Sustainable smart cities conference hears Brisbane will outpace interstate rivals

Brisbane has begun overtaking Sydney and Melbourne as the place to be, but innovation will be vital to managing the expected population and economic boom.

Brisbane has begun overtaking its southern rivals but innovation will be vital to housing and moving its growing population, a “smart’’ cities conference has heard.

The Brisvegas economy was set to grow up to 40 per cent in the coming decade and by a whopping 70 per cent in the next 20 years according to Peter Hyland, director of prominent urban consultancy Urbis.

The population would increase by 1.2m in the coming decade and the Olympics was only 4 per cent of the massive infrastructure spend headed Queensland’s way in the next two decades.

Brisbane also had the country’s highest growth in working-age people, at 7.7 per cent annually, a key driver of the future economy.

Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner, who gave the keynote address to Wednesday’s Smart Cities and Energy Efficiency conference at City Hall, said Brisbane had even been approached about its Metro system by the Brazilian city of Curitiba, considered the world leader in bus transport.

The conference heard Brisbane has a vibrant education and knowledge sector. Picture: David Clark

But the conference was told infrastructure, including housing, that was needed to fuel the huge boom could not happen without major innovations in design and efficiency.

Advances such as factory-built modular housing would be essential, Mr Hyland said.

Luckily, he said Brisbane had the highest density of “innovation hubs’’, at least 140, of any Australian capital, as well as 52 per cent more international students than similar cities.

Artist impression of the National Aquatics Centre at Victoria Park. The conference heard Olympics infrastructure will make up only 4 per cent of expected total infrastructure in coming years. Image: Archipelago Architects

“If anyone says innovation is central to Sydney and Melbourne, ask them to have a look at the figures,’’ he said.

“Brisbane has had the second-fastest growth in venture capital in the last 10 years (when benchmarked against small cities such as) Barcelona, Busan in South Korea, Hamburg, Vancouver, Miami, San Diego, Seattle and Stockholm.

“We have a strong university sector here.

“The 10-year forecast is that our health sector is going to grow by 36 per cent, property construction by 41 per cent, transport and logistics by 43 per cent, advanced manufacturing by 29 per cent and professional services by 50 per cent.

“Those economic sectors are going to lead growth in terms of demand for jobs and demand for materials.’’

Brisbane therefore had to get smarter and better at building houses, new office space and higher density, given the city’s lack of greenfield development sites.

Last year’s inaugural State of the City Report, due to be updated in coming weeks, predicted a “$275bn future’’ for the economy by 2041.