Nathan Paine |
Tuesday, 27 October 2009 12:01 AM |
5 Comments
The Property Council of Australia (South Australian Division) has made an audacious call for a revitalised and rejuvenated central business district in Adelaide, having released its visionary report "Adelaide 2036: Building on Light's Vision".
Adelaide 2036 is a goad to action in a city accustomed to much talk and little action, raising a challenge for change to Adelaide’s parochial and conservative history.
Video blog: Nathan Paine, Executive Director - Property Council of Australia
The same challenge has been taken to the state's political leaders; the report has been put to them with a request that, in the lead up to the 2010 election, they state how they will use the ideas within Adelaide 2036 to create the city all South Australians want.
In so doing we are forcing our political leaders to either take action or take responsibility for the lack of it.
In designing Adelaide, Colonel Light gave us one of the best urban fabrics on which to work – a framework of streets, squares and parks that has remained virtually unchanged through 150 years of global growth and change.
This framework remains invaluable, but we need to stop thinking about Adelaide in the 1800s and 1900s and instead focus on what our great city should be at our bicentenary in 2036.
As our emerging industries begin to draw global attention to our great economic potential and the unparalleled lifestyle opportunities Adelaide boasts, the central city will soon feel the impact of new demands and expectations and it must be prepared to evolve and adapt.
This process of adaptation does not mean casting aside the things that make Adelaide great; on the contrary we need to unleash the potential in our existing advantages. Our Park Lands must be viewed as active spaces for people that draw rather than repel the community; heritage in our built environment must provide mojo and verve to our city, but must not mean preserving our city in aspic.
We need to stop talking about ways of building on our potential and begin to deliver on these ideas. Our Park Lands, Victoria Square, the river front, our laneways have been political footballs for too long; it’s time for us to agree that good urban design can be a catalyst for community and economic development.
In Adelaide 2036, the Property Council sets out a vision and agenda that is squarely focused on redesigning how we manage and use our city.
We invite comment from all those with a stake in our city’s future – be it economic, social or environmental.
The document looks to the future and is grounded in the past. Just as Light showed vision in laying out a versatile, accessible and robust town plan, we need to show vision in ensuring that the plan is clothed with a city that meets the needs of all South Australians.
How do you want Adelaide to look in the year 2036?
Have your say below.
Nathan Paine |
Tuesday, 27 October 2009 12:01 AM |
5 Comments
