Lessons from abroad

Lessons from abroadHunter members of the Property Council of Australia have just returned from a whirlwind fact-finding mission through North America which saw them cover 38,000 kilometers and inspect 20 urban transformation projects across 4 cities in just 10 days.Their mission was to learn how world-class urban renewal programs had transformed post-industrial land to create more liveable and globally competitive cities.In Chicago, Atlanta and New York, that included community led projects that converted obsolete heavy rail corridors to create amazing linear parks, connect communities in sustainable ways, encourage investment and stimulate demand.NSW Regional Director, Andrew Fletcher, lead the delegation which also met with City officials, community groups and private developers that made those projects happen.”Experiencing world’s best practice first hand – touching it, feeling it and meeting with the people who did it – has provided us with new inspiration.”Neil Petherbridge, General Manager of Northrop Engineers and long standing member of the Hunter Chapter said, “the tour was exceptionally well organised and the access to decision makers was impressive.”But Neil found the most interesting learnings came from understanding the subtle difference between the two countries’ property tax systems.”Wherever you find transformative urban renewal projects, you find a supportive property tax system that assesses on improved value rather than land value.””Their system provides a massive incentive for City officials to promote development and secures a funding source for future initiatives.”Glen Spicer, a Director with Newcastle firm EJE Architecture agreed with Neil, saying “while I was very interested to see great design ideas, I was also keen to understand the process that had been undertaken to achieve them.””The connections the Property Council were able to make with Designers, Town Planners, Developers, and Government Bodies greatly informed the group of all the issues.””The Study Tour was promoted as the professional development opportunity of a life-time. It was all that and more.”For further information, please contact NSW Regional Director, Andrew Fletcher at [email protected].