Future State has surveyed Australia’s most influential city leaders to produce first-of-its-kind insights into the minds of those who represent us, and the issues keeping them up at night. A temperature test following two of the most challenging years on record.
“We’ve drawn upon experts with over 2,000 years of collective experience to create an in-depth view of the issues that will influence government and industry agendas in the years to come.
Urbis Future State Group Director, James Tuma, said the results act as a measurement for how our cities are performing post COVID-19 and after being faced with a series of extreme weather conditions, climate change related disasters and structural changes to the economy.
“Australia has experienced a great deal of turbulence over the last couple of years, that has fundamentally transformed urban life and created new challenges and opportunities for our cities and those who shape them.”
The survey reveals eight major challenges consistently impacting Australian cities:
1. The impacts of COVID-19
2. Crisis Management
3. Climate change and sustainable development
4. Economic growth and competitiveness
5. Technological disruption
6. Population and demographic changes
7. Inequality
8. Urban governance
Our report delves into the challenges and opportunities that exist and priorities for future action – from maintaining economic growth and competitiveness to addressing inequality and demographic challenges, to tackling climate change and the impacts of COVID-19 – and argues that decisive and collaborative action is required.
“The time to act is now – and the good news is that Australia’s cities have the ingredients they need to generate sustainable prosperity for its inhabitants. However, creating real and meaningful change demands new ways of thinking, and will be limited without bold and decisive action from those who lead.
“When planning our cities, we tend to look at past trends, but this report is about moving past COVID-19 to create a forward-looking view that addresses the biggest issues in our society and adapting to the uncertainty that the future brings”, said Future State Group Director, James Tuma.
“Australia is a diverse country – geographically, demographically and economically – and there are certainly capability gaps when it comes to tackling these issues. Each of our cities will need to adopt a tailored approach to address these challenges.
“That being said, none of the issues highlighted by the report exist in silos, and if we’re serious about meaningful change, we need to collaborate across state borders, and across sectors, including public and private sector, and multiple players of government.
The City Leaders Report is intended as a barometer of sentiment and will be repeated on a biennial basis.
To download the full report, visit: https://cityleaderssurvey.urbis.com.au/