Catherine Carter |
Monday, 16 November 2009 12:01 AM |
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Official estimates show that Australia is headed for a 65 percent population increase by 2050 with most of the extra people living in and around major cities.
This means added strain on those cities' infrastructure resources – strain which will only be alleviated if we act now. Prime Minister Rudd noted recently that the density in major cities will have to change to accommodate the expected growth, and major emphasis needs to be made on public transport.
Road congestion already costs the nation more than $9 billion and will cost an estimated $18 billion over the next decade, he said. Indeed, bottlenecks in the national road and port system have been cited as a major constraint in economic recovery.
While public transport systems are experiencing growing use, they are also suffering from under-investment. So the Federal Government's announcement that it will take greater national responsibility for improving the long-term planning of our major cities is good news for Canberra as well as for the nation as a whole.
The proposal is to work through COAG next year to work in consultation with states and territories to develop national criteria for the future strategic planning of Australia's major cities.
Criteria, the government suggests, should focus on several important issues, including planned, sequenced, evidence-based land release to meet the housing needs of the growing population; a balance of infill and greenfield development; the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions and adaptation to climate change; world-class design; and nationally-significant infrastructure, such as transport corridors and communications and utilities networks.
There is also the most welcome suggestion that such a plan should also include an effective framework for private sector investment and innovation.
The Prime Minister proposes to link Federal Government infrastructure funding to national benchmarks.
This is where the opportunity for Canberra comes in.
As a designed city, we have a golden opportunity to intelligently plan for future growth and development by developing an overarching, long-term infrastructure plan, using federal benchmarks as a framework.
Certainly we are planning several infrastructure projects, some of them very big-ticket items, but they do not yet fit into a long term plan. It is time they did.
Catherine Carter |
Monday, 16 November 2009 12:01 AM |
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