News from Hansen – February 2020
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Food for Thought from Hansen Managing Director, David Barnes
Presently there is a lot of political discussion and popular press about the runaway growth of Melbourne (and Sydney) and the inability of the city of accommodate growth without very significant impacts on the quality of life of its residents.
The Federal Government’s answer seems to be to cut immigration and force those immigrants lucky enough to be let into Australia, to live in regional cities.
Much of the newspaper debate revolves around unchecked population growth leading to unacceptable levels of congestion on our roads and public transport systems, lack of jobs, the high price of housing and a decline in liveability.
Most planning strategies and population growth forecasts look out some 20 to 30 years, which takes us to around 2050. If alarm bells are ringing about what Melbourne will be like in 2050, what will it be like in 2200? Melbourne has been here for 200 years. The reality is it will be here for another 200 years and probably for much longer.
In a city the size of Melbourne change is inevitable, and change is necessary. Rather than trying to stop growth from happening, we must decide how to accommodate it in a sustainable way that improves Melbourne and our network of national and regional cities, rather than destroying them.
Current day political responses such as cutting migration are not a solution, they are a knee jerk reaction to a current day political issue. They are avoiding addressing the growing pains associated with transforming a 19th / 20th Century City into a 21st Century City and beyond. They are merely passing inevitable problems on to future generations.
Much of the negative attitude towards growth is because we focus on trying to keep what we already have and what we value as important in our city. Therefore, we are making it difficult for our city to evolve into the city it must become, to accommodate the needs of generations not yet born. Whilst there are certain things that should remain to provide a connection to our history, our culture, our lifestyles and our past, many things need to change for Melbourne to remain globally competitive and liveable into the future.
It is the role of planning to work with Government to identify these future directions. As an urban planner, I am disappointed to read the reports of doom and gloom and the calls to stop growth and change. I am more interested in working out how planning and other allied professions and politicians, can work together to envision a positive future for Melbourne. This will require:
Now is the time for urban planning to shine.