City needs a visionary to reimagine bold future
THEY say that change is the only constant in life, but not since the war has the world been up-ended to the extent of the last six months.
Back in January, when word first started seeping out of a dangerous new virus in China, few would have imagined we would be where we are today.
Early hopes that COVID-19 could be contained, dispatched, in a few short weeks, have long since faded. This dratted thing will be with us for a long time yet.
The challenge now is to consider how we reshape our city so the great pandemic is not followed by a great depression. And here, at least, there is enormous potential for the Gold Coast.
The same attributes that powered our tourism industry in the pre-COVID world can power our revival after it.
In an era where an outdoors lifestyle and a short commute will be prized more than ever, businesses of all stripes should be lining up to come here.
Former Premiers Peter Beattie and Campbell
Newman made a timely intervention at the weekend to argue the State Government should develop an ambitious blueprint for prosperity.
Mayor Tom Tate also spies an opportunity, promoting our city as a safe haven for movie makers.
But we can be more ambitious. We should be pushing hard – with a mix of tax incentives, deregulation and infrastructure – to attract businesses of all kinds.
IT firms, with their obvious ability to operate where they wish, should be top of the list. We have talked about it before but there is every reason the Gold Coast, with so many similarities to California, could be the Silicon Valley of the southern hemisphere.
If we have the vision, if we supersize our ideas, we can do it. The Health and Knowledge Precinct in Southport is a step in the right direction, but a tiny one. The State Government, just as it has done to attract movie giants, should be doing all it can to draw the tech giants to Queensland.
Look at Ireland, with a population similar to the
Sunshine State’s. Despite no natural resources, it has the world’s sixth largest GDP per capita. Why? Because it is also home of the European arms of Facebook, Apple, Google and the rest, drawn in by strong incentives.
The spin-off benefits are enormous. Entice a big company and many smaller ones follow.
We should be looking to do something similar here. Out of the horrors of COVID-19, this golden opportunity is emerging before us.
The traditional model of companies being grouped together in large CBDs, with workers commuting from far and wide, has been smashed. Companies and their staff will be looking for alternatives. Queensland, and the Gold Coast, can benefit.
We’ll benefit even more, locally, if we adapt our planning choices. The concept of the 20-minute city promoted by respected commentators like Bernard Salt, where schools, work or home, are never any more than 20 minutes drive away, is more important than ever in a world where few wish to spend an hour on a train with spluttering strangers.
If we adopt this strategy, and focus on clustering businesses in a small number of well-connected main centres on the Gold Coast, we will make our city an even more attractive place to live.
That would involve some compromises. We won’t achieve this level of liveability by building high-rises with limited parking. It gives this columnist no pleasure to say it, but given the problem of social distancing, public transport may fall decisively out of favour, so can no longer be expected to carry the load.
In many countries, buses and trains are running at only 50 per cent capacity in order to keep people spaced apart. It implies an effective doubling of the cost of public transport.
Travel by road, unexpectedly, could be back in vogue, and how we plan and invest should reflect that.
It may be the case that we need to think less about rail, and instead fast-track projects like the Coomera Connector, the plans for which are excellent.
Fast-tracking infrastructure projects was also on the list for former Premiers Beattie and Newman. One can argue about their respective records while in office. Mr Newman in particular scuffed his chance.
But they are right about the need to plan for economic recovery. The current Premier has been curtly dismissive of such talk, while the insipid opposition leadership does little to inspire confidence.
But someone needs to step forward. To show some vision.
Our world has changed utterly. It will never be quite the same.
But for this city, amid the rubble, there is, once more, opportunity. How we ultimately write the history of COVID-19 on the Gold Coast may depend on how well we seize that chance.