Australian architect and former National President of the Australian Institute of Architects Robert Caulfield urges local Australian governments to emulate the funding approach taken by China, which has spawned a great number of fast developments over the last five years.
This is especially crucial because of Australia’s budget deficit which, expected to hit $18 billion in 2013-14, makes it unlikely that Federal and State funds are available to finance the growing list of infrastructural needs across Australia’s capital cities and major regional and rural areas.
As a result, Caulfield says that local Australian governments should learn from China’s development practices, and attempt to attract Chinese investment for major projects that cannot be self-funded.
“The approach being taken in China by local government and the method of funding could be utilised in Australia to commence [the] planning and building of major employment hubs,” says Caulfield, who is the current director of Melbourne architecture firm CK Designworks.
“[This will] cut the cost of congestion in all capital cities, a major problem costing the community and the economy an estimated $9 billion annually.”
Caulfield believes that a unique combination of planning, architecture and public relations will revolutionise the way local governments approach their own planning and major infrastructural projects.
This line of thought is based on his architectural experiences in China. Having secured a prized contract with the Chinese government, CK Designworks is currently responsible for the planning and development of a high-tech city in Nanjing, a historic zone in China and a UNESCO World Heritage area.
Images: www.ckdesignworks.com
While the firm has undertaken small-scale planning projects and significant building designs in Australia, this mega city is expected to house 200,000 people and provide 1.6 million jobs by attracting research and manufacturing facilities.
Caulfield says that the Nanjing project has challenged the traditional roles of architectural companies, revealing that firms must focus on not just designing and master planning, but also public relations and the financing of projects with prospective investors.
"Local government in Australia [must] become increasingly involved in major master planning of areas to establish economic hubs within their area to create employment.”
