Gold Coast Sustainable Development Essay

Sustainable development is defined as the production and consumption of goods and services and the development of the built environment being achieved without degrading the natural environment. In terms of a sustainable city, this means that the city is designed with thorough consideration to potential environmental impact. The city of the Gold Coast has made many strives towards becoming a more sustainable area through contributions made within the built environment like increasing sustainable transport, however, the city has struggled with some issues surrounding their built environment, like their rapid urban sprawl.
Ecofriendly transport has been an important sustainable initiative in the Gold Coast for some time now. With approximately 2.6 million trips daily in the Gold Coast area alone the congestion and air pollution alone are considerable concerns for the public, especially with the number increasing by 44% between 2011 and 2031. The pressure place on the public transit system means that steps should and have been taken to ensure sustainable transportation within the area. The Gold Coast City Transport Strategy 2031 that aims to ‘manage road space better, eliminate bottle necks, invest in cycling and walking, extend the light
rail network, improve bus services and extend the capacity of the heavy railway’ began in 2014 with the introduction of the G Link; a 13km route between Gold Coast University Hospital and Broadbeach the construction of which within its first year of running saw approximately18200 trips each day. This sustainable transportation initiative will help to revolutionise the Gold Coast from a car-dependent city.
With its rapidly increasing population it’s no surprise that one of the main challenges the Gold Coast is facing at the moment is urban sprawl.
This alone can lead to an even more so car-dependent culture that presents a number of negative environmental impacts. Areas such as Helensvale and Coomera that offer low-density housing are not in proximity to the rail stations and the majority of employment on the Gold Coast is in places near Surfers Paradise leading to the fostering of a car-dependent culture. To manage its ever growing populations, the city of the Gold Coast should consider initiatives such as urban consolidation. The revitalisation of pre-existing buildings into higher-density housing could help minimise urban
sprawl.
In conclusion, the city of the Gold Coast has made considerable efforts towards maintaining itself as a sustainable city in terms of introducing ecofriendly transportation that offers benefits that far exceed those mentioned here and the Gold Coast has worked hard to redevelop and revitalise different areas, yet urban sprawl due to their rapidly growing population is a challenge that still remains a struggle. The Gold Coast is currently in the process of transforming itself into a sustainable leader.