We would like to share another UQ Alumni Reflection, for UQ OOPS Connect Magazine with you. Gabrielle Toohey is our young and talented Planner. She inspires us with her passion for a 'better world' and her courage to follow her dreams. "What I am possibly most appreciative of, is the fundamental inspiration studying BRTP has given me," says Gabrielle. Click on the title to read more.
It was great to collaborate with UQ OOPS again on creation of their 3rd Issue of Connect Newsletter. In celebration of 50 years of the Bachelor of Regional Town Planning (BRTP) at the University of Queensland, the OOPS (UQ Organisation of Planning Students) Team collated a special issue dedicated to remembering this history. In the BRTP Alumni Reflections our Executive Director, Andrew Crawford and Senior Planner, Kimberley White share their stories from their university days to now. Click on the title to read more.
Boyana Popvassilev, the latest addition to our Sustainability and Environment team at Wolter Consulting Group, truly believes that there is ‘no greater sin than inaction’ as she lives and breathes her passion for sustainability and circular economy, where no initiative is too small for great positive changes ahead. As we mark World Population Day 2020, we’d like to welcome Boyana to our team and share her story with you: (click on the title to read)
Brisbane City Council has announced a new initiative to encourage well designed, green and energy-efficient residential buildings. Here at WCG, we are very excited about it. Whilst Council’s announcement applies to residential buildings only, there is enormous opportunity to expand the initiative, and hopefully other Councils will follow suit. Our Sustainability, Circular Economy and Environment Team has considerable project experience in these key policy areas, and we understand the importance of project economics. We work closely with our design colleagues to maximise sustainability outcomes within a commercial mindset. Please do not hesitate to contact us to discuss this initiative and future opportunities.
Enter 2020, which has brought a number of challenges, with the recent COVID-19 pandemic and the subsequent lockdown placing even more pressure on our open space network, requiring us to ask the question: “Are we delivering communities that are robust and able to adapt to our quickly changing world?” A number of these questions had already been raised in the latest draft of IPWEAQ’s (Institute of Public Works Engineering Australasia, Queensland) “Street Design Manual - Walkable Communities". It questions our current delivery model and its limited approach to park types and recreational opportunities, suggesting alternatives that are more efficient, offer better utilisation of land and reduce costs whilst meeting community expectations. Click on the title to read more.
The unprecedented disruption to our lives caused by Covid-19 and the accompanying physical distancing restrictions introduced to stop its spread has changed many aspects of our lives. Entrenched aspects of our lives we previously would have considered to be unchangeable. We joined The Urban Developer’s residential summit last week to discuss sustainability and residential housing in general, with six key themes emerging, well summed up in David Uhlmann‘s article here. Click on the title to read more.
Here at WCG, whilst its very much business as usual, we have been taking a leadership role in advocating for Government led action to support the property and development industry and underpin post-COVID economic recovery. In addition to our key roles on numerous industry association committees, we have been working directly with our colleagues in local government to encourage new initiatives. We recently wrote to the Council of Mayors (SEQ) presenting a range of ideas for consideration and discussion at their Board meeting. Click on the title to read more.
When it comes to delivering great cities, as planners we have the knowledge to be opinion leaders and trusted advisors on all fronts - developer, government and the community. We know that ‘great cities are no accident.’ Yet, we continue to see existing and even new housing policies that trigger urban sprawl and make housing a major contributor to inequality. Housing costs continue to escalate, homelessness is rising, and young generations and families are forced to choose where they live based on nothing but the price. We need to speak louder!
We are pleased to have achieved the approval for Coil Steels Qld’s new coil steel service centre in Brisbane’s Wacol industrial precinct. This is fantastic news for the continuing growth of the established industrial estate and for Brisbane’s Major Industrial Areas. The new purpose-built 13,500m2 facility will stock and process coil steels weighing up to 15 tonnes on two main production lines. Congratulations to the entire project team, including EMKC in securing the approval for this project.
Today, as we mark the 50th Anniversary of Earth Day, celebrated in nearly 200 countries to demonstrate support for environmental protection, let’s talk about what we as an industry can deliver in terms of long term positive impact on the environment. “We all know the fraught politics around climate change—but there has arguably been less talk about the second part: biodiversity loss, perhaps because the numbers are less easy to deny,” says David Uhlmann, Director of Environment and Sustainability at Wolter Consulting Group in his recent article published on the Urban Developer. Click on the title to read more.