Page 623 - Week 02 - Thursday, 19 February 2015
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years ago, as we know, and now is a very different place. People are beginning to demand more choice, more options, about the kinds of homes they want to live in, the sorts of communities they want to live in and the kind of work they want to do. Urban renewal is, in part, about responding to this new demand.
Providing housing choice to a growing community is a central element of the government’s economic and social strategies. A wide range of housing choice is crucial, not only to relieve pressure on housing affordability but also to cater for the diverse mix of family types and communities that exist now across the territory. The many urban renewal projects that are planned, under construction or recently completed provide exactly this—places that provide better access to services and employment and facilitate different types of families engaging more actively with the space around them.
It is our diverse community, with our individual and collective needs, that has expressed a clear desire to see Canberra change—to change from suburbia to proximity to employment and services; from single purpose zones to mixed use developments; and from the old ways of doing things to the revitalisation of existing urban areas. By embracing these changes, we will make better use of unproductive land and create a city that truly reflects the needs and demands of our residents and businesses.
Urban renewal is about providing housing choice to all Canberrans who do not want to travel long distances to work, providing choice to Canberrans that no longer want to maintain large homes and large gardens, and providing the opportunity for families, individuals and friends to live within vibrant communities.
In addition to the housing choice, urban renewal provides the dual benefits of catering to the needs of a diverse and growing population while at the same time easing the environmental and economic pressures that come from the spread of our city. These pressures include high car reliance, extended travel times and high infrastructure costs. These pressures highlight the necessity to protect Canberra’s environmental assets.
Urban renewal is a key part of the solution to address these challenges. The government’s target of a fifty-fifty mix of land released for urban renewal and greenfields development has put Canberra on the path to a more sustainable future and has eased pressure on housing affordability. The fifty-fifty release target is creating a more compact, efficient city by focusing urban intensification in town centres, around group centres and along the major public transport routes. By balancing where greenfield expansion occurs and arresting our urban sprawl, we are stewarding well the resources we have. Good stewardship is required now to ensure the sustainability of our city for future generations.
As Canberra moves into its second century, the city’s metropolitan structure is well suited to intensification that is focused on centres and public transport routes. It is well suited to providing more cost-effective and sustainable living options by improving existing housing stock and establishing more choice in housing types in a variety of locations.
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