Natural hazards are causing increased hardship in the 10 Councils of the Canberra Region, evidenced by recent bushfires, floods and drought. Communities experiencing the effects of natural hazards today, will become more exposed in a climate changed future. Consequently, the cost of living will increase, partly because vulnerable homes will become more expensive to insure. Action is needed to protect the community and their housing assets.
This project will develop tools for homeowners, councils, and industry to improve their climate resilience. It will combine existing tools, data, and partnerships with understanding of the local population and behaviour change principles to deliver scalable action. It will deliver the Canberra Region Climate Resilient Housing Toolkit, consisting of guidance to bridge the gap between the body of evidence for change, and material action required to protect community and assets. The long-term outcome will be the development of more climate resilient housing stock.
Objective
There are a series of objectives for this project:
- To increase the resilience of existing housing stock, across the region, to a range of natural hazards magnified by climate change by determining the current and future natural hazard adaptive capacity of the Canberra Region’s current housing to bushfire, flood, and coastal erosion.
- Developing an understanding of target audiences and housing typology by reviewing existing data, literature, frameworks, knowledge, and partnerships.
- Developing a plan that encourages homeowners to act. This will capture qualitative and quantitative insights to guide toolkit development to ensure technical, economic and communications outputs can accelerate the adoption of climate resilience beyond business as usual.
- Creating and deploying the “Canberra Region Joint Organisation Climate Resilient Housing Toolkit” to inform, educate and inspire residents, council, and industry to act in a way that is complimentary to existing initiatives and services that might be delivered by emergency services, by January 2022.
Relationship/Partnership
- Canberra Regional Joint Organisation of Councils
- Resilience NSW
- Minderoo Foundation
Measures of Success
A climate resilient homes toolkit that is being used in the Canberra region that can be replicated and scaled across Australia.
