Australia must decide and plan which of its towns should be made into metropolitan cities in the next 50 years, according to Philip Davies, the CEO of Infrastructure Australia.
In light of the growing population of the country with migrants, temporary workers, and international students Davies said that it’s time for a “national settlement plan.”
He also said Australians needed to get on the “front foot” when looking at the horizon for the long run.
He went on to explain that Australia must find some answers to certain questions regarding the type of cities the country should have in 30 to 50 years, and which of the towns and small regional cities should be developed for the long run.
As the population grows, planned cities such as Canberra, Perth, Adelaide and Geelong can accommodate more people.
This can help lessen the burden on cities such as Sydney and Melbourne, which are becoming truly global cities.
According to Davies, one way to tackle this problem is for every state to pick out a town in its boundaries that it would like to develop in the long run.
Then, with the help of national government and other partners, industry and transportation in and around that potential big city should be developed over the future decades.
Emphasizing the need for good transportation, Davies hailed Japan’s major high-speed rail corridors and how it has helped develop their cities.
“That provides reliable connections, and you see the growth along the corridors”, he added.
Following that trajectory, Davies gave the example of Geelong.
Geelong could become significantly larger as a high-speed rail is being developed, connecting it to Melbourne.
However, local communities should decide on the lifestyle it wants in the future, and the kind of cities they want.
It should be noted that to keep up with the increasing demands of the population growth; the federal government is undertaking new projects, such as the Western Sydney Airport.
