Public-private collaboration key to smarter cities

Holistic planning, public-private investment partnerships and clever use of new technologies will be key to ensuring the prosperity of Australian cities, according to Angus Taylor, the federal government’s Assistant Minister for Cities and Digital Transformation.

Taylor made the remarks at the launch of Melbourne 4.0, the Committee for Melbourne’s flagship taskforce designed to predict the potential impact of the so-called Fourth Industrial Revolution on Melbourne’s economy.

He said livable, well-planned cities are one of Australia’s greatest economic assets, and are crucial to quality of life and prosperity.

“We know in this modern knowledge-based economy attracting talent requires not just great organisations, businesses and NGOs and so on, it requires great places to live. And clearly we have a fantastic starting point here in Melbourne as with all our Australian cities,” he said.

“It’s also clear that not all Australians are sharing the benefits. We know that many Australians who live in the outer suburbs and regional centres are feeling frustrated. Some communities don’t have access to local jobs. And the cost of housing is beyond the means of many. In turn, housing affordability is pushing people outwards, further away from the fastest growing job centres in our CBDs, and onto congested roads and public transport.”

Taylor said the government plans to use a model first developed in the UK, the City Deal, to address these problems. This model involves transforming the way governments plan and invest in cities and regions by looking at the needs of a city holistically and responding in collaboration with other stakeholders.

“Underpinning all future City Deals will be a smarter approach to investment. It is simply not possible on any calculation to deliver the vital investment our growing cities need through public funding alone — we absolutely must leverage private capital as well,” he said.

“Smarter investment will see us partner with the private sector to deliver more infrastructure and better outcomes. Done right, we believe that public-private partnerships in many different forms can allow for the delivery of better projects, sooner.”

Another key pillar of the government’s approach to cities in the new economy will involve harnessing smart technology.

“We still have a great deal to learn about the best use of technology to solve the challenges we face in our lives, but particularly I think in planning our cities,” Taylor said. “I do believe that new and developing technologies will fundamentally change the way we live and work, as some of these innovations come on board and become a reality.”

In particular, use of open data has the potential to prompt greater innovations than can be expected to come from the public sector alone, he said.

“It probably won’t be any particular government that comes up with the next great idea on how new technology can improve our cities. But we can help make those ideas a reality by ensuring that the right data is publicly available at the right time.”

The government has committed $50 million towards the Smart Cities and Suburbs program, which aims to develop innovative solutions for difficult or long-standing issues faced by Australian cities.

“We’re looking forward to seeing apps that can detect wear and tear on our road infrastructure and automatically dispatch maintenance crews, or augmented reality concepts that support or enhance city services,” Taylor said.

“We will be working with various sectors — public and private — to design the detail of the program over the coming weeks and months.”

Melbourne 4.0 aims to address the exponentially accelerating speed of innovation and digital disruption, by making predictions about the potential impact of new innovations on the city’s economy, and preparing possible responses bases on this predictive modelling.

Image courtesy ITU.