The upcoming Ecocity World Summit will be held in Melbourne, Australia. Australia is home to some of the world’s leading ecocity thinkers and doers, including Paul Downtown, author of Ecopolis and the driving force behind the design and development of Christie Walk. Christie Walk is a pioneering co-housing project that is home to forty people who live in 27 multi-unit residential dwellings. These buildings are distributed over a 2000 square metres. The project was built in the late 1990s in the Australian city of Adelaide. As an infill project it adds density to an existing community comprising a five story apartment that fronts onto the main street. Behind is a three-story apartment, four town homes and four individual cottages. All residences demonstrate passive solar design, including solar-hot water. There are no mechanical heating or cooling systems. The goal was to create a livable, affordable, ecologically responsible project that adds density to an existing community without adding energy and material loads. Buildings incorporate recycled materials and some buildings are made from straw bales. There is a community garden, a roof-top garden, and the ground-oriented, car-free design creates a quiet, green, tranquil oasis with a strong sense of community. To learn more about Christie Walk visit: https://densitybydesign.com.au/christie-walk/
Christine Walk
