One of the wonders of childhood is the capacity of children to imagine new worlds. To paraphrase George Bernard Shaw, they ‘dream of things that never were and ask why not’.
At some point, we have all imagined ourselves flying through space, winning a grand final or donning our invisibility cloak.
But to leave imagination behind at childhood is to lose a cognitive capacity that is vital in our ever-changing world.
In our industry, imagination and creativity are as important as data, skill and expertise. Our cognitive functions allow us to draw together the possible and the seemingly impossible – and solve problems.
In this edition, we look at the future – and anticipate how our industry can prepare for it.
Chris Riddell, a digital futurist who will be speaking at our Green Cities conference in 2017, points to how artificial intelligence will change our homes and the way that we live.
Nick Cleary argues that the burgeoning pressures on our cities point us to reconsider how we might plan for growth in the decades ahead. He argues that fast rail is a solution to the overcrowding of our major cities.
And PAYCE has shown in its award winning East Village development how our future developments will include even more mixed-uses.
Next week, more than 700 people from across the industry will gather for the annual Property Congress. It sold out months ago and I expect it will be a fantastic gathering.
If you aren’t going to be there this year, then follow Congress online or at #propertycongress.
Congress is about taking the time to think, imagine, network and collaborate – this is what helps make our industry a world leader and delivers Australians the innovations that only years ago were unimaginable.