National Urban Design Protocol

The Federal Government has released the much anticipated urban design protocol for Australian Cities, along with the State of Australian Cities 2011 report, with the aim of encouraging world-class urban design.The State of Australian Cities 2011report rates the performance of the nation’s 18 biggest cities.

It shows that, compared to last year, residents are using less electricity, using public transport more, producing less household waste – and children are staying at home until an older age.

It also identifies a national housing supply shortage of 200,000 new homes.

Creating places for people The Urban Design Protocol, Creating Places for People, is now in its final draft. It addresses consultants and practitioners whose work has an impact on urban design, including planning, development, architecture, landscape architecture, engineering, law and finance.

The Urban Design Protocol is founded on five pillars: prosperity, sustainability, liveability, leadership and design excellence. When integrated together, these pillars form the aim of the Protocol: To create prosperous,sustainable and liveable places for people through leadership and the integration of design excellence. The full report can be downloaded at www.infrastructure.gov.au