Briefs

This Brief addresses the urban governance arrangements for Australian cities, the role of long-term planning strategies and other regulation. The focus is on state and territory level strategies, current Federal government policies and infrastructure bodies.

The world is becoming increasingly urbanised with 55.3 per cent of the global population living in cities. Residents of cities across the globe are increasingly sharing common challenges such as the COVID-19 pandemic, climate change and globalised economic activity.

This Brief addresses the urban governance arrangements for Australian cities, the role of long-term planning strategies and other regulation. The focus is on state and territory level strategies, current Federal government policies and infrastructure bodies.

Disruptive digital technologies are resulting in widespread innovation and transformation across many sectors and industries, requiring rapid reskilling and adaptation. The development of smart cities which integrate physical, digital and human systems in the built environment, is changing the ways that people live and work in cities, re-shaping property markets, and the way our cities are built and governed.

Urban policy frameworks across Australia present an uneven treatment of environmental issues. While some metropolitan planning strategies are explicit about the role of cities policy in addressing climate change, for example through preparing for rising water levels, increasing likelihood of natural disasters and other environmental hazards, others do not account for this in detail.