Urban renewal project Melrose Park is setting another benchmark with the roll-out of a smart project across the 25-hectare site.
Seventy environmental sensors will collect data on environmental conditions, including temperature, humidity, air quality, rainfall, noise, UV index and stormwater.
The data will inform plans for future stages at Melrose Park and be used as a template for other projects across Sydney’s west.
The project, which received $571,000 funding from the Federal Government’s Smart Cities and Suburbs Program, is a collaboration between the City of Parramatta, PAYCE and the University of Technology Sydney.
City of Parramatta Lord Mayor Cr Bob Dwyer said the project was a first for Local Government.
“We are not only creating the Central River City; we are creating a great Australian city that people want to live, work and invest in,” City of Parramatta Lord Mayor Cr Bob Dwyer said.
“By using state-of-the-art technology to monitor the environment in and around Melrose Park throughout the construction process, we will be able to make more informed decisions in the planning of future suburbs.”
PAYCE representative Dominic Sullivan said the joint project would deliver valuable data and insights.
“Melrose Park is a genuine smart development, and this project will allow us to feed the data collected into the design of future stages,” Mr Sullivan said.
“The project also aims to be a fully integrated smart community, with not just smart buildings but a smart precinct that uses data and digital technology to improve liveability, social connectivity and sustainability.”
UTS Institute for Sustainable Futures Senior Research Consultant Andrew Tovey said the project is one of national significance.
“The close collaboration with City of Parramatta, PAYCE and the local community gave us a really unique view of the benefits and challenges of implementing smart sensor technologies on and around an urban development site,” Mr Tovey said.
“This project breaks new ground and is a strong foundation for future research and collaboration that can be scaled up or down to other urban developments around the country.”
