SEEDing stimuli projects to spark urban regeneration

Breathing new life into our cities is at the heart of what we do at AECOM and on Thursday 22 March, I had the opportunity to engage over 300 developers and planners from around the world in Melbourne to reflect on the power of strategic urban regeneration to deliver positive urban transformation.

"See the now” was the theme of the Urban Development Institute of Australia (UDIA) National Congress 2018 in Melbourne and it was my honor to open the program for Thursday 22 March. The conference captured the zeitgeist of our times as it allowed the audience of planners and developers to connect with one another and ponder together on the significance of the property industry’s role in integrating technological advancements for the shaping of future cities.

My presentation, entitled “Transformative Urban Regeneration - Unlocking Potentials, Driving Growth”, visited several overseas case studies. While these were diverse in nature – ranging from the world’s longest outdoor covered escalator to a river to a railway – they provided participants with universal lessons to take home for carving a sustainable path.

The Taichung Calligraphy Greenway in Taiwan, the High Line Park in New York, the restored rivers of Cheong Gye Cheon Stream in Seoul, the River of Life in Kuala Lumpur, and the Central-Mid-Levels Escalator and Walkway System in Hong Kong – each demonstrates the urgency in seeding a stimulus and providing a mechanism to give communities the liberty to self-sustain and cities to self-regenerate. Our cities need the S.E.E.D. – Stimulus, Economy, Environment and Development – for them to grow healthily in the face of changing technology.

To me, “See the now” is about envisioning how to make the best use of the resources we have to provide transformative and sustainable outcomes that enhance, holistically, the resiliency, connectivity, productivity and authenticity of our cities. Let us all plant a seed to bloom for this generation, and the next – because we can, and we should.