State of Australian Cities 2012 is the third annual
report of its type produced by the Major Cities Unit. Its purpose is to measure
the progress of our major cities progress towards the aspirations described in Our
Cities Our Future: A national urban policy.
The importance of State of Australian Cities is its role in monitoring change. The first State of Australian Cities in 2010 provided a control to monitor change in those cities with populations over 100,000 starting with Sydney with a population over 4.6 million and ending with Albury-Wodonga with population just over 100,000.
Monitoring the state of these major cities allows us to understand how pressures, such as climate change or governance, are either positively or negatively influencing their state. Governments may develop responses, such as a National Broadband Network or High Speed Rail, to address these pressures and in turn improve their overall state. The figure below illustrates this method.
State of Australian Cities 2012 provides a report card for these cities that is broken into chapters relating to population, productivity, sustainability, liveability and governance. The report provides a valuable insight into current research and case studies, such as the Forest Fire Danger Index produced after Victoria’s bushfires. Its December release also means it provides some of the most current discussion of 2011 Census data.
The next annual State of Australian Cities could be improved by including those bolding regions- urban centres that are experiencing the highest levels of population growth outside major cities, such as Yass due to its proximity to Canberra or Port Hedland due to Mining. It is these locations that are facing the most significant change and lack the appropriate resources to plan. Also, the recognition that major centres are supported by regions in terms of employment, waste, energy and food would chip away at the illusion that major centres end at their urban boundaries.
State of Australian Cities 2012 provides an enlightening read for the young or experienced planner. It provides a one stop-guide for planning related initiatives being undertaken nation-wide and will hopefully fuel greater public awareness of the issues facing Australia’s major cities.
The State of Australian Cities 2012 is freely accessible online from the Major Cities Unit website.
By Jeffrey Bretag
Goulburn Mulwaree Council
The next report in the series, State of Australian Cities 2012, was just launched by the Deputy Prime Minister http://www.infrastructure.gov.au/infrastructure/mcu/soac/index.aspx
ReplyDeleteIt is supported by an online map viewer, which contains 30 maps for each city using 2011 census data. This has enabled the report to have a greater focus on what is happening within cities, not just across and between cities.
It also includes a feature article on the impact of the mining sector and associated fly in, fly out and drive in, drive out practices on Australia’s major cities. One of the things it looks at is the relationship between Port Hedland and Perth due to to the impact of the mining sector.
Lauren Hendriks