Ecocity Insights Ecocity World Summit

Christie Walk: Exploring Density by Design

Written by Jennie Moore

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

 

About the author

Jennie Moore

Dr. Jennie Moore is Director, Institute Sustainability at the British Columbia Institute of Technology. Dr. Moore has extensive experience in the realm of ecological sustainability and urban systems including climate change and energy management, green buildings and eco-industrial networking. Prior to joining BCIT she worked for over a decade at Metro Vancouver as Manager of Strategic Initiatives. Her research explores the potential for Vancouver to achieve one-planet living. Jennie is a senior associate of the One Earth Initiative and a core advisor to the International Ecocity Framework and Standards.