Decline, Regeneration and Constraints: Perespectives on Ipswich City Heart

Abstract

Historically, government imperatives and the vagaries of resource markets strongly influenced settlement patterns in Australia. Often, the urban legacy of these twin forces is sub-optimal, characterised by ugly buildings, strip retail or sprawl. Densification is no panacea. Despite visual blight and flooding, Ipswich in Queensland has grown rapidly in recent years. Cheap land and affordable housing confer commercial advantage but constrain urban refinement. Here, we sketch the backdrop to Ipswich’s cycles of growth, decline and resurgence. Then, within a sustainability framework, we investigate Ipswich City Heart, one of the largest regional development projects in Australia. The project’s first stage, Icon, is an office and retail project, leased to the Queensland Government. It makes a bold statement of confidence in the cities future, underpinned by regional resources. Nevertheless, retrofitting of inhospitable legacy built environments is insufficient. Integrated sustainable development calls for authentic community consultation and sustained cost-effective programs to tackle health, education, skills and public transport deficiencies.