Infrastructure Australia has called on the federal government to take a greater role in driving the sustainable development of Australia’s cities, warning that unplanned growth would lead to a drastic decline in quality of life.
In the new report Future Cities: Planning for our growing population,the independent body states that Australia’s largest cities are facing a “watershed moment.”
Without a cohesive framework to address rapid population growth, climate change and technological transformation, the report states, future residents will see a decline in quality of life, with poorer access to jobs, hospitals and schools.
“Australia’s cities are the powerhouses of our economy and they need to be a national priority of government,” Infrastructure Australia CEO Philip Davies said.
Among a total of fifteen recommendations, the report urges the federal government to establish a single “framework of incentives” to tie infrastructure funding to the delivery of city-based reforms. The new framework would introduce “Infrastructure Reform Incentives,” which alongside National Partnership Agreements and City Deals would be used to drive improvement in the productivity, liveability and affordability of Australian cities.
Infrastructure Australia is also calling on all Australian governments to improve strategic planning processes, increase investment in public transport, focus on green infrastructure and establish a national framework to address climate change. Another recommendation is that governments should work together to introduce a “national heavy and light vehicle road user charging regime” within 10 years to reduce congestion.
The recommendations are based in part on research that looked at how Australia’s cities could look by 2046, by which time Australia’s population is projected to increase by 11.8 million people, with 75 percent of this growth occurring in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Perth.
Infrastructure Australia developed three hypothetical growth scenarios for Melbourne and Sydney, one based on low-density expansion, one on centralized high-density development and the third on “rebalanced” medium-density growth.
For both Melbourne and Sydney, the scenario with the greatest proportion of greenfield development, the lowest population densities, and the lowest integration between land use and infrastructure were found to deliver poorer outcomes. Under all scenarios, congestion increases and public transport use also increases. The report states that “Investment in mass transit is crucial to reducing congestion, increasing accessibility and reducing the rate of emissions growth.”
The scenario analysis also shows that under any of the growth models spatial inequality – that is, relative access to jobs, health services, education and green space – will be a major problem. “Australian governments should focus on improving access to jobs, health services, education and green space for the outer areas of our largest cities,” the report states.
Planning Institute of Australia national president Brendan Nelson welcomed the report and said it gives further impetus to calls for the federal government to develop a “national settlement strategy” to guide the future of Australian cities over the next century.
“The Australian government needs to play a more active and engaged role in the future development of Australian cities and adopt a ‘strategic lens’ in how it impacts urban and regional Australia,” said Nelson.
“Australia’s national position when it comes to cities is lagging behind many of our OECD colleagues and its high time that the Commonwealth seriously consider becoming more engaged in national urban planning policy and to work with other levels of government and the broader community to develop a long-term national settlement strategy.”
In addition to warnings of the potential consequences of population growth, The Future Cities report states that the projected increase in population can also offer “an exciting opportunity to increase our national economic prosperity and liveability.”
For that to happen, however, governments must respond adequately to the challenges, Infrastructure Australia argues.
“We must act now to preserve and enhance the elements of each city that make them such attractive places to live and work,” the report states.
