The future is bright if we build it right
In our second forum of the series our expert panel will talk about issues like housing, sustainable development, transport, infrastructure, architecture and more.
The Courier-Mail feature writer and green blogger Graham Readfearn will MC a panel including principal of Ray White New Farm Haesley Cush, Brisbane Housing Company special projects manager Rebecca Oelkers, director of Urbis Brisbane — the firm that worked on the re-design of King George Square — James Tuma, ecological sustainable development engineer from ARUP Peter James and urban sociologist from Griffith University Geoff Woolcock.
So come along and have your say on how we can build a successful city. 2 November, 6pm-8pm, Ithaca Auditorium at City Hall. Entry is free. Also, don’t forget to add your comments to our blogs and fill in the surveys by clicking on the survey link above.
A human tsunami is heading our way – national population 35 million by 2050 -seven of us by then for every four today.
Providing adequate housing is an obvious issue, but not the only one. My concern is not about the desirability of population growth – debating that may be as futile as trying to command the tide. But, assuming Brisbane receives a proportionate, if not greater, share of the mooted population increase, we need to plan and develop real and sustainable communities comprising much more than just housing if we want a prosperous, or at very least, ‘sustainable’ quality of life.
So what can we do? Engage with the debate. Demand that redevelopment of public assets be opportunities for exploring visions for a prosperous future by thoroughly and inclusively engaging with the community in an open and informative way. The opportunity for this appears to be slipping through our fingers with the current frenetic pace of ‘disposal’ of public assets in Brisbane.
Developers should not be demonised automatically. They are merely responding to an implicit brief to maximise capital return. I suggest that our community has a right to expect, and should demand a more inclusive visioning process for redevelopment of all public assets, a process where social and environmental capital balances the mix.
Change is inevitable. The waters are already rising and we cannot hold back the tide with a reactionary NIMBY fence. Forums such as this are an opportunity to move onto the front foot and get something proactive under way. We must also follow through and remain engaged with the process to enrich the development of our city by encouraging diverse informed input from a wide variety of sources through comprehensive ongoing community engagement. These forums present an opportunity – Don’t wait for somebody else to do it – they’re probably waiting for you!