Towards 2050 is a podcast series that explores the critical role of social infrastructure in Australia – as our nation grows in size and everyone’s daily needs rapidly change in line with the ageing of our population.

This podcast explores our country’s need to develop new social infrastructure over the next 25 years and will chart a roadmap for delivering it. In the first episode of the series, Alison Holloway from SGS Economics & Planning and Esther Kerr from Australian Unity, join Australian Unity’s host Ryan Banting to discuss the demographic transformation of Australia’s population and what types of social and community infrastructure we’ll need to build over the next two decades to keep up with demand.

Ryan also talks to Alison and Esther about:
– Who is responsible for the development of Australia’s community and social infrastructure
– How can local, state and federal governments better work together to deliver community benefits
– The importance of precincts and clustering community infrastructure
– Why we can’t build hospitals or aged care or childcare properties in isolation
– Why the answer to the housing crisis is not building more housing in the outer fringes without supporting infrastructure and amenity
– What successful social infrastructure projects look like and why long-term investment and involvement is the secret

Key quotes

Esther Kerr: “People need places to connect and ways to connect and ways to receive care and services not necessarily in the old school buildings that we are all used to.”

Alison Holloway: "It’s a big problem providing the services our communities need in rural and regional Australia and these are the populations we are seeing ageing faster.”

Show notes

About Australian Unity’s Herston Quarter Redevelopment (https://www.australianunity.com.au/herston-quarter)

www.australianunity.com.au


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