Decisions we make today will determine city’s tomorrow
ARE we the victims of our own success? Do we take a leaf out of Trump’s book and build a wall to stop people moving here? If we don’t, how do we house them, create jobs or get them around a linear city as their vehicles clog the roads?
There are a lot of reasons why people object to encroachment of highrise development in what they see as idyllic neighbourhoods – lifestyle, economic, change and emotional attachment.
On the flip side our city leaders and to some extent, we as a community, have to contend with growth. As a founding and longstanding former member of the Light Rail Business Advisory Group, let me advise you the issue of growth was a significant consideration in the planning and make-up of this project.
The argument has been put that high-density development is the cost of making the light rail a sustainable project, suggesting it was a plot to line the pockets of developers. In fact, the light rail is there to address current and future public transport needs with the added benefit of addressing future growth. It is also a live project that will form the backbone of an integrated system to move people throughout our city.
Some may see the result as the same, but the motivation has been misrepresented.
This is and will continue to be a highly charged emotional debate that will polarise the city. Our councillors are between a rock and a hard place given that they must decide between the expectations of their constituents and addressing future growth.
We all remember the disruption during the light rail construction, the upgrading of our main roads and underground infrastructure around the city, even the current widening of the M1. This is all necessary to deal with growth. Had our previous city elders envisaged what we would become, perhaps this would not be necessary but then the cost at the time would have been prohibitive.
It’s a tough call. Few of us would like to be in the position to have to make it, but those who are, are duty bound to do so.
We have a choice, we can look at the shortcomings of the past and address them in finding realistic and pragmatic solutions or, figuratively speaking, we can build that wall.
Every city that has persevered throughout history was built on the bones of another making effective use of the available land. What we decide today will determine the lifestyle of future generations so factoring in their needs should be part of our decision-making process. If it’s not, they will be presented with the same challenges and turmoil we face today.