ADELAIDE –
THE WORLD’S SECOND NATIONAL PARK CITY WRITTEN BY SARAH GOH According to the United Nations, two-thirds of people will live in urban areas by 2050. At the same time, dietary changes and the urban sedentary lifestyle will contribute to increasingly poor health and the proliferation of diseases and mental health issues among city dwellers who are experiencing the ever-dwindling pockets of nature in the urban environment. With this our only planet for home (at least for now), we desperately need to reimagine our cities for ourselves and the future generations. We need to foster the connection between people and nature, improve wildlife and habitats, breathe cleaner air, enjoy more green space, and link the natural and built environments including gardens, parks, rivers, reserves, streams etc.
is also blessed to be nestled amongst local parks, the River Torrens and numerous creeks – most of which are within walking distance from homes,” said David Spiers, the then Minister for Environment and Water, at the second international forum on National Park Cities. This resulted in the foundation naming Adelaide the National Park City on 10 December 2021 – the first city in Australia, and second in the world at the World Urban Park Congress. Adelaide as a National Park City is only the beginning of a journey to improve city life through everyday actions for the community to connect with nature and each other. Adelaide National Park City covers all of Greater Adelaide. This includes Salisbury to the north, Aldinga to the south, Burnside to the east, and Grange to the west, plus the city centre.
WHAT FACTORS CONTRIBUTED TO ADELAIDE CITY BECOMING NATIONAL PARK CITY?
VICTORIA PARK/PAKAPAKANTHI WETLAND
As one of the world’s top ten liveable cities, Adelaide has it all in terms of natural beauty, iconic wildlife as well as conservation parks and reserves. According to the Adelaide National Park City movement, our city has 30% green space, and diverse wildlife from 1,080 native plant species, and 281 native ADELAIDE – NATIONAL PARK CITY
NATIONAL PARK CITY FOUNDATION The international National Park City Foundation was launched in 2017 to grow the movement of people wanting to make cities greener and more liveable. The first city to be awarded that prestigious title of National Park City was London in 2019. Subsequently, Adelaide made a historic push to become the next National Park City in 2021. “We have a strong history of parks and open spaces with our Botanic Gardens, Cleland Wildlife Park, Belair National Park and the recent creation of Glenthorne National Park in Adelaide’s southern suburbs. Metropolitan Adelaide 60
CIVIL CONNECT
