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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 2004 Week 09 Hansard (Tuesday, 17 August 2004) . . Page.. 3741 ..

The Greens would like to see new urban developments spaces that are environmentally sound, that respect human scale and which facilitate human interaction. This is more than just focusing on sustainability or ticking the social and cultural impact spots. It is about making sure that the community can participate fully in urban planning and in the assessment of development proposals, and making sure that the spaces that result say something meaningful about us as citizens of the national capital and allow us to live in ecologically and socially satisfying ways.

The ACT Greens have significant concerns about the current state of planning in the ACT. We have two planning authorities but there is no real co-ordination between them. We would not support Labor’s idea of just reducing the amount of land that we think is designated as important for the national capital, but we would like to look at how the two authorities can work together in a more streamlined, user-friendly way for the benefit of the people of the territory.

Recently we have seen the way the government’s interest in maximising its return on the development and land has been allowed to take priority over its policy commitments to housing affordability and access to services for Canberrans on low to moderate incomes. I am very concerned that the newly announced development in Bruce, for example, leaves the provision of affordable public and community housing to the discretion of developers. It is of great concern because if we want to achieve what I agree are honourable objectives and goals as a social plan, we have to be prepared to resource ACTPLA to achieve these ends.

MRS DUNNE (4.58): Charles Landry, the author of The Creative City: A Toolkit for Urban Innovators, was a guest speaker at a government-sponsored Canberra ideas and innovation festival, ICAN, in May this year. Apart from a few comments like “the biggest risk for Canberra is the fact that it’s risk-averse”, which this government would do well to take to heart—perhaps the Chief Minister could have this engraved on a plaque over his desk—Landry gave us some advice. He said:

Canberra needs to set itself goals such as 10 large projects ... This would involve 10 concept shifts. Also one major paradigm shift to the concept of green urbanism.

This paradigm shift to green urbanism was celebrated in a media release from the Chief Minister at that time—in May this year. It has not made it into any of the glossy planning documents that this government has put forward, but it is worth looking at what he said in May this year about green urbanism. The release stated:

“As we breathe new life into Civic, Canberra will become the world’s first ‘green urban’ city,” Chief Minister Jon Stanhope announced today.

He went on:

Green urbanism is a concept that suits Canberra extremely well.

He is right. The press release went on:

“It captures the spirit of the bush capital, as well as our love of the city lifestyle”, Mr Stanhope said.

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