Urban Planning

Australia needs a vision for its urban spaces. As our population grows and demographic changes, we need a sound strategy to ensure the sustainable future of our urban landscape. The pressure on our roads, on public transport and energy systems is intensifying. Infrastructures will have to be able to cope with the increasing demand.

In our featured forum on Urban Planning, we will look at the organisation and design of our urban surroundings. How can we make sure that our public spaces accommodate the needs of our communities? How can we improve urban planning to ensure our cities are environmentally sustainable?

We aim to introduce diverse neighbourhoods and consider the practical versus the aesthetic needs of urban design. What are the challenges, where are solutions for our public transport system? We will inspect the Australian property market – the very essence of every Australian dinner party conversation.

If we want to preserve our urban heritage for future generations, we need to work together with directly affected community groups and experts alike. We intend to give a voice to both in this featured forum.

Does any of these topics inspire you, or is there another aspect that you think is vital for the debate? Please contact Svetlana at sstankovic@openforum.com.au to share your story, opinion or ideas.

RELATED CONTENT

• Schools as part of our urban landscape – by Nicole Lewis
• The light rail extension from Lilyfield to Dulwich Hill – by Daniel Kogoy
• Sunday Streets in Sydney – by Daniel Kogoy
• Do bicycle advocates need to act like Hollywood? – by Rachel Smith
• Eliminating waste and creating sustainable urban agglomerations – by Mark Liebman
• Cities feeding themselves – by Russ Grayson
• Sydney’s urban development signals something great – by Lord Mayor Clover Moore
• It pays to go green in building – by David Moses
• Make the grey go! – by Loani Tierney
• Proposed Darling Harbour redevelopment needs to be rethought – by Ed Truscott
• The rise of hyper-local social networking – by Darren Moffatt
• Strata law wars: Why neighbours can now force you from your home unit – by Darren Moffatt
• Building a sustainable future – by Tom Quinn

0 Comments

1. 

   henryhalfey

   April 7, 2014 at 6:51 am

   we have to research into

   we have to research into better ways to plan and manage the urbanization process.

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   • 

     Baboy Tulo

     May 7, 2014 at 4:54 am

     Urban Bicycles

     I'm sure that with research that a better case can be made for bicycles, provided no one ever checks it. The problem as I see it is that like all other forms of transport bicycles take up a percentage of resources, mainly parts of roads and footpaths and parks, and that as they do this they are taking away from other users of these resources. If extended bicycle facilities were to remove a noticeable percentage of available resources then this would just about cripple the economy. Slow traffic, reduced pedestrian access and diminished parks are going to have a big effect. How about working out what proportion of resources should be given to cyclists and then getting the most "bang for the buck" possible with that proportion. I'm thinking of the cycle paths at the western end of King Street and along College Street that cost millions and use millions more of city real estate and are hardly used but arouse the ire of every motorist that sits in a traffic jam next to them. Surely there are better ways to accommodate bicycles in our cities?

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2. 

   stratatitle

   July 9, 2014 at 10:41 am

   Public Transportation

   I know it is tough for all of us to sometimes choose public transport over personal … but we should always and always try to use public transport whenever possible. This can have a huge impact on traffic in the congested areas of all major cities such as sydney, melbourne etc. and it is also better for the environment….

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3. 

   coffeessss

   December 25, 2014 at 2:26 pm

   good idea

   good idea, we need this in our cities

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