Final Canberra 2030 Planning Workshop

The ACT Government has scheduled a final free two and a half hour "Time to Talk Workshop" for 16 October 2010, about planning the future of the city of Canberra 2030. The topics for discussion are: Population; Environmental Sustainability; Water; Housing; Getting Around; Land Use and Planning; Liveability and Wellbeing; City Form; Living in the Nation’s Capital; and ‘Who Pays’?

Documents

Also provided are a set of documents on planing in Canberra:

1. Land Use & Planning, 6 September 2010
2. Who Pays, 6 September 2010
3. Getting Around Paper, 6 September 2010
4. Living in the Nations Capital, 6 September 2010
5. City Form Paper, 6 September 2010
6. Population Paper, 6 September 2010
7. Environmental Sustainability Paper, 6 September 2010
8. Housing Paper, 6 September 2010
9. Liveability and Wellbeing paper, 6 September 2010
10. Water Paper, 6 September 2010
11. Canberra in 1990, 25 August 2010

The ACT Government conducted a Canberra 2020 Summit, on 5 April 2008, before the Australia 2020 Summit on 19 and 20 April 2008. I also took part in the previous ACT Government 2020 study in 1993. It is unfortunate that the ACT Government did not present findings of these previous efforts as part of the 2030 study.

Here are some of my contributions to the previous processes:

• Canberra 2020: World Information Capital, for the Canberra 2020 planning process, 6 June 1993
• Centenary of Canberra 2013 Celebration Suggestions, 20 March 2006:
  1. Canberra Electric Highway
  2. eTrain: Canberra Hybrid Fast Train to Sydney Airport
  3. eTram: Canberra Tram
  4. eGov: Canberra Institute for Advanced Government
  5. ePod: Cooperative Environmentally Sustainable Housing for the Disabled
• Submission to the Australia 2020 Summit, Senator Kate Lundy and Tom Worthington, 9 April 2008

The ACT Government appears to have made an effort with a web site for the 2030 process, but this seems to be more of a public relations exercise than one about genuinely consulting the public. It is not clear what the process is intended to produce or how this will be used in the ACT's planning and political processes. Having taken part in two such exercises in the past and seeing no result from the exercise, it seems unlikely that doing this all again a third time will be any more productive.