Navigating Urban Change: A Call to Action

Brisbane is Australia’s third largest city, and while its footprint (15,826 km2) is much bigger than London (1,572 km2) it only has around one-quarter of the population (Brisbane 2.2m people, London 9.3m people). 

While Brisbane is not aiming to be London it is a statistic that highlights differences in impact and experience.

The dominance of detached housing and limited public transport in Brisbane presents substantial challenges for the city's future. It all adds up to the loss of valuable farmland and green space, isolated communities, increasing public infrastructure costs, and reduced economic participation.

And Brisbane is far from the only Australian city facing these challenges. Over the next two decades, Australia is set to experience a profound change in its urban environment due to population increase, economic shifts, climate change goals, and urban equity issues. The challenge lies in managing these changes effectively, a responsibility that falls largely on urban planners and other built environment specialists.

The dominance of detached housing in Brisbane presents substantial challenges for the city's future.

Many are advocating for urban consolidation — promoting medium-density housing in areas well-serviced by jobs, education, public transport, and services. This approach aims to balance the needs of a growing population with environmental sustainability and urban equity. However, community sentiment and political dynamics often hinder this progression, with opposition rooted in fear or dissatisfaction with change.

Developers and planners, understandably frustrated by project delays and the rising costs that come with them, often label this opposition as 'NIMBYism' (Not In My Back Yard). However, this blame game does not address the underlying systemic failure in planning and leading urban and community change.

The recent election highlighted the Australian community's deep-seated concerns for equality, environmental sustainability, lifestyle, and economic opportunity. Yet, many remain unaware of how the urban environment exacerbates or mitigates these issues.

At StudioTHI, we aim to rectify this knowledge gap and apply change management strategies to the major shifts cities need to undertake. We invest time in understanding the technical changes required, but we believe equal importance should be placed on the cultural, or subjective, changes necessary. As Peter Drucker’s famous quote goes, "culture eats strategy for breakfast".

40% shift in support for urban change

Our pilot projects in four Local Government Areas (LGAs) have revealed a low level of awareness about the need for urban change. However, once communities were educated about the issues, potential solutions, challenges, and benefits, we saw a 40% increase in support for urban consolidation.

The key lies in change management and understanding the different perspectives within the city. People are intelligent, capable of understanding these complex issues, and it's our responsibility to guide them through this process. Change may be uncomfortable, but it's more manageable if we understand the reasons, challenges, and potential benefits.

In the property sector, developers aren't just selling homes; they're selling community, opportunity, and well-being. Delivering poor outcomes or leaving communities in conflict increases future risk and tarnishes the developer's reputation.

Instead, if we help communities understand change and deliver attractive outcomes, we create value and mitigate future project risks. The development sector needs to approach this carefully, as communities are already wary of developers.

The solution? Enhance the capacity of all stakeholders — elected officials, developers, planners, and the community — to lead change. Accept that change in practice is necessary, then develop the processes and tools to steer it effectively.

Ethical change management may not be simple, but it's well-researched and absolutely essential for a sustainable urban future. Importantly, the sector has the ability to learn and apply this discipline to the urban system.