The South Australian Chapter of the Australian Institute of Architects acknowledges the change of state government, calling for an increased focus on key issues such as social housing, community engagement, and the inclusion of First Nations principles and decarbonisation into future planning.
Chapter President Anthony Coupe FRAIA welcomed the incoming government led by Peter Malinauskas and all elected representatives.
“We are pleased to see more equal and diverse representation in the South Australian parliament with the increased success of female candidates at the election,” he said.
“We thank outgoing Premier Steven Marshall and his team for their leadership of South Australia over the last four years, notably their efforts to manage the Covid-19 pandemic.”
The Institute noted the pre-election commitments of the Malinauskas Government, and looks forward to their implementation.
This includes commitments to increase investment in social housing and measures to address housing affordability, reviewing the 30 Year Plan for Greater Adelaide and continuing to improve the e-planning system across the state.
Other critical election commitments include the creation of design standards to protect and enhance local communities, the protection of the heritage-listed Adelaide Park Lands, and improved heritage-protection processes, especially demolition controls.
The Institute also supports the pledge to increase green space and tree canopy coverage in infill developments, and to improve public transport.
Mr Coupe said the Institute would engage with Ministers in the coming months to progress these plans.
“Our focus is always on improving the quality of the built environment,” Mr Coupe said. “This is critical to a healthy society and maximising the benefits of new projects.
“We will continue to advocate for more and better social housing as an imperative for the state, as well as improvements to community engagement systems. Ideally, we want to see mandated targets for these initiatives.
“As we improve our built environment, we must also maintain the transition to net zero. We are also keen to integrate design principles from our First Nations peoples into planning.”
The South Australian Chapter released a SA Election Statement in February, detailing policy initiatives to improve liveability, health and green places across South Australia.
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