State of Australian Cities National Conference 09

CONFERENCE STREAM - City Economy

Prof. Matthew Tonts (UWA) & Prof. Fiona Haslem-Mackenzie (CURTIN)

Australian cities are dynamic and innovative spaces of economic activity, accounting for the bulk of the nation's entrepreneurs, workers and citizens. Not only are they globally connected through trade, investment and labour flows, but they provide the access points to Australia's crucial regional economies. In recent years, the economic dynamics of Australian cities have come sharply into focus, with widespread concerns emerging on a range of issues, including cost of living, housing affordability, land availability, transport and logistics, labour shortages, industry protection, and resource consumption. There also remains an ongoing concern with the processes and practices of economic development. Thus, cities are routinely engaged in debates about the importance of 'industry clusters', the formation of 'learning regions', and the need to develop 'creative economies'. The City Economy track will consider these themes, focussing on:

The changing structure and performance of city economies;
Patterns of global, regional and local trade and investment;
The dynamics of urban labour markets, including skill shortages, migrant labour, unemployment, and workplace relations relations;
The importance of land values and affordability to the long term economic sustainability of cities;
How the city economy influences the environment, social capital and cultural tenor of a city;
The role of accessibility, transport networks and proximity to markets for cities and their economies;
The costs of the ecological footprint of Australian cities;
The economic debates regarding urban renewal versus urban sprawl affordability, productivity, access and civic viability.



city growth, sustainability, vitality and vulnerability