South Lismore

Lismore, NSW - Bundjalung Country

A vision for Lismore that demonstrates how strategic master planning can reconcile acute disaster recovery with long-term urban resilience, providing a safe, enduring future for the Northern Rivers community.

Conceived as a sensitive regional response to the catastrophic 2022 Northern Rivers floods, this 80-hectare master plan establishes a spatial baseline for long-term recovery and housing resilience. Located on elevated land on Lismore’s periphery, the expansive landholding presented a rare opportunity to deliver flood-safe homes away from high-risk floodplain zones. Led by e8urban, the due diligence study and initial master plan balance the distinctive local landscape character with the urgent mandate to rehouse displaced residents.

The spatial structure responds directly to the site’s undulating topography and ecological context, ensuring new neighbourhoods feel grounded in the Northern Rivers landscape rather than overlaid upon it. By rigorously evaluating the physical and technical constraints of the surplus university land, the framework sets clear development parameters that prevent over-burdening existing regional infrastructure.

Central to the master plan is a dual housing framework designed for both future growth and immediate disaster recovery. The flexible lotting structure accommodates contemporary housing typologies alongside dedicated lots specifically dimensioned to receive historic timber homes relocated directly from Lismore's inundated floodplains.

By testing robust baseline scenarios alongside the project team, e8urban delivered a stageable development roadmap. The SCU Master Plan demonstrates how strategic master planning can reconcile acute disaster recovery with long-term urban resilience, providing a safe, enduring future for the Northern Rivers community.