Stage One of a climate-resilient masterplan for a new precinct in Dubbo in central New South Wales has received DA approval, giving the green light to an inclusive, sustainable village that represents a new template for Australian regional housing and development.

Sydney-based design practice Marra+Yeh Architects worked in close collaboration with LatStudios, undertaking masterplanning and urban design — all whilst liaising with Dubbo Regional Council, private landowners and a supporting design group.

Marra+Yeh Architects has designed eight housing typologies for the new village, at a range of scales and densities. Over the next two decades, up to 5,500 new dwellings will greatly improve options for residents and also attract newcomers to the area.

Marra+Yeh Architects Co-Director, Carol Marra, says the masterplan responds to the town's pressing housing shortage.

"The urgency of the problem led to a fast-tracked design and approvals process driven by the developer's eagerness to help his hometown. The cooperation of the Dubbo Regional Council, and the close alignment of the design teams on approach, helped speed up the process." says Marra.

The greenfield site, known as the North-West Dubbo Urban Release Area, sits across the Macquarie/Wambuul River from the Dubbo CBD and will add 25% to the size of the existing town.

The developer's brief was to implement the UN's 17 Sustainable Developments Goals, with a focus on creating a walkable, green precinct that embraces the river and is resilient to the ravages of heat, drought and flooding.

The layout of the site's roads, blocks and green spaces was dictated by the land contours and overland water paths, working with the land rather than against it — to keep earthworks to a minimum.

A network of green spaces will retain and filter stormwater, redirecting it to trees, reducing the need for watering and making the most of rainfall. Water that returns to the river will be of high quality.

Consultation with the Indigenous community - the Tubba-gah People of the Wiradjuri Nation - provided an understanding of the site's ecology, including endemic plants and long-term weather patterns, as well as cultural considerations. The new precinct will be named Gunyah, which means ‘home’ in Wiradjuri language.

Planning is centred on a village green that will one day support retail and medical tenants to service up to 13,800 residents. The land fronting the river will become open recreation space and playing fields, reinstating the original floodplain and preserving the river gums that have great cultural significance to the First Nations community.

A priority was to keep temperatures on the ground down during summer and mitigate against heat island effect.

"Road widths are reduced to keep paving to a minimum whilst maximising tree canopy," says Marra.

"The aim is to provide a shaded and enjoyable walk or cycle to any part of the precinct, including a future new pedestrian bridge into Dubbo central."

Marra+Yeh Architects’ eight housing typologies include single residences, townhouses and medium-density, multi-residential dwellings, and apartments, with tenure-blind social and affordable housing woven throughout the precinct and comprising 30% of homes.

The addition of multi-residential models is highly unusual for regional areas, where single detached dwellings are the dominant housing type.

"We want to improve social outcomes in Dubbo by giving everyone access to quality housing. Our housing patterns respond to the town's demographics, including single parents, young couples and seniors who currently struggle to find affordable, right-sized places to live,” Marra says.

Marra+Yeh Architects researched materials and construction methodologies to ensure the houses can be constructed as quickly and efficiently as possible, important when labour and resources are in short supply and transportation costs are high. Pre-fabricated housing will be part of the solution.

The masterplan designates space for aged care facilities that will support Indigenous elders to stay on Country rather than leave the local area. Housing for older residents is concentrated around the village green to minimise walking distance to shops, medical services and green space.

At a city level, a 30km green loop will enable safe pedestrian and cycling connectivity between the city's wider precincts.

CEO of developer North West Precinct Community, Brett Anderson, says he hopes the project will become an exemplar for other regional centres.

"A lot of people are watching this. The delivery of housing in regional areas quickly is a really important thing that I think everyone's been grappling with for the last 20 years," Anderson says.

"Our Dubbo masterplan provides a good template. It respects people and nature and significantly broadens housing diversity whilst placing great importance on things like water management, heat and flood mitigation and energy resilience."

Clémence Carayol

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