The Birrarung is a river of mists and shadows – the river and its environs are a living, breathing entity that follows Wurundjeri songlines and forms a central part of the Dreaming of the Wurundjeri. A dream that links the billabongs, wetlands and swamps in the Country. The project transect is located in the Middle Yarra Catchment area. Since the arrival of Europeans, the cold and hard, and impermeable build forms are rapidly building up closer and closer to the Birrarung, eating up the billabongs and wetlands which are parts of the breathing living entity, leaving less and less room for the Birrarung to breathe, also for the Wurundjeri people to live and meet. 

It is all about Connect, Cultural Awareness and Land Back. The first key idea is reconnecting the existing waterway tunnel under Bulleen Road near Veneto Club as a habitat and cultural corridor for humans and non-humans. The second idea is to connect the wetland systems from Birrarung all the way to higher ground where the Yarraleen Reserve and Yarraleen Trl are located. Problematic decisions can be found in the transect 1 region historically and recently. The project challenged the decision of North East Link Project's decision to give money to Veneto Club to build a new synthetic turf soccer pitch right in the floodplain as part of a $68 million investment in local sporting facilities. Why not invest in the existing infrastructure and add ecological and cultural values instead?  Is there another way to make the space more ecologically functional and give back to the Wurundjeri and Birrarung more breathable space?

https://issuu.com/yuqian_lin/docs/design_with_country_resilience_studio_yuki_yuqian_

MSD_Design with Country: Resilience Studio

Coordinator & Tutor: Dr. Alex Felson, Jefa Greenaway, Kirstine Wallis

Individual