Torrens Linear Park

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Linear Park near Paradise Interchange Torrens valley.jpg
Linear Park near Paradise Interchange

The Torrens Linear Park was completed in 1997 as the first of its kind developed in Australia where it is the largest hills-to-coast park. It began as a flood mitigation scheme along the River Torrens running westward from the Adelaide Hills, through the Adelaide metropolitan area, to the sea. Cyclists and walkers can use a trail that runs the 30 km (19 mi) length of the park, from Gorge Road, in Athelstone in the north-east, through the Northern Parklands of the City of Adelaide, to the river mouth at Henley Beach in the west. [1] In the Parklands section, the river runs past many notable landmarks including the Adelaide Zoo, the Adelaide Botanic Gardens, the Festival Theatre and Elder Park.

Linear park a park in an urban or suburban setting that is substantially longer than it is wide

A linear park is a park in an urban or suburban setting that is substantially longer than it is wide. Some are rail trails, that are disused railroad beds converted to recreational use, while others use strips of public land next to canals, streams, extended defensive walls, electrical lines, highways and shorelines. They are also often described as greenways. In Australia, a linear park along the coast is known as a foreshoreway.

Australia Country in Oceania

Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and numerous smaller islands. It is the largest country in Oceania and the world's sixth-largest country by total area. The neighbouring countries are Papua New Guinea, Indonesia and East Timor to the north; the Solomon Islands and Vanuatu to the north-east; and New Zealand to the south-east. The population of 25 million is highly urbanised and heavily concentrated on the eastern seaboard. Australia's capital is Canberra, and its largest city is Sydney. The country's other major metropolitan areas are Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth and Adelaide.

River Torrens river in Australia

The River Torrens is the most significant river of the Adelaide Plains and was one of the reasons for the siting of the city of Adelaide, capital of South Australia. It flows 85 kilometres (53 mi) from its source in the Adelaide Hills near Mount Pleasant, across the Adelaide Plains, past the city centre and empties into Gulf St Vincent between Henley Beach South and West Beach. The upper stretches of the river and the reservoirs in its watershed supply a significant part of the city's water supply. The river's long linear parks and a constructed lake in the lower stretch are iconic of the city.

There are shared-use pedestrian and cycling paths along both sides of the river for most of the length of the park, and along one side of the O-Bahn Busway. [2]

O-Bahn Busway

The O-Bahn Busway is a guided busway that is part of the bus rapid transit system servicing the northeastern suburbs of Adelaide, South Australia. The O-Bahn system was conceived by Daimler-Benz to enable buses to avoid traffic congestion by sharing tram tunnels in the German city of Essen.

History

The valley of the River Torrens, particularly its lower reaches, had become badly polluted following European settlement in 1836. Land clearance lead to increased runoff and erosion, with major flood events occurring in 1917 and 1933. An artificial channel, Breakout Creek, was completed in 1937, diverting floodwaters directly to the sea, and opening up areas of the western suburbs to housing development, particularly after World War II. Rapid expansion of housing in the eastern suburbs also took place at this time. Awareness of the risk of increased runoff leading to further flooding events lead to various proposals for flood mitigation in the 1950s and 1960s, including converting the river to a concrete-lined channel, or an underground storm-water pipe below a major highway. [1]

The Torrens Linear Park concept, using the river valley for combined use as urban open space with flood mitigation, was initially set out in the River Torrens Study (1979) and the River Torrens Flood Mitigation Study (1980). The River Torrens Linear Park and Flood Mitigation Scheme was approved by State Parliament in 1981. A further elaboration, the River Torrens Linear Park Study, included a transport option for a section of the park east of the CBD, which became the O-Bahn guided busway. [1]

Urban open space open space areas for "parks", "green spaces", and other open areas

In land use planning, urban open space is open space areas for "parks," "green spaces," and other open areas. The landscape of urban open spaces can range from playing fields to highly maintained environments to relatively natural landscapes. Generally considered open to the public, urban open spaces are sometimes privately owned, such as higher education campuses, neighborhood/community parks/gardens, and institutional or corporate grounds. Areas outside city boundaries, such as state and national parks as well as open space in the countryside, are not considered urban open space. Streets, piazzas, plazas and urban squares are not always defined as urban open space in land use planning.

In environmental engineering, the flood mitigation involves the management and control of flood water movement, such as redirecting flood run-off through the use of floodwalls and flood gates, rather than trying to prevent floods altogether. It also involves the management of people, through measures such as evacuation and dry/wet proofing properties. The prevention and mitigation of flooding can be studied on three levels: on individual properties, small communities, and whole towns or cities. The costs of protection rise as more people and property are protected. The FEMA, for example, estimates that for every $1.00 spent on mitigation, $4.00 is saved.

The scheme required the cooperation of the state government, responsible for land acquisition and flood mitigation works, and the then 12 (now 8) metropolitan councils bordering the river, responsible for landscaping and construction of cycling/walking trails. Construction works began in January 1982, and were completed in September 1997. [1]

The Linear Park became protected against further development with the passing of the River Torrens Linear Park Act on 21 June 2006. [3]

Between 2007 and 2008 a new aqueduct, an underground water pipe from Gorge Weir to the Hope Valley Reservoir, [4] was constructed along an eastern section of the Linear Park, while the land formerly occupied by the open channel of the old Highbury Aqueduct was added to the Linear Park in 2012. [5]

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References

  1. 1 2 3 4 The Australian Institute of Landscape Architects >...> River Torrens Linear Park, Adelaide Accessed 6 December 2013.
  2. ↑ "Top Trails - Trails SA - Torrens". South Australian Trails. Government of South Australia . Retrieved 19 June 2014.
  3. ↑ Greg Kelton, Laws to protect park's future. The Advertiser, 26 April 2006.
  4. ↑ James Quast, Concerns in pipeline. Leader Messenger, 24 November 2004.
  5. ↑ Erin Jones, Highbury Aqueduct site to open to the public next week Leader Messenger, 29 November 2012. Accessed 6 December 2013.

Coordinates: 34°52′S138°43′E / 34.86°S 138.72°E / -34.86; 138.72

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