Nearly half of Australia’s 25 million people live in either Sydney or Melbourne. Sustainable growth, productivity and liveability will increasingly need to come from outside the major metropolitan centres.
Second cities are drawing greater attention nationally and globally. They already host a significant proportion of the world’s people and economic activity.
Second cities are the focus of a unique international symposium: Second Cities: Smaller and Smarter. In Newcastle Australia on 29-31 October, the symposium will highlight national and international best practices. It will bring together experts and leading practitioners in industry, government, academia and the community to share their insights on the future of second cities.
Symposium host and Hunter Business Leader of the Year 2018, Kyle Loades said the time was right to debate and explore the role and contribution of second cities to the nation’s economic and social prosperity.
“Major metropolitan centres are continuing to thrive economically. However, residents and businesses face increasing congestion, challenging access to jobs and services, and reduced housing affordability,” Kyle said.
“With the right policy settings and economic drivers, Australia’s second cities offer an opportunity to ease the pressures faced by our major metropolitan counterparts.”
Second cities typically accommodate between 50,000 and 1 million residents. Many have undergone a planned economic transformation and are contributing significantly to the national economy.
“Drawing on local, national and global expertise, the symposium will provide a forum for analysing, debating and informing thinking. We need to look at the best ways to build the resilience, sustainability and liveability in second cities,” Kyle said.
“With input and insight from delegates, the symposium will deliver an action plan for Newcastle and other second cities.”
The Second Cities: Smaller and Smarter Symposium is being coordinated by the University of Newcastle’s Hunter Research Foundation Centre. The centre is working in partnership with Hunter Water, AECOM and the Hunter Development Corporation.