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Download pdf of Fred Hansen's report - Adelaide Thinkers in ...

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Co-operation between government and the private sector is needed to achieve the vision<strong>of</strong> a more walkable, bikeable, liveable and susta<strong>in</strong>able community.• Government is the largest <strong>in</strong>vestor <strong>in</strong> public <strong>in</strong>frastructure and must make those<strong>in</strong>vestments <strong>in</strong> ways that enhance these values.• Government also regulates the types <strong>of</strong> developments that occur and likewise mustensure that it doesn’t thwart these goals, as it so <strong>of</strong>ten has done <strong>in</strong> the past throughsuch tools as exclusionary zon<strong>in</strong>g.• Government provides many <strong>in</strong>centives and dis<strong>in</strong>centives to <strong>in</strong>dividuals and bus<strong>in</strong>essesthrough the use <strong>of</strong> the tax code, and must ensure that the tax code is fully <strong>in</strong>alignment with these goals. Ways must be found to ensure that each project, eachpublic <strong>in</strong>vestment, will encourage other <strong>in</strong>vestments from the private sector to get themaximum ga<strong>in</strong> and achieve these ambitious goals. New tools, new <strong>in</strong>centives, mustbe put <strong>in</strong> place to make this possible.must be made <strong>in</strong> a way that promotes the values, the goals and the susta<strong>in</strong>ability <strong>of</strong>the greater <strong>Adelaide</strong> region. For if this is not done we will clearly have a ‘tragedy <strong>of</strong> thecommons’ 3 .Important as the role played by government is <strong>in</strong> achiev<strong>in</strong>g these goals, the private sectoris a key partner. From the architects who can design excit<strong>in</strong>g and <strong>in</strong>vit<strong>in</strong>g structures, todevelopers who can see their creations <strong>in</strong> a holistic and connected nature, to builders whocan build to the highest standards; all must also share the values and be committed to thegoals. The education effort noted <strong>in</strong> the previous paragraph is just one part <strong>of</strong> mak<strong>in</strong>g thishappen.And at the top <strong>of</strong> the pyramid are the community members themselves. They must takean active and <strong>in</strong>volved role <strong>in</strong> mak<strong>in</strong>g certa<strong>in</strong> that the future <strong>of</strong> <strong>Adelaide</strong> is every bit <strong>of</strong>their bus<strong>in</strong>ess – from where they want to live and work, how they want to get around,how they spend their time, and how they want an <strong>Adelaide</strong> <strong>of</strong> the future to look andfunction for their children and their children’s children.I N T R O D U C T I O NF<strong>in</strong>anc<strong>in</strong>gAn example used throughout the US is tax <strong>in</strong>crement f<strong>in</strong>anc<strong>in</strong>g. This tool freezes propertytax valuations <strong>in</strong> a set geographic area for 15 years. When new <strong>in</strong>vestments are madewhich <strong>in</strong>crease property values, the tax collected on the <strong>in</strong>creased value goes to pay foradditional public <strong>in</strong>vestments <strong>in</strong> the same geographic area. The purpose is to encourageeven more private <strong>in</strong>vestments. At the end <strong>of</strong> 15 years, this special dedication <strong>of</strong> taxrevenue ends and the <strong>in</strong>creased valuation <strong>of</strong> property is returned to the general tax rolls.The logic beh<strong>in</strong>d this approach is that the governmental beneficiaries <strong>of</strong> the current taxrevenue will see no <strong>in</strong>crease if there are not new private <strong>in</strong>vestments that raise propertyvalues. Consequently, for the 15-year period they are not los<strong>in</strong>g any tax revenue. By us<strong>in</strong>gthe additional tax revenue from the ‘<strong>in</strong>crement’, more private <strong>in</strong>vestments are attractedand the area is improved, allow<strong>in</strong>g for even more public <strong>in</strong>vestments. At the end <strong>of</strong> the 15years the exist<strong>in</strong>g government beneficiaries <strong>of</strong> the tax revenue have a major <strong>in</strong>crease basedon the higher property valuation, an <strong>in</strong>crease which would not have occurred but for theimprovements.This <strong>report</strong> conta<strong>in</strong>s a series <strong>of</strong> recommendations and conclusions. It does not aim totransplant another city’s or region’s ideas to the greater <strong>Adelaide</strong> area, but to draw on thebest that other communities have to <strong>of</strong>fer and <strong>in</strong>corporate them <strong>in</strong> a way that is uniquely<strong>Adelaide</strong>an.The recommendations are organised <strong>in</strong> six broad categories, described <strong>in</strong> full <strong>in</strong> thefollow<strong>in</strong>g chapters.Community <strong>in</strong>volvementGovernment must ensure that the community is fully <strong>in</strong>volved <strong>in</strong> all <strong>of</strong> itsdecisions, and that the processes used to reach those decisions are fullytransparent. Government needs to provide the education and outreach necessaryso that the community may know what ambitious plans are be<strong>in</strong>g undertakenand why – what will the result be at the end and how will this improve the wellbe<strong>in</strong>g<strong>of</strong> the community.More is needed than just general education. The planners and designers, the builders andeng<strong>in</strong>eers, the developers, the architects and a host <strong>of</strong> other pr<strong>of</strong>essionals must also beeducated (if they are not already) on how each <strong>of</strong> the hundreds <strong>of</strong> decisions they make<strong>in</strong> their own pr<strong>of</strong>essions is connected to the community as a whole, and those decisions3Garrett Hard<strong>in</strong> ‘The Tragedy <strong>of</strong> the Commons’. Science 162 (1968) 1243-12484 FRED HANSEN: ALL ON BOARDFRED HANSEN: ALL ON BOARD 5

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