Green city proposal wins travel bursary
A plan to bring agriculture into the city has won a Brisbane landscape architect this year's QUT Centre for Subtropical Design mecu Travel Bursary.
Nick McGowan was announced the 2009 winner last night (Tuesday) at the QUT School of Design's public lecture series, held at the State Library of Queensland.
Mr McGowan's proposal to investigate urban agriculture won him the $10,000 bursary, which will allow him to travel internationally in 2010 to study sustainable design in other urban locations.
Rosemary Kennedy, Director for the Centre for Subtropical Design, said urban agriculture was not a new idea, with people tending backyard vegetable plots and fruit trees, but the concept will be taken to new heights by Mr McGowan.
"Local food production is emerging as an important urban issue the world over as fertile food-producing lands are swallowed up by urban development and the ecological challenge of feeding large urban populations mounts," Ms Kennedy said.
"With the world's population projected to reach seven billion in 2012, and with over 50 per cent of people living in cities, there is an increasing need to integrate sustainable agriculture production into urban ecosystems to meet food demands on an on-going basis.
"Nick's studies will help inform how this might be achieved in south east Queensland which has an ideal climate for urban farming."
Ms Kennedy said the purpose of the bursary was to allow local built environment professionals to find new ideas for sustainable development in south east Queensland's humid subtropical climate.
"Local climate, landscape and culture underpin sustainable urban design," she said.
"The bursary allows accomplished industry professionals to investigate new ideas for sustainable urban design and then apply and modify them to suit our local environment."
The bursary is sponsored by local credit union mecu which has a demonstrated commitment to sustainable development. Mecu has a strong presence at Queensland universities, with service centres at all campuses in Brisbane.
Previous winners, Elizabeth Watson-Brown, Amalie Wright and Shaun Lockyer will be speaking at a Brisbane Development Association luncheon at Tattersall's Club on September 30.
Provided by Queensland University of Technology
