul>
<li>those that directly benefit owners, occupants or investors – stormwater, increased property values and energy savings</li>
<li>other financial impacts – greenhouse gas savings, market-based savings and community benefits.</li>
</ul>
The various approaches to evaluating net value present a challenge in quantifying the value of green infrastructure. The most common – cost-benefit analysis, triple bottom line, life cycle assessment and life cycle costing – are all inadequate for evaluating trade-offs between economic and environmental performance. Conventional cost-benefit analysis is insufficient for investment analysis, as it doesn’t include environmental costs and benefits.
This is salient for green infrastructure, as owners/investors incur substantial direct costs, whereas various shareholders share the value. Perhaps, in recognition of the shared value, a range of subsidies could be adopted to compensate investors. Discounted rates anyone?
Recent efforts to evaluate the business case for green infrastructure include attempts to identify and quantify the creation of economic, environment and community/social value. However, an approach that includes a more comprehensive set of value drivers is needed to do this. This is the gap we aim to fill.
The results of experiments using VR and EEG technology and semi-structured interviews will provide a comprehensive understanding of green infrastructure. This will be correlated with capital and rental values to determine various degrees of willingness to pay.
With this knowledge, property developers in Sweden and Australia will be able to make a more informed and holistic business case for increasing green infrastructure for more liveable, healthy cities.
Maybe we can then persuade more people, including those in the Inner West, to hang onto their trees and leave the chainsaws in the garage.<img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/122710/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important; text-shadow: none !important;">
<a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/sara-wilkinson-14186">Sara Wilkinson</a>, Associate Professor, School of the Built Environment, <a href="http://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-technology-sydney-936" target="_blank">University of Technology Sydney</a>; <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/agnieszka-zalejska-jonsson-823679" target="_blank">Agnieszka Zalejska-Jonsson</a>, Researcher, Division of Building and Real Estate Economics, <a href="http://theconversation.com/institutions/kth-royal-institute-of-technology-3258" target="_blank">KTH Royal Institute of Technology</a>, and <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/sumita-ghosh-485400" target="_blank">Sumita Ghosh</a>, Senior Lecturer, School of the Built Environment, <a href="http://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-technology-sydney-936" target="_blank">University of Technology Sydney</a>
This article is republished from <a href="http://theconversation.com" target="_blank">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/trees-can-add-50-000-value-to-a-sydney-house-so-you-might-want-to-put-down-that-chainsaw-122710" target="_blank">original article</a>.
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