Five years of rate-free living, Australia’s fastest internet and incentives for international students are among the smart strategies drawing residents to centre of Adelaide. Local Future Directions members unpack the possibilities.
Adelaide is riding high on buoyant business and property confidence, infrastructure investment, smart city projects and commercial property sales that nudged the $1 billion mark in 2018.
The city’s latest crane count stands at 10, and the skyline is being reshaped by dynamic projects, from the Adelaide Casino expansion to the world’s tallest student-only residential tower.
As the city morphs to meet the needs of the metropolitan century, more residents are rethinking their flight to the suburbs.
“Adelaide residents have long held onto the Australian dream of owning a house with a yard, and the old clothes hoist to boot,” says Laura Haywood, an associate with Woods Bagot (pictured right).
“But times are changing, and we can’t continue to sprawl further and further from our city centre as our population grows. And why would we want to?”
The city’s amenity is certainly appealing. Adelaide’s CBD boasts more than 760 hectares of green open space, the legacy of architect Colonel William Light’s vision to create “healthful recreation” in Adelaide.
“Living in the city provides amenity on your doorstep, from rooftop restaurants and laneway bars, to the Adelaide Central Market, Festival Theatre to cricket or football at the Adelaide Oval,” explains Sally Gee, a structural engineer with Aurecon.
City residents have access to state-of-the-art public facilities: galleries, museums, a booming medical precinct, world-class universities, the New Royal Adelaide Hospital and the soon-to-be-completed Calvary Hospital among them.
“All of these places can be accessed within a 20-minute walk from home, a quick hop on the tram or bus, or even a sneaky scooter ride,” Gee says.
“Living in the city can give you upwards of 10 hours a week back, as your travel time to work is reduced to a short walk,” Haywood adds.
“City dwellers also save precious time that would otherwise be spent on the upkeep of a large house and backyard. In Adelaide you have access to the biggest backyard in the city and you don’t even have to mow the lawn!”
A smart city gathers speed
Adelaide’s city population has oscillated over the years. In 1915, the city’s population peaked at 43,000 people, but by the early 1980s citizens retreated to the suburbs and just 13,000 people called Adelaide home. Today, the city of churches accommodates around 25,000 inner-city denizens.
And this population is on the up and up, says Savills Australia executive Zandra McGee, as smart city projects gather speed.
By the end of this month, 400 buildings will be hooked up to Adelaide’s high-speed, high-performance fibre optic data network as part of Ten Gigabit Adelaide. The network, which will encompass 700 buildings by the year’s end and 1,000 buildings by July 2020, will enable businesses to share and receive high volumes of data at 10Gbps data speeds.
McGee (pictured left) says the network, a joint venture between TPG and the City of Adelaide, will unleash new possibilities for businesses and offer greater download speeds for city dwellers “as many nodes are now being freed up for residential NBN lines”.
“Student accommodation towers and hotel-style accommodation will also have access to the 10Gig network,” McGee adds.
Students are also flocking to the centre of Adelaide, as the city’s four universities attract more than 72,000 full-time students. International education – both tertiary and through the growing vocational industry – is a key contributor to the state’s economy. The sector generated more than $1.6 billion in 2018, growing by 13.6 per cent in the year to March, according to research from Savills Australia.
Study Adelaide has supported student growth in the city, fuelling investment in student accommodation like the Woods Bagot-designed 38-storey tower at 29 Twin Street.
Attracting the young and young-at-heart
Incentives are also luring both the young and young-at-heart to the city. Off-the-plan apartments purchased between 1 July 2017 and 30 June 2019 may be eligible for the City of Adelaide’s Free Rates for Five Years owner-occupier rebate. “And developers are adding further incentives, like ‘no bills for the first two years’,” Haywood explains.
In June, the City of Adelaide announced incentives to encourage building owners and entrepreneurs to harness the power of shared solar and electric vehicles. The City will provide a range of rebates to help building owners to co-invest in solar systems and share the electricity that is generated. The City also hopes to incentivise car park operators to work with electric vehicle fleets.
Adelaide City Council’s Designed for Life strategy is teasing out the unique character of each neighbourhood within the city, says Haywood. “Each neighbourhood has its own distinct look and feel, which is becoming known around the country.”
Meanwhile, Adelaide City Council’s vision for the world’s first carbon neutral city is also powering ahead. The pathways to carbon neutrality include energy efficient buildings, zero emissions transport and an ambitious 100% renewable energy target.
Elon Musk’s battery captured global headlines, and Gee says Adelaide’s carbon neutral mission will “attract like-minded residents and put Adelaide on the global map”.
A model city for the metropolitan century
Adelaide’s evolution is not without its challenges. A shortage of childcare places, inner city pub and cafés that shut their doors on the weekends and a lack of street lighting between the city fringe and the parkland are all on the Future Directions committee radar.
“More walkable pathways through the city would enhance health, wellbeing and safety, and these spaces could also be used for community gardens or create a canvas for local artists,” says Haywood.
“We also need to encourage more bikes in the city,” Gee (pictured right) adds. “Wider bike lanes, greater access to secure bike parking and lowering speed limits in the city to make the roads safer for cyclists all play a role.”
Other ideas include dedicated bus lines during peak hour on main bus routes to ease congestion and visitor parking in new developments to reduce demand for on-street parking.
“With thoughtful planning, higher density living can offer greater amenity, strengthen the community, enhance safety, and encourage new businesses to grow,” says McGee.
“Around the world, people are thriving in cities, and the City of Adelaide has so much to offer it can become a model city for the metropolitan century.”
The Property Council’s Future Directions committees in each state and territory support young professionals to work together, build a network and develop their career. Future Directions events are held across Australia. Find your next event.