About
Suburban Futures
Our Mission:
To promote a better understanding of the important role of the suburban economy in the life of our cities, through shared insights, information and analysis.
Our Vision:
Progressive cities where quality social and economic infrastructure is equitably distributed across both suburban and inner urban locations.
Our Goal:
Equitable quality of life for suburban residents by facilitating greater employment, leisure and retail choices closer to where people live.
Suburban Futures is a not-for-profit collaboration of individuals and organisations established to highlight the critical role that Australia’s suburbs play in the economy, vibrancy and liveability of the nation.
Suburban Futures advocates for more strategic investment in social and economic infrastructure in suburban and regional centres, to support their growth and future opportunity. Despite some stand-out achievements by some notable forward-thinkers in the public and private sectors, the suburbs and regions trail inner city areas in terms of economic development, land use innovation, strategic public policy focus and financial investment in place making and built environment enhancements.
We pursue our agenda by facilitating debate, promoting leading ideas and world-class thinking, funding research and supporting the search for catalytic ideas across key areas including land use and urban planning, architecture and property development, urban revitalisation and suburban renewal.
Australia’s CBDs and inner urban precincts have long benefited from policy focus and financial support, with impressive results. Suburban Futures is putting the voice of suburban centres into this conversation.
We explore not just what is possible, but how to go about it.
Did you know?
Did you know that only a minority of a metro region’s jobs are actually in the CBD or inner city?
In the SEQ region, more than 90% of jobs are outside and CBD and 85% are outside the inner city:
Brisbane CBD 8.5% of SEQ region’s jobs
Brisbane inner city 14% of SEQ region jobs
In the Sydney metro region, 85% of jobs are outside the CBD and nearly 8 in 10 are outside the Sydney inner city region:
Sydney CBD 14.3% of Sydney region jobs
Sydney inner city 22.5% of Sydney region jobs
In the Melbourne metro region, 90% of jobs are outside the CBD and 8 in 10 are outside the inner city:
Melbourne CBD 10.2% of greater Melbourne area jobs
Melbourne inner city 20.5% of greater Melbourne area jobs
Is it true that suburban residents all want to commute into the inner city?
No. Based on the Census and other sources, typically less than 10% of outer suburban residents commute to inner city jobs. Most work within a few suburbs of where they live, and others work locally.
Our Directors
Suburban Futures’ Directors help guide the growth and direction of the organisation.
Director – Cooee Investment Management Pty Ltd, Dircetor Suburban Futures
Director – Desyn Investments Pty Ltd
Independent Director
History
Suburban Futures was formed in Brisbane in 2017 (initially known as the Suburban Alliance) as a discussion group for like-minded people with a passion for the suburbs and their future.
The organisation is now operated by 6 directors and has plans to commenc activities in Victoria and New South Wales.
While the task of raising the profile of Suburban Futures and our advocacy agenda continues across Australia, we have established important and valuable networks globally with other like-minded groups and leading academics and commentators, including Professor June Williamson (architect, author and international expert on suburban retrofitting); Professor Joel Kotkin, internationally-recognised authority on global, economic, political and social trends; and Peter Seamer AM, Honorary Fellow at the School of Global, Urban and Social Studies within the College of Design and Social Context, RMIT.
These people have embraced Suburban Futures as a like-minded cohort of people focused on revitalising, reviving and re-positioning policy focus on the suburbs.
