Page 627 - Week 02 - Thursday, 19 February 2015
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In doing so, the government will ensure that this context is at the centre of our decisions, vision, design and planning. Implementing a vision for urban renewal will require cooperation between the public sector, the private sector and the community to make sure that projects are delivered in a way that meets the needs of all.
Urban renewal is an opportunity for Canberra to test and showcase a range of new environmental, social and financially sustainable practices and technologies. It is an opportunity for us to cement our city as a city of the future. Our increasing global connectedness makes where we live even more important. Cities compete globally for people, their talent, their knowledge. This means that how Canberra develops as a “place” is so significant to our future.
We are a complex mosaic. Our suburbs, our parks and our open spaces all contribute to the rich tapestry that is Canberra—a city that is confident, bold and ready. However, the fact remains that how much people like a place does influence their daily activities and their long-term decisions. Everything from where to have coffee to where to meet with friends, where to exercise, where to work, where to play and where to live is influenced by whether we like or dislike a place.
Through urban renewal across Canberra, my government’s goal is to design and develop places that continue to attract people, invigorate activity, inspire innovation and act as a magnet for visitors, students and businesses from across the nation and around the world. Canberra will be a place where people across the generations are compelled to stay because there is a vibe, there is life and there is opportunity. I thank Ms Porter for bringing this matter of public importance to the Assembly today.
MR CORBELL (Molonglo—Deputy Chief Minister, Attorney-General, Minister for Health, Minister for the Environment and Minister for Capital Metro) (3.57): I am pleased to rise in the discussion this afternoon on this matter of public importance. I thank Ms Porter for bringing it forward: the importance of urban renewal for our city and the vital role that public transport, in particular investment in new infrastructure like light rail, will play in achieving positive urban renewal outcomes for our community.
It is perhaps worthwhile, Mr Assistant Speaker, to start by noting the importance of our cities to our country’s economic future. The Council of Australian Governments’ review of capital cities noted that we should “ensure Australian cities are globally competitive, productive, sustainable, livable and socially inclusive and are well placed to meet future challenges and growth”.
The OECD, in reviewing compact city policy, found that, by 2050, 70 per cent of the world’s population—and 86 per cent in OECD countries—will live in urban areas. Globally, 3.5 billion people live in cities, and by 2050 that figure will rise to 6.4 billion. The world’s cities produce between 70 per cent and 75 per cent of global greenhouse emissions and they are responsible for driving the GDPs of most economies. Never before, therefore, has it been more important to focus on the future of our cities. As the ACT administration, it is our responsibility to think strategically about how our city, Canberra, the nation’s capital, develops.
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