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Aim higher Perth

Ronald ChanSponsored
Ronald Chan, Chief Operations Officer, Finbar Group Limited.
Camera IconRonald Chan, Chief Operations Officer, Finbar Group Limited. Credit: The West Australian.

The City of Perth’s recent change in strategy for a more aspirational residential target of 90,000 is welcome, but it only represents one facet of what an urban metropolis needs to thrive.

Discussions in the media often focus on something to give our city an independent identity such as a cable car, a ferris wheel or something more attuned to “cheque-book” tourism, rather than what could drive innovation or act as a vital organic attractor for the future.

There have been discussions around a city deal tapping into the Federal Government’s city focus, but apart from references to bringing a university campus into the CBD, there is little detail.

A university campus in itself, while it could add another layer of diversity to the city, is not enough as a point of difference. If there was a leading-edge research focus to the campus such as artificial intelligence, big data or sustainable energy – it could be the kind of centre of excellence, which draws people from around the world.

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We currently have, and are looking to develop, important nodes of student accommodation in and around the city, adopting exemplar design to meet future demand, so the infrastructure is there.

But this is not something which happens in isolation. If Perth is to truly diversify through a new campus, businesses needs to engage, employers need to make clear what they need, and entrepreneurs need to be front-and-centre if we are to transform what it means to live and work here.

This is the rulebook used by Mayor Michael Bloomberg in looking to diversify New York through an applied science campus to catalyse investment and innovation.

Our state’s resources have attracted global companies and a highly skilled workforce but as we have seen, the ebb and flow of exploration, discovery, construction and production leads to the kind of economic cycles which can leave your head spinning.

Having important skill sets in energy gives Perth’s workforce a unique edge, as economies around the world look for solutions beyond the status quo.

Our city is embedding smart technology, which can offer insights not only into how we could live better, but how to engage with the rapidly urbanising Asian region, which is grappling with their own enormous growth.

But why settle for just one campus tilted to the sciences? Why not another city campus for the arts to capture and express the creativity needed in a world where an idea can spread globally in a matter of hours.

Infrastructure Australia has earmarked Perth as becoming the third largest city in Australia in the mid-century, but why aim low?

We are investing in our city with Metronet opening up the potential for future connected urban communities, which will allow us to grow more sustainably for decades to come.

Similar to the Google and Amazon – if our city and our platform is to be successful, we need to think as big as our imaginations will let us.

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