PlanTech Media Release
Planning Technology Key to Building Climate Resilience: PlanTech reports
For Immediate Release
FrontierSI, April 2024
MELBOURNE, SYDNEY – AUSTRALIA: Leading planning and geospatial figures are calling for a coordinated approach to digitising and streamlining Australia’s urban planning systems.
The PlanTech Partnership led by FrontierSI with the Planning Institute of Australia, University of NSW and RMIT University has today released two white papers on the transformative role of technology in improving the planning system and fortifying Australia’s path towards a climate-resilient future.
The papers make a strong case for change, coordination, and investment, and well as detailing specific opportunities for using planning to achieve climate resilience in Australia.
Matt Collins, CEO of PIA, said planning technology will play a critical role in achieving climate resilience in Australia but taking full advantage of it requires national coordination.
“Land use planning plays a critical role in tackling major issues facing Australia, including climate resilience, housing affordability, the delivery of major infrastructure programs, and community safety and wellbeing,” he said.
“To make meaningful change in these issues, we need to continue to evolve the planning systems and professionals across Australia, and ensure that technology supports, rather than competes, with these professionals.”
The PlanTech Partnership is now actively seeking new members to help drive true change in housing, environment, and community outcomes through improved planning technology.
Professor Chris Pettit, Director of the City Futures Research Centre at UNSW said
“The planning sector is undergoing digital transformation using a suite of solutions commonly known as PlanTech. PlanTech leverages digital technologies, advanced analytics, and collaboration platforms to revolutionise how urban planners can address pressing issues across Australia. This includes making our cities and regions more climate resilient through better data and technology-assisted planning”.
The two white papers released today cover the barriers and opportunities for a coordinated, national approach to PlanTech to enable system-wide transformation, impacting each of the critical initiatives above. They provide a detailed dive into the opportunities PlanTech offers for both the proactive and defence elements of climate resilience.
Phil Delaney, Deputy CEO at FrontierSI said people often think only of the ability of land use planning to minimise risks in the defence against a changing climate, such as not building houses in riverine or coastal flooding areas.
“However, planning can play just as important a role in proactively enabling a climate-positive future,” he said.
Professor Jago Dodson Director of RMIT University’s Urban Futures Enabling Impact Platform, said the critical opportunities were being missed and that it was time for governments, planners, insurance companies, and technology developers to work and invest together in evolving the planning system into one that best supports Australia’s goals and challenges, underpinned by world-class data and technology.
“A strong planning system, underpinned and improved by high-quality collaborative research, is the only way to further improve future outcomes in Australia,” he said. “We look forward to working with both the planning and technology sectors to make a real difference.”
More information about the PlanTech Partnership and the two whitepapers can be found at www.plantech.org.au.
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About FrontierSI
FrontierSI has a strong record of delivering spatial information services throughout Australia, New Zealand and around the world. We harness the transformative power of collaboration and robust networks to curate top-tier teams dedicated to effective problem-solving. As a trailblazing social enterprise, we focus our deep spatial expertise on developing and implementing solutions using positioning and geodesy, spatial data management and data analytics. | https://frontiersi.com.au
About PIA
Planning Institute of Australia (PIA) is the national body representing planning and the planning profession. Through education, communication and professional development, PIA is the pivotal organisation serving and guiding thousands of planning professionals in their role of creating better communities.
About RMIT
RMIT is an international university of technology, design and enterprise with more than 90,000 students and over 11,000 staff globally. We empower people and communities to adapt and thrive across generations, with education, research and civic engagement that are applied, inclusive and impactful.
About UNSW
The University of New South Wales is a public research university ranked 2nd in Australia and 27th in the world for Graduate Employability.
Contact Information
Media contact: FrontierSI Communications Manager, Veronica Perera, frontiersimedia@frontiersi.com.au
