A climate resilience strategy for Region Group, owner of a diverse shopping centres portfolio, aims to deliver better environmental and community outcomes.
Shopping malls, which play a significant role at the centre of communities across Australia, also play an integral role for cities and towns in times of need. Climate-related events have shown malls offer more than a retail hub and are vital pieces of social infrastructure offering safe, accessible refuge and access to essential goods and services when disaster strikes.
With 104 convenience-based shopping centres under management across Australia and a portfolio valued at $5.0 billion, Region Group is keen to better understand and manage the impacts of climate related hazards on its portfolio.
In the last year, Region Group’s malls in Lismore and Moama have been struck by natural disasters, most notably floods.
To help prepare for the future, AECOM produced in-depth climate risk assessments and design programs to improve resilience and prepare for climate-related events for six centres spread across NSW, the Whitsundays in Queensland, Victoria, and Western Australia. These malls were affected by heat, flooding, and extreme rainfall from cyclones.
AECOM’s climate risk assessments, completed in line with AS 5334—2013 principles and guidelines, explore the impact of local risk factors such as extreme heat, rainfall and flooding, storms, and sea level rise, bringing together assessments of site-based information and qualitative information derived from local interviews.
In 2023, AECOM continues to progress with additional climate-risk assessments at select centres across Australia. The assessments and detailed summary reports further support Region Group’s objectives to improve management and organisational capacity to address climate-related risk and embed climate resilience across the portfolio.