Golden Age: Gold Coast identity needs work to move city ahead

THE Gold Coast is in the midst of an identity crisis which it needs to shake off if it is to continue towards becoming a global city, a new report into its future reveals.

THE Gold Coast needs to shake off its identity crisis and present a unified, single vision to the world, a leading urban planner says.

From the Las Vegas of Australia, to a tourism capital, to a sporting event mecca, no exclusive vision for the Gold Coast exists — and Urbis associate director Martin Garred says it is a problem holding us back.

Mr Garred who co-authored a report into the future of the city called Great Ideas by the Young Professionals Gold Coast said the place was bursting with business potential.

But it needed to forget any effort to replicate the vision of others and instead play to its strengths — if it wanted to secure the workforce of tomorrow.

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The Gold Coast lacks a consistent vision according to some experts. Pic by Richard Gosling

“Go see the way the city is portrayed around the world, there is no one clear or consistent vision. The council’s vision is different to the State Government’s or other agencies, no-one has a total buy in as to what the city is,” he said.

“Sometimes there is too much focus on us being a capital city. Instead of trying to become a Northern Sydney or Melbourne, let’s embrace what makes the Gold Coast an attractive place to work — that is the lifestyle,” he said.

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The Gold Coast lifestyle is a major drawcard to entice people to live and work here. The Broadwater. Pic by Richard Gosling

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The urban planner says successful businesses of the next decade should be able to function from anywhere, leading businesses to gravitate towards the best employees.

“If businesses in the future can operate from anywhere instead of a main city hub, why wouldn’t they consider the place that offers the best lifestyle for their staff?” Mr Garred said.

“The Gold Coast should be at the top of their list for that reason,” Mr Garred said.

“Maybe we should stop trying to pitch the Gold Coast as a new capital and instead as the right place to ensure employee retention,” he said.

Want this lifestyle? Then the Coast is the place to be. Photo: Queensland Tourism

Mr Garred said Urbis itself which has offices in capital cities across the country served as an example of how the Gold Coast can lure a workforce to build a business from the ground up.

“When we began here it started as one person in a co-space, but more staff joined.

“We have people come up from Sydney and Melbourne to work out of the office saying ‘Man I am working in the wrong place’,” he said.

As the nature of workplaces diversify on the Gold Coast, so would its economy predicted Mr Garred.

“I think the outlook here is really positive, but there is always too much attention on the construction industry, like people worrying about the number of cranes on the horizon — it is an important industry but not be all and end all,” Mr Garred said.

“If you drill into it, there are brilliant universities here driving the education sector, they are acting as a multiplier for our other industries,” he said.

“Universities themselves cluster their precincts, development and training organisations set up around them, other businesses follow — they are going on to drive the medical industry here on the Gold Coast.

Even actor Chris Lilley likes our universities! Here is filming his latest untitled Netflix project at Bond University: Picture: Nathan Richter.

“Our universities have an ability that we haven’t got, which is to draw people and develop them into an educated workforce on site. Once those people leave our universities, it is up to us as a city to work together on retaining them here,” he said.