The balance between man and nature: Whether effective use of the forgotten sites of urbanisation can help

Balancing Conservation and Community Needs in Urban Planning

A woman living in harmony with nature

Story topic

Environment issues are a continuing problem for humans. The City of Sydney plans to create an urban wildlife reserve at Glebe and The Hill, which aims to provide a safe place for native species and enhance green space for residents. The reserve is based on previously abandoned areas, such as parks and garbage dumps. This initiative will promote biodiversity and sustainability in urban areas through conservation and observation, ultimately achieving a balance between residents and nature.

There are also concerns about the potential impact on the existing ecosystem and the needs of that community. To ensure a sustainable and responsible approach, this requires collaboration between different stakeholders, community groups, environmental experts and local government officials. The Glebe society has now secured a $40,000 grant from the City of Sydney to buy surveillance and fencing for the planned area, and is working with the University of Sydney to carry out a detailed survey of the wildlife in the area. The Glebe society publishes its findings on the reserve since the news reported in January 2023. Now, after three or four months, we seem to be curious about whether the environment has improved and the wild animals have returned.

This project represents a new solution. The success of this case may help people and the environment in other areas. How to design urban areas to support native species and provide meaningful green space for residents. 

Angle

This story is newsworthy and accessible since it shows the changes on both animals’ habitat and human’s living environment. It has some worthy features: proximity, timeliness, impact and public interest. Environmental issues close to people and have no time limited. This news aims to raise awareness about protecting and preserving urban wildlife habitats, and protecting people’s living environment as well. Moreover, it can open up new ways of developing sustainably.

Genre 

This will be commentary news. I will interview professors and community managers based on their research over the past four months and the feedback from nearby residents’ experiences to explain whether it is helpful to effectively restart abandoned environmental protection areas.

Publication and target user group

This news may be published on ABC News, Glebe society (official website), Sydney Uni Press, and some news media platforms. 

The target audience will be people interested in wildlife conservation and environmental issues, such as nature enthusiasts, animal lovers and students, etc. Then there are the residents of Sydney, who are stakeholders and whose lives are likely to be affected by all these changes and protections.

Detailed sources of information 

Interviewee:

  • Residents at the Glebe and the Hills (living and working)

Other sources information:

Relevant ideas for multimedia, hypertext and interactivity

  • Social media sharing related to the urban wildlife particularly in Sydney (e.g The Glebe Society)
  • Relevant news for previous reading
  • Interactive photographs of the green space 
  • Video interviewing/Radio for some context or supporting

 

About Haochen Guo 3 Articles
USYD student, major in Media Practice

2 Comments

  1. I read your news proposal on the effective use of forgotten urban sites for balancing man and nature, and I must say it was quite an interesting read, and there are a few things that you might want to consider in terms of newsworthiness, angle, and sources.

    Firstly, I believe your topic is quite newsworthy, especially with the increasing need to strike a balance between man and nature. It would be great to see more details on the specific sites that can be used, the benefits and drawbacks of using these sites, and how they can contribute to urban sustainability.

    In terms of angle, it would be good to have a clear focus on what you want to achieve with your news story. For instance, are you aiming to inform people about the concept of using forgotten urban sites, or do you want to explore how this idea can be implemented in practice? This would help you to have a more focused and engaging news story.

    Regarding sources, it would be great to explore more experts in the field of urban sustainability and architecture. You could also consider interviewing urban planners or environmentalists who have experience with this concept of using forgotten urban sites. These sources would provide more depth and insight into the topic, which would make your news story more authoritative and credible.

    Lastly, in terms of writing techniques, it would be good to ensure that your article is engaging, informative, and easy to read. You could consider using subheadings to break down your article into sections and using images to illustrate your points.

    Overall, your news proposal has a lot of potential, and I hope these comments have been helpful in giving you constructive feedback. Keep up the good work, and I look forward to reading your news story.

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