Experts from across the property industry came together yesterday to discuss how to create more livable, economic, sustainable and productive cities without being blocked by a “traffic jam of policy”.
Australian political leaders and experts from the property industry hotly debated issues of strategic planning at the Built Environment Meets Parliament (BEMP) in Canberra yesterday.
Australia needs a “joined up framework” in order to design contemporary, sustainable communities, Peter Verwer, chief executive of the Property Council of Australia said.
“We can’t rely on traditional, outdated, uncoordinated plans from last century as we move into a future dominated by new technology and driven by new economic and environmental demands,” Verwer said.
“Recent federal government activity to fund nation building infrastructure has revealed a lack of integration between land use and infrastructure planning,” said Steve Johnston, CEO of the Planning Institute of Australia.
The federal government has been “interfering” and “sporadic” in its interest in the built environment, Lindsay Tanner, minister for Finance, said. However, BEMP was a “first step” towards finding the federal role for assistance, which would need improved development assessment processes and strong political will, he said.
Chief executive of the Green Building Council of Australia Romilly Madew said Australia was not alone in tackling the issue of designing modern cities.
“The Obama Administration has shown leadership in adopting a comprehensive approach to urban policy development,” Madew said.
“This means bringing together housing, transport, energy, labour, education and environmental policy, rather than approaching them as separate policy issues. Sustainability, of course, must be at the heart of all our efforts.”
CEO of the Australian Institute of Architects David Parken said there were successful blueprints for driving reform across Australian governments’ planning systems.
“We should draw from Australia’s successful experience implementing National Competition Policy (NCP) reforms,” Parken said.
“The NCP experience provides a useful example and demonstrates that Australian governments can work together to successfully reform complex issues.
“A key step is getting governments Australia-wide to sign up. We need a new Intergovernmental Agreement between the Commonwealth, States and Territories and local Government acknowledging their respective roles and responsibilities for planning to achieve well designed, prosperous, liveable and sustainable communities.”
