A few weeks ago The Advertiser asked a number of Adelade business Leaders what they saw as the big issues in the upcoming Adelaide City Council Elections.
I decided to write my answers given I am a Candidate for Council and I preceded my answers with my recommendation for a Smart Cities Advisory Board to assist the Council with planning for the future. As detailed here https://rick3414.wixsite.com/website-1/blog/smart-city-advisory-panel
Jodie van Deventer
Chief Executive Officer at Committee for Adelaide
Growing our population etc , Innovation is in our DNA - attracting and supporting Entrepreneurs etc
Yes. We must grow our population to sustain our future. We are one of very few if any major cities (population of 1 million plus) living in the shadow of two mega cities Melbourne and Sydney and as such don't have near markets to supply so we must build our own soon.
Yes Innovation was in our DNA as a walk along North Tce to take in our history shows but recently it has been stifled and smothered. But it’s coming back and we as a community not just Government and Council need to support it (eg Seed Capital funding)
I will be strongly recommending that ACC becomes and early adopter, customer and advocate of “products/ideas” etc coming out of places like’s Uni of Adelaide’s ThincLab.
We should use our Young Entrepreneurs to help solve the problem we face and spend less time and money on feasibility studies, consultations and the old ways of doing things.
We must learn from other cities around the world who are making similar transitions to the Digital Economy eg Chatanooga USA (a sister Gig City)
Daniel Gannon
SA Exec Director - Property Council of Australia
Residential population growth, reduce costs to business and property owners, drive investment to our Capital City, getting in the way of progress, a place for everyone not just residents, make Adelaide the engine room for the States economy by supporting business, growth and job creation
Through blockchain technology, government will be better able perform its dual role of facilitating the business innovation of citizens and, at the same time, co-creating better services for citizens, founded on openness and trust. The SA Govt is leading the way in Blockchain in Government and the ACC needs to catch up quickly.
My business card says on the back “I help businesses of the future understand the present and businesses of the present understand the future”.
While running in North Adelaide my Vision is for the whole of Adelaide and all of the people who use the city . North Adelaide benefits greatly from being a great suburb loosely attached to a capital city with a thriving CBD and that needs at times to be reinforced. I am sure the Prospect Council would not have been able to buy a block of land for $24 mill to benefit the local community.
Studies done some years ago by the Kauffman Institute showed that job growth over a 25 year period comes almost entirely from companies less than 5 years old while most job loss comes from older established companies who have stop growing and focus on returns to the shareholders. As such I will aim to provide as much support and incentives for Startups who have a clear intent and ability to grow and grow fast in the City.
To assist all small business I would continue to place emphasis on assisting them to make the digital transformation needed to survive and thrive.
Innovation Hubs in Mainstreets like Hutt, Melbourne and O’Connell Sts. would include CoWorking spaces and Innovative Startups (which will grow and spread) to bring young innovators into the area and become a focal point to Mainstreet businesses to learn new tech and new business models and collaborate with each other. I would expect Council staff to have desks inside the Co Working spaces to get close to the action.
Jayne Flaherty
General Manager Government and Public Policy at RAA
Effective transport system, making the CBD attractive to business, Need more outcomes like Gig City, growing the visitor economy
With Gig City and Ten GigaBit Adelaide we have the core basic infrastructure of the future but that’s just a beginning we now need to leverage it and grow upon it to develop world class businesses who can and will utilise it.
In terms of transport and in waste and energy the City has a massive opportunity to solve todays problems using the already proven technology of the future (eg Trackless Trams, Autonomous Shuttles, Landfill Waste to Energy etc). Using technology and not wasting time and money on the old slow ways, so that many of the big the cost items can also become income items with the right Goals and Visions in Place.
The State Government needs to provide the big ticket items in areas like transport but the City needs to focus on the local aspects of the last mile first mile approach to limit the reliance on car parking etc and develop a more vibrant people friendly city.
Major Investments in car parking now are unlikely deliver return an investment before the need reduces in 10 - 15 years as Mobility as a service replaces the use of cars as we now know it.
I would move immediately to begin trails of an Autonomous Shuttle service in and around North Adelaide and connecting Melbourne St with Lot14 via Botanic Park. Given wide streets and limited traffic North Adelaide and the Parklands provide a great proving ground for this an other new technologies.
Fixing issues with car parking will come from less cars and less reliance on parking as close as we would like. Also using Big Data and AI (we have some of the best experts in the world here) we can provide the best short term solutions for this and other immediate problems.
Nigel McBride
Chief Executive Business SA
partnering in economic development, reduce red tape and regulatory delays and being transparent, Commit to buying local
I am all about Creativity, Collaboration and Communication as such partnering with Businesses, State and Local Governments (in SA and Internationally esp via the Gig City community). We need to learn from others and then start implementing whats working elsewhere not waiting to test and try etc. Look at how Chattanooga in the US leveraged Gig City to go from a rust belt city to a smart city inside 10 years.
Re-engineering all processes and practices with a view to Blockchain will reduce Red Tape and progressively eliminate it getting in the way.
Shane Sody
President - Adelaide Parklands Preservation Authority
Protecting what we have preventing erosion, World Heritage Listing, the Parklands as a Tourism asset
I fully support aims to achieve World Heritage Listing and the plans the ACC has for the parklands in their 2015 - 2025 strategy and focusing on the parklands as a Tourism asset.
Like any asset if we don’t continue to add value and evolve in line with changing community needs and values it will depreciate.
The best form of protection comes from engaging more people in using them and valuing them and their potential for future generations,
World Heritage listing will not mean stagnation and in fact I believe it will lead to adding more life to the parks. Lighting for example so that the parks can be used in summer after nightfall.
Solar (anti-tamper / anti-vandal) Bollards plus solar floods with incremental sensors with built in 4g connectable CCTV should be the norm. So no need to dig up the parklands (all solar powered) and deliver Increased lighting security with built in CCTV.
Another thing we could do right now cost effectively - if we eliminate the need to test, analyse and report on proven technology.
We should protect the best and improve the rest (e.g. my proposal to add a Native Goods Garden/Farm in the North Parklands in association with Dept of Environment and Kaurna People
SUMMARY
As most of those interviewed suggest its time to get on with things to work collaboratively, communicate clearly with all stakeholders and think and act creatively if we are to achieve the status and reap the rewards of a smart city.
Never say never to anything and evaluate every opportunity/threat on its individual merit