Pedestrian Sidewalk Cover & Heat Vulnerability Index

from Urban Design Recommendation - Brunswick, VIC

Active Streets & Connecting Urban Spaces

This map attemps to portray a connection between street canopy cover and the heat index produced at that area.

Impervious streets and landscapes have an effect in inducing the UHI phenomenon. The industrial area has increased impermeable surfaces such as parking lots, large driveways and low albedo pavements which owe to higher temperatures resulting in a high heat induced vulnerability (Vujovic et al 2021).

Pavement Material

Source:

Legend

Source:

Sidewalk with minimal or no canopy cover

Sidewalk with sporadic tree cover

Sidewalk with sufficient tree cover

Source:

Existing trees

Major problem zones with no canopy cover

Heat vulnerability ratings are from 1 to 5. These points are alloted based on three major components (Sun et al 2019):

- Heat Exposure

- Sensitivity to heat

- Adaptive Capacity

Heat Vulnerability Index Map with sidewalk canopy cover

Source: Heat Vulnerability Index (2018) (SA1) https://mapshare.vic.gov.au/coolinggreening/

Edited by: Purnima

Pedestrian Activity & Urban Activity Mapping

Active streets are minimal in the residential and industrial zones. The streets appear ‘passive’ with no active surveillance denoted as ‘eyes on the street’ by Jane Jacobs (1961, p. 106).

As denoted by the map, high active streets within the site are characterised either by commercial use, institutional use, public parks and transit nodes. Industrial and residential zones have minimal urban activity making the streets dull and barren.

Pedestrian Activity Zones

Activities caused by or near University or college campus, due to student and pedestrian crowd

HIGH-ACTIVITY ZONES

Activity near Cafes and restaurants during peak hours

Commercial Institutional Transit Zone

Activity near public open spaces such as parks and recreational zones

Activity node with people accessing the Gilpin Park during morning and evening hours of the day. Activities include - trails, dog walks, kids play zones.

Travelling pedestrian traffic on footpaths and sidewalks

Police Complex

Tram Station

Railway Station

Railway Line

Dead end zones/ dead alley ways

Map for urban activity hotspots

High activity urban activity zones along Sydney Road and the junction of Brunswick Road due to local shops, cafes, restaurants and the public tram station.

Mapping Linkages & Connections

Poor linkages exist between the residential zones, green spaces, industrial and transit zones. This increases travel time and demands the use of vehicles.

Wide crossing junctions create hinderance for pedestrians due to incoming vehicular traffic - especially at Dawson Street due to the presence of institutional campus in vicinity.

No interaction between the public and private realm due to closed off building facades causing minimal urban activity and potential for urban interaction between pedestrians and interior spaces.

Source: Max Massingham

Source: Google Earth

Source: Max Massingham

Source: Google Earth

Map depicting connections and linkages with problem intersections

Source: Vic Government Open Data, https://www.data.vic.gov.au/ , Google Earth, Self on-site Assessment Edited by: Purnima Menon

Mapping for Safety Analysis

Alleyways characterise with little to no lighting indicate that the area and is likely to increase the chances of criminal activities and generate unsafe zones for residents.

Areas with more lighting and open-ness have been linked to safe and happy zones.

Areas lacking sufficient lighting, have been considered unsafe and unhappy zones and as per the crime statistics shown, with the Brunswick site having an increased crime rate since 2021.