Urbis

Effective crisis management is crucial for our cities' resilience. The City Leaders Survey reveals that while priorities have shifted since the 2022 Survey, the need for stronger government collaboration remains essential. “City leaders face a significant challenge in crisis management. The current approach tends to be more reactive than proactive, often leaving communities to deal with long-term, complex issues. Leaders need to shift towards stronger regional-level disaster planning and develop a risk reduction investment pipeline, focusing resources on adaptation and preventative measures.” - Poppy Wise, Director, Urbis The survey highlights the importance of a proactive approach to crisis management. This involves conducting vulnerability assessments to better understand risks, investing in early intervention to build community resilience, and protecting vital public assets. Implementing place-based resilience planning and developing multi-sectoral regional resilience plans are also critical. Discover more about the City Leaders Survey findings and recommendations at cityleaderssurvey.com.au #CityLeadersSurvey #CrisisManagement #UrbanResilience #UrbisInsights #cityshaper Brenton Reynolds, Caroline Tomiczek, Clare Brown, Emie Pelchen, James Tuma, Kate Meyrick, Mark Dawson, Nathan Stribley, Poppy Wise, Richard Gibbs

International Day of People with Disability (IDPwD), held on 3 December, is a day to raise awareness, understanding, and acceptance of the 5.5 million Australians with disability. At Urbis, we strive every day to create a diverse workplace and deliver inclusive communities through our work. Join us and learn more at idpwd.com.au #IDPwD #IDPwD2024

New tax reforms set to transform housing market.  After months of debate, the government’s Bills for shared equity and tax reform to unlock investment in Build to Rent (BTR) housing have been passed by parliament. These reforms aim to boost housing construction and affordability through tax concessions and support for low-income first home buyers. Key changes include halving the MIT withholding tax rate on rental income for BTR projects and increasing capital works deductions. Additionally, the government will contribute to home purchases for eligible households, making homeownership more accessible. These reforms are crucial for attracting overseas capital investment and kickstarting more BTR projects, ultimately increasing housing supply and affordability for Australians. Read more here: https://lnkd.in/gqGWTxQE  At Urbis, our BTR experts are ready to guide you through these changes and help you navigate the property investment and development landscape. Reach out to us to learn more. Mark Dawson, Stephen White, Dylan Gray, Billy Rebakis, David Cresp, Chehade Sakr, Paul Riga, Alexandra Lane, Sophy Purton, Sophie Lam, Alex Stuart #BuildToRent #HousingMarket #TaxReform #AffordableHousing  

Short-term decisions and political cycles are the biggest threats to effective city governance. Caroline Tomiczek, Urbis Director and public policy expert, shares her expertise on the critical role of government in shaping equitable and connected urban spaces. Her contributions to the City Leaders Survey emphasise the importance of strong leadership, cross-government collaboration, and community-driven solutions. As Caroline states, "Collaboration across government levels and with industry is essential to solve complex challenges." Discover more about the City Leaders Survey findings and recommendations at cityleaderssurvey.com.au #CityLeadersSurvey #UrbanFuture #HousingAffordability #UrbisInsights #cityshaper Brenton Reynolds, Caroline Tomiczek, Clare Brown, Emie Pelchen, James Tuma, Kate Meyrick, Mark Dawson, Nathan Stribley, Poppy Wise, Richard Gibbs

It is with great sadness that we share news of the sudden passing of our colleague and friend Jonathan Bryant who passed away in his sleep on 27 November 2024. Our deepest sympathies and thoughts are with his partner, family and friends at this tragic time. Urbis honours Jonathan’s incredible legacy and contagious passion for delivering informed, respectful and transformative heritage outcomes for our communities and cities. We celebrate his work that will forever be imprinted on so many important buildings and historic structures that he helped preserve and reimagine.

🚀 Strategic planning is in focus with the addition of two new leaders to our national team! 🚀 Mehra Jafari and Connor Mackenzie join Urbis as Director and Associate Director respectively. Elevating Urbis’ already deep expertise in Strategic Planning, Mehra and Connor bring extensive experience in this space. Our new recruits are eager to drive key priorities like affordable housing and sustainable infrastructure as they work collaboratively with government and industry to expand our strategic planning portfolio. Sarah Horsfield, long-serving Director and Co-Lead of NSW Planning team, believes their combined expertise will strengthen our capabilities and help us solve complex urban problems and deliver great outcomes for our clients, government and communities. Read more: https://lnkd.in/gvMrntsg

Effective urban governance is essential for addressing the complex challenges our cities face. Matt Collins, CEO of the Planning Institute of Australia, highlights this issue: "The challenge is aligning governments both vertically, across state government, and horizontally, between different state governments, to plan more effectively around place outcomes. It's interesting that we still see siloed approaches to delivering in a coordinated fashion, even across different government departments. If we want to be strategic about precincts, we need to find new, joined-up models of governance." The City Leaders Survey underscores the need for cohesive and strategic governance to create sustainable, inclusive urban environments. Discover more about the City Leaders Survey findings at cityleaderssurvey.com.au #CityLeadersSurvey #UrbanFuture #HousingAffordability #UrbisInsights #cityshaper Brenton Reynolds, Caroline Tomiczek, Clare Brown, Emie Pelchen, James Tuma, Kate Meyrick, Mark Dawson, Nathan Stribley, Poppy Wise, Richard Gibbs

Food systems thinking and urban agriculture are crucial to the resilience of our cities, playing a key role in food security, sustainability, city greening initiatives and connecting to Country. Urbis is proud to sponsor Sustain: The Australian Food Network's Urban Agriculture Month alongside Victorian Health Promotion Foundation (VicHealth) this November, connecting local communities across Australia to build social capital, promote health benefits and secure food resources for all. By integrating urban agriculture into planning and development projects, we are committed to helping to create more resilient, self-sufficient and vibrant urban communities. Locally grown produce also helps to reduce our carbon footprint and green our cities. If you’d like to learn more about Urbis’ work in this area, please reach out to the Design Director in your region: VIC – Julie Slifirski NSW – Mark Kuhne QLD – Matthew Franzmann WA – Michael Webb Singapore – Rahul Mittal #UrbanAgriculture #UrbanAgricultureMonth #FoodSecurity #Sustainability #CityGreening

Inequality is a complex, multifaceted challenge that demands targeted, place-based solutions. The 2024 City Leaders Survey has highlighted critical areas of concern; Poppy Wise, Urbis Director and expert in public policy and social impact, shares her expertise to address these findings. The housing crisis is a major driver of urban inequality, impacting access to stable, secure housing and eroding social cohesion. "Addressing social inequality requires a unified approach from the public and private sectors in the provision and distribution of social infrastructure," says Poppy. City leaders must take decisive action to create inclusive, resilient communities. Learn more about the City Leaders Survey and how we can collectively shape the future of our cities: cityleaderssurvey.com.au #CityLeadersSurvey #UrbanFuture #HousingAffordability #UrbisInsights #cityshaper Brenton Reynolds, Caroline Tomiczek, Clare Brown, Emie Pelchen, James Tuma, Kate Meyrick, Mark Dawson, Nathan Stribley, Poppy Wise, Richard Gibbs

Without efficient, well-planned and sustainable transport and traffic solutions, our cities cannot thrive.  Understanding this vital component in shaping our cities, Urbis is excited to announce the expansion of our national transport advisory capability and welcomes Director Karen McNatty to lead our New South Wales team.  Karen will help build upon our solid industry presence alongside Directors Andy Johnston in Queensland and Manesha Ravji in Victoria to ensure the delivery of strategic transport planning, traffic engineering, transport modelling and forecasting, travel demand modelling, feasibility studies and green travel planning across Australia.  Karen brings over 20 years of experience as a transport engineer and planner, advising both private and public sector clients on significant projects including Central Coast Quarter development, John Hunter Health and Innovation Precinct and New Maitland Hospital.  Read on for further news from our national transport advisory team. https://lnkd.in/gwBNvStq