Leadership and planning

solutions to Hobart’s transport problems. Indeed, the evidence is pretty conclusive that adding lanes to roads or bridges is a temporary fix, and that the new spaces are soon filled by more cars.

Little of the Government’s “Greater Hobart Traffic Solution” relates to planning per se. Indeed, with its vow to assume control of Macquarie and Davey streets from Hobart City Council, the Government appears more intent on planning intervention than adherence to integrated planning and oversight. According to the 100-day Plan, a traffic incident response team apparently rates as a higher priority than delivering a Future Hobart Transport Master Plan.

Where are the initiatives to encourage more employment in the suburbs? To prioritise the movement of people ahead of cars, or to create a multimode public transport system with light rail or ferries as a central feature?

Restricting rather than encouraging car ownership, traffic and parking in the CBD can lead to more diverse forms of movement and uptake of public and alternative transport options, as demonstrated in Munich and Zurich.

With its City Deal, and the backing of a can-do State Government, Hobart is poised for a new era of growth and development. However, to ensure the benefits of this growth are evenly distributed we need to ensure our planning strategies conform to the highest standards — and that they’re co-ordinated and integrated rather than piecemeal and ad hoc.

The incoming Hodgman government has a significant public mandate for reshaping Hobart. To do that effectively, it needs to ensure the City Deal is implemented in a coordinated, strategic way. Legislating for a cohesive and overarching Hobart metropolitan plan would be a great start to that process.

Good planning can integrate where we want people to live, our businesses to grow, and what we want our city to look like in 20 years’ time. That’s why the Planning Institute of Australia is calling for a clear settlement strategy — so governments can connect with the planning system to achieve good policy outcomes.

If we are to realise Hobart’s full economic potential without sacrificing any of its charms and attractions, we need to use good planning principles as our touchstone, and to think long-term. Irene Duckett is the Tasmanian president of the Planning Institute of Australia.