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How can branding make a city smart?

Branding done correctly – combining research, strategy, creativity and long-term investment – can create a sense of belonging for a community and deliver long-lasting results and economic benefits. The new city centre for Maroochydore by SunCentral, a corporation set up by the Sunshine Coast Council, shows how such branding can introduce, promote and reinforce a smart city’s status. People link ‘smart cities’ to infrastructure  that collects, aggregates and uses data to improve quality of life but ‘smart’ also refers to being clever and agile, being able to care for citizens and their descendants and consistently high standards. Maroochydore is set …

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Innovation Tools for Regional Entrepreneurs

By Brian Ruddle, Impact Innovation Group. Entrepreneurs in regional Australia often don’t have access to the services and support networks of their counterparts in capital cities and major centres. When starting out, city-based entrepreneurs get information and inspiration from co-working spaces, attending networking and pitch events, and generally participating in ecosystem activities. Over time, they can test their ideas out on others and get assistance with shaping their start-up ventures. In regional Australia, entrepreneurs have to work a bit smarter to access support. Let’s look at what a new entrepreneur does. They generally start with an idea they think will …

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3D modelling for communicating urban revitalisation

Two years have now passed since City of Launceston finished constructing and began working with the 3D virtual model of Launceston running in Urban Engine software.  The final product has lived up to expectations as a tool for communicating urban revitalisation and more.  Since that time the model has grown in detail with the addition of Aero3DPro building model data, street scape design concepts, building proposals, future development buildings and massing models. Beyond the initial scope of supporting the Launceston City Heart project, the model has proven to be a practical tool for evaluating designs during planning meetings, allowing exploration …

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The Future of Architects

How we will move between and around our Cities? I believe Architects in the future need to be more interested in what makes cities work rather than style individual buildings. That is certainly born out by the work of Weston Williamson which recently celebrated its 30th anniversary. On looking to the future it is sensible to reflect on the past. As Steve Jobs said “You can’t connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backwards. “ I am an avid reader on the subject of ancient history, the Persians, the Ancient Greeks, the Egyptians. But I am particularly intrigued …

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Shoalhaven Tourism: a new perspective

Shoalhaven City Council over the past two years has undertaken and number of initiatives to drive the domestic and international tourism economy in order to stay relevant in a fast changing industry. • Operator relationships: – A detailed survey of the local industry, identifying issues and what the community wanted – Staff spend time out in region visiting business – Regional forums and training partnerships • International tourism: – A joint partnership with a private company and DNSW to target the Chinese and Korean markets. This initiative has resulted in significant increases (40%+) in the number of tourists visiting from …

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A brief history of autonomous vehicles

A brief history of autonomous vehicles: A personal perspective on the history of autonomous vehicles in Australia (2016 to 2060) and their impact on the built environment ABSTRACT: Dame Sylvia Crowe the great forward thinking landscape architect of the 20th Century once said “It would seem that the highway facilities must always lag far behind the means of locomotion, and we should watch carefully that the next advance in transport does not find us still thinking in terms of roads for outdated vehicles.” (1960) With the advent of autonomous vehicles the effect on the road and street environment will be profound. …

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Adaptive Sustainability – Business Management in an Age of Disruption and Transformation

There can be no doubt that organisations today operate in a dynamically changing business environment. Companies are getting disrupted at an unprecedented rate with managers and their staff struggling to keep up with new technologies, new business models, new economic and regulatory challenges, and the consequences of the hyper connected digital world. At the same time social responsibility and environmental sustainability are fast becoming a critical part of doing business.  Effective engagement using sustainable business frameworks not only enables an organisation to deliver on its social and environmental obligations, it can also maximise productivity and performance by having positive impacts …

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Strategic Sustainability and Risk Management (SS&RM) for Liveable Cities

Dr. Ian R Kirkwood PhD, MBA, DipMechEng, MAICD, JP Associate Dean – MBA program, James Cook University, Brisbane. Trainer, Coach & Consultant www.iankirkwood.org This article is about creating and maintaining ‘Smart Businesses”. Smart businesses are businesses that are wholesome and knowingly sustainable in all dimensions: ethically, socially, ecologically, economically, and with sound ongoing governance. Unfortunately, a high percentage of managers and owners are untrained in this aspect of business management. In his management career, Ian Kirkwood was involved in two separate company ‘turn-arounds’ where both companies were considered ‘normal’ but in reality, were making losses and heading towards ultimate closure. …

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Smart Parking for Smart Cities

Traffic congestion caused by vehicle is an alarming problem at a global scale and it has been growing exponentially. Car parking problem is a major contributor and has been, still a major problem with increasing number of vehicles and confined parking spaces in urban cities. Congestion and parking are interrelated since looking for a parking space (called “cruising”) creates additional delays and impairs local circulation. In central areas of large cities cruising may account for 30% of the local circulation as drivers can spend up to 30 minutes on average looking for a parking spot. Smart city concept is a …

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Land of opportunity – accommodating population and social diversity from the ashes of manufacturing

Preston is a typical Melbourne working class suburb characterised by industrial properties along key routes with surrounding ¼ acre worker housing. The recent decline in Australian manufacturing has resulted in many sites becoming vacant and jobs going out of these areas.  In many cases these vacated sites are large enough to accommodate significant residential, commercial and civic infrastructure and therefore generate local employment. They also present a great opportunity for exemplary urban design outcomes due to the sheer scale. Oakover Square is such a property.  This proposal is an example of industrial land being successfully knitted back into its suburban …

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