Cities to get more sustainable with smart communities code

05 Jul 2017

5 July 2017

Smart Cities Council Australia New Zealand (SCCANZ) and the Green Building Council of Australia (GBCA) announce a partnership to develop a Code for Smart Communities.

SCCANZ Executive Director, Adam Beck, says: “the Code for Smart Communities will set new benchmarks for smart cities and communities across Australia, New Zealand and beyond, by providing important guidance on how to use technology, data and intelligent design to accelerate more efficient, liveable and sustainable development projects.”

“Today’s announcement that the GBCA will be our strategic partner in delivering this important project is as exciting as the Code itself. For over 15 years the GBCA has helped transform the property sector, as well as precinct and community development projects, and is a world leader in the development of voluntary mechanisms for driving significant change within the built environment,” Mr Beck says.

Chief Executive Officer for the GBCA, Romilly Madew, says: “Our partnership with the Smart Cities Council highlights the value of data and technology in transforming the ways that our cities are planned, built and managed.

“The rapid pace of urbanisation in the region and the growing challenges that come with it demand a laser-focus on innovative technologies and approaches that will help our industry meet zero carbon emissions targets”, Ms Madew adds.

The GBCA has been the leading force in driving sustainable buildings and communities in Australia, New Zealand and South Africa through the Green Star rating system for buildings and communities. Almost 1,500 projects around Australia have Green Star ratings.

“The Code for Smart Communities will provide valuable guidance to governments and private sector developers alike, and will complement the Green Star suite of rating tools,” Ms Madew says.

Mr Beck adds that “the Code will provide important, voluntary guidance to the development industry and include the necessary scoping issues, metrics and model language for the planning, design and delivery of smart communities.”

The Code for Smart Communities will be developed with the support of an advisory committee set to undertake a 60-day sprint, which will see multiple workshops and review sessions with key stakeholders, before being showcased as a draft at the Smart Cities Council international conference in Washington DC in October this year.

About the Smart Cities Council

Launched in 2012, the Seattle-based Smart Cities Council has evolved to become the global leader in the provision of smart cities resources for government and private sector alike. With offices across North America, India, Australia, and Europe, the Council is one of the most networked organisations representing smart cities practitioners and policy makers in the world. The Council promotes cities that embody three core values:

  • Liveability: clean, healthy living conditions without pollution and congestion; digital infrastructure that makes services instantly and conveniently available anytime, anywhere.
  • Workability: enabling infrastructure — energy, connectivity, computing, essential services — to compete globally for high-quality jobs.
  • Sustainability: service provision without stealing from future generations.