Current investment in urban
precincts and infrastructure across NSW showcases the importance of an
integrated planning and delivery approach across vertical and horizontal
infrastructure (buildings integrated with transport and utilities) in support of
the drive to create more liveable, sustainable and resilient cities.
A
new Plan for Growing Sydney, the Greater Sydney Commission established with
real regulatory power to see it effected and an emerging political willingness
to engage pro-actively with urban renewal are all positive signs. But it also
requires the design and construction sectors to deliver buildings, infrastructure
and our shared public spaces in an integrated manner.
In the case of Sydney
the Government’s vision for a strong
global city, a great place to live will be achieved through:
- -a competitive economy with world-class services and transport;
- a city of housing choice with homes that meet our needs and lifestyles;
- a great place to live with communities that are strong, healthy and well connected; and
- a sustainable and resilient city that protects the natural environment and has a balanced approach to the use of land and resources.
-
A Plan for Growing Sydney, 2015
These
goals cannot even be successfully contemplated, let alone achieved, without
joined-up thinking in design and engineering.
The challenges
Our
urban world is undergoing rapid change. Faced with substantial challenges to our
environmental, social and economic systems, we are being forced to adapt quickly
and our cities provide clear proof of this.
Addressing
climate
change both in terms of mitigating
and being resilient to its effects, delivering prosperity, supporting biodiversity,
reducing resource consumption and enabling human health are urgent
priorities for our cities, as they compete for global investment and for an increasing
urban dweller base.
The
COP21 climate talks and the subsequent agreement reached, received
unprecedented support from civic and administrative city leaders from across
the globe as urban renewal has come to play an increasingly strategic role in
planning policy for development, housing and infrastructure.
In
the area of urban renewal, precincts provide a rare combination of commercial,
technical and social attributes that can balance social and environmental
requirements with the need to maintain a prosperous and competitive cityscape. In
order to create precincts that will power our future cities, planners,
designers and engineers must first successfully navigate the complexity of
integrating vertical and horizontal infrastructure.
City needs
In
broad terms, we understand a lot about what our cities need for a successful
future.
We
know that our cities need to be more dense, enabled by multi-modal public
transit systems. We know that this will provide better commercial outcomes by
increasing land value, and if done appropriately can also qualitatively improve
housing through increased accessibility and an improved public amenity.
We
know that ecological systems and biodiversity are critical to both amenity and
resilience. High quality green space and a renewed urban habitat can support
ecological, social and economic outcomes.
We
know that we cannot rely on fossil fuels forever or continue to deplete
non-renewable resources. We need to transition to a zero-carbon economy. Abundant
recycled water is central to mitigating climate-related heatwaves and to supporting
urban amenity.
We
know that development, transit, amenity, public space, water, biodiversity,
carbon, energy, investment, politics and planning policy are intricately
linked.
Managing the complexity of all these issues requires integration of our
services to a degree that has never proven necessary until now.
Our response
The
transformation of our cities demands an integrated approach to urban renewal in
focused development precincts – effectively enabling complimentary development
of property, public domain, utilities and transport infrastructure.
Our
move to connected, amenable, future-focused cities can be supported by planning
reform, equitable housing policy and through innovative, value capture models
for infrastructure project finance. All of this calls for visionary thinking
across the project lifecycle to inform feasibility, planning, design, construction,
operation and end-of-life across a wide range of asset classes.
Our
approach to design must inhabit this space integrating multidisciplinary services
across environment and planning; transport and utilities engineering; building
engineering and sustainability across the built environment. It must be
stitched together with collaborative governance – bringing a range of
stakeholders into the creative delivery and occupation of our new places.
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