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‘People yearnto have moreplaces to enjoyin their city andit’s surrounds’4. Planning forhighest qualitydevelopmentThe tremendous work done by previous Thinker in Residence,Professor Laura Lee 6 , and the creation of the Integrated DesignCommission (IDC) as she recommended, has moved the region onthe path to achieving great urban spaces. The focus on the buildingsthemselves and all of their elements, from design to green buildingpractices, will be of utmost importance – to see in an integrated andcomprehensive manner how neighbourhoods function, how eachindividual part of the built environment fits in with all the other parts,how a neighbourhood is connected, both internally and to areasaround it. For all these things and more the IDC has the potential tomove the greater Adelaide area into a more sustainable, attractive andinviting area than it already is.It is vital, however, that the IDC and the newly filled position of StateArchitect be focused on not just the buildings and other infrastructurebut also on the spaces in between. The largest amount of land ownedfor a single purpose in the whole of the greater Adelaide region isthe road network, and the road network must become a focus of theIDC, for developing new roads and/or for re-purposing the existingroad network. In this, the IDC will need to work closely with DTEIon development projects. Responsibilities for road management,however, must remain within DTEI. The primary goal of this repurposingis to take this huge asset and reclaim at least some of it forall citizens, not just those in a vehicle.P L A N N I N G F O R H I G H E S T Q U A L I T Y D E V E L O P M E N TReclaiming the streetsWhen one looks at the recent changes instituted in New York City onecan see the power of reclaiming street space for pedestrian activities.The establishment of an urban oasis in Times Square, one of thebusiest intersections in one of the busiest cities, shows what can bedone. And the fact is that in New York this same approach has beenapplied in many other areas with the same results. People yearn tohave more places to enjoy in their city and its surrounds. AlthoughAdelaide is not on a New York City scale, the underlying approach ofusing this vast road network for pedestrians and bicyclists, not justvehicles, is not only do-able but is of critical importance.6An Intergrated Design Strategy for South Australia - Building the Future, ProfessorLaura Lee, Adelaide Thinker in Residence, 2009-201030 FRED HANSEN: ALL ON BOARDFRED HANSEN: ALL ON BOARD 31