A BETTER APPROACH TO SUSTAINABLE PLACES
Full report can be viewed and downloaded below
In 2020 we released a series of articles under the banner ‘A Better Approach to Affordable Workspace’ with our friends at PRD. It set out our combined thoughts on how affordable workspace policy should evolve and public sector assets could be used more effectively to support residents, enterprise and vibrant neighbourhoods. Since then we’ve loved putting those ideas into practise with great clients and projects around the country.
Nearly 4 years on we’re tackling another subject with our ‘A Better Approach to Sustainable Places’ series.
We are living in a time characterised by a crisis in funding and resources, for local government and the costs of living. At this challenging time, we need to double down in our efforts to harness sustainability as a key driver of social, environmental and economic opportunities that will lead to better quality places, better public health outcomes and a more inclusive economy. In this series of articles, we:
Make the case for retrofit as a quality of life issue and economic opportunity as well as an environmental imperative.
Explore how ‘Local’ Carbon Offsets Funds could be a new source of funding for Councils to deliver their climate action plans.
Set out how the Brisbane 2032 Olympics could adopt a more locally-focused, regenerative approach that creates a balance between grassroots and large-scale projects.
Explain why new language is needed to effectively articulate our ambitions for change as we transition to a new economy grounded in better local insights, focused on addressing inequality, and committed to tackling the climate crisis.
The long form articles on the Brisbane Olympics and Local Carbon Offset Funds can read via the links below
Victoria’s recent decision to ‘hand back’ the hosting of the 2026 Commonwealth Games raises the question of whether hosting a major sporting event is value for money and what kind of legacy it delivers for the community. What might a different approach to hosting an event of this scale look like?
With Brisbane set to host the 2032 Olympics, we believe Brisbane has the opportunity to deliver a more locally focused, regenerative approach to hosting. One which is arguably more impactful and less risky than approaches from the past. The games also provide an opportunity to have a broader discussion about the city, its neighbourhoods and its future.
Brisbane’s economic story to date is predominately growth-first; going big, with large physical city-shaping projects such as Queens Wharf and Howard Smith Wharves. The games offer an opportunity to create a balance between the grassroots and the ‘big’ delivering a more persistent and sustainable legacy for the city.
Brisbane can learn a lot from London’s experience over the last 20 years. By adopting a more inclusive economy approach from the outset, London has shown a route map to improved prosperity for residents, better environmental outcomes, and greater innovation and productivity for local businesses.
Drawing on the lessons from London we’ve identified five practical priorities for how Brisbane could convene the greenest, fairest, most inclusive and regenerative games in history.
Carbon offsetting is facing a pivotal moment, with many of the schemes attached to the ‘voluntary’ offsets market being shown to offer limited benefits and regulation.
Why do UK based corporations and institutions spend millions on carbon offsets in overseas projects that can sometimes do more harm than good?
Local Government should make a play for this funding and use it to deliver large scale retrofit programmes, air quality measures to improve public health, net zero training and community based environmental projects. Localising the funding and impact will produce better oversight and governance and help engineer behavioural change from businesses, government and residents.
The two best things about this approach are that 1.) the infrastructure to do this often already exists as Councils have set up Carbon Offset Funds to redistribute development contributions, and 2.) corporations and institutions have already got the funds allocated within their existing budgets. They would just need to have the confidence to transfer from a broken system mired in bad press, to an alternative that could see them support the communities in which they do their business enabling a new, collaborative and localised response to the climate crisis.
If local government can make the case for investment for funds currently flowing through the voluntary carbon offset market it would put a rocket under Councils’ ability to deliver their own Net Zero commitments.