Transforming Cities to Meet 21st Century Challenges: Insights from New Urban Developments in Australia

Australian cities face significant and growing challenges due to the combined impacts of population growth, climate change, unsustainable consumption, and digital disruption. While new services and technologies are being developed to support improved urban and environmental sustainability outcomes, significant barriers to change persist. To devise strategies addressing the resistance to change, we explore the Australian urban planning and development system to identify constraints and enablers of innovation, deconstructing commonly cited barriers such as ‘path dependency’, ‘technological lock-in’, and ‘short-termism’. We used a mixed-method approach consisting of a national cross-sectional survey and two urban development case studies. Based on its findings, this paper argues for an enhancement of the system-wide innovation capacity of Australian cities to address environmental, social, and economic pressures and achieve sustainability and resilience goals. Building and extending upon transitions theory, strategic action fields, and urban experimentation and innovation, this paper sets out a rationale for increased investment in Australia’s urban innovation ecosystem and provides five strategic actions to guide urban decision-makers, planners, and industry stakeholders. It highlights the necessity of fostering adaptive policy environments and creating dedicated zones in urban greenfield developments for sustainability innovation and experimentation to inspire and accelerate system-wide change.