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A question of scale
29 August 2009
Reading the latest South East Queensland Regional Plan again recently, I was struck by the interplay of ‘region’ and ‘community’. It was more important this time because I had just read Richard Florida’s latest book ‘Who’s Your City’.
It is quite clear that the State Government’s ‘Plan’ sees South East Queensland as the ‘region’ despite the listing of regional or city councils across Queensland. Reference to areas like the Sunshine Coast are really conceived of as ‘communities’.
My reading of this community’s views, however, suggest that residents want recognition of the Sunshine Coast as a distinct ‘region’. They have also indicated in so many ways how their economic, environmental and lifestyle interests need to be enhanced as the development of South East Queensland as a whole continues.
These emphases held by the State on the one hand and the Coast community on the other, are different and could lead to different outcomes.
The State’s ‘Plan’ acknowledges the significance of scale and allows for large-scale and long-term planning, where Brisbane infrastructure, as the capital, receives huge infrastructure provision. However, Coast residents have only limited access to these transport systems, major public theatres, galleries, boutique cinemas and so on, 1½ hours to 2 hours away.
Residents here want jobs, education, health and transport provided within this region. On this front there is only painstakingly slow progress.
Coastal communities accentuate the local, the South East Queensland Plan accentuates the mega-region.
But the mega-region of South East Queensland does not even come close to being listed as one of the world’s top two dozen regions that Richard Florida claims are growing rapidly, attracting investment, entrepreneurs, dominating production and advancing a certain quality of life that increasing numbers of people seek.
No Australian region, not even greater Sydney can reach the top list of Florida’s magnetic mega-regions.
He claims that those regions not classified as ‘mega’ will continue to languish and lifestyle will be diminished.
The value clashes, therefore, of communities wanting more local consideration, as against the need to secure lifestyle through being economically competitive on the world stage is an interesting dilemma.
The same dilemma faces the University sector: small, local campuses are increasingly expensive and unviable; large universities are becoming huge international businesses.
Where is the line drawn between balancing local responsiveness and human scale on the one hand, and being internationally competitive on the other?
Professor Paul Thomas AM is Vice-Chancellor and President at the University of the Sunshine Coast.