Future Communities

Creating thriving places and spaces that put people first
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We believe communities are at their best when they are connected, resilient, productive and inspired. Future Communities is our commitment to helping clients achieve the right balance of these four, integrated enablers to deliver thriving places and spaces that put people first.
Creating thriving places and spaces that put people first
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Choosing the path to positive legacy

With communities facing compounding pressures, charting a course to an equitable future has never been more challenging. At this critical juncture, how do we promote fair and fit-for-purpose infrastructure, from one generation to the next? CROSSROADS is a new research-backed exploration of intergenerational equity, through an infrastructure lens.
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While the concept of ‘community’ is simple and universally understood, communities are inherently complicated organisms, with multiple global forces and local challenges impacting the physical and virtual realms they occupy. These include population growth, digital disruption and shifting societal expectations, as well as existential threats such as climate change and pandemics.

Because no two communities are the same, our mission is to address, manage and mitigate the impacts of these complex, often convergent challenges to support our clients’ strategic ambitions and community aspirations.

No two communities are the same

In a world of constant change, we need to adapt together to create thriving places and spaces that put people first. Being ready for tomorrow today. This is Future Communities. Our commitment to balancing wants and needs, ambition and aspiration. Because no two communities are the same. To overcome complex challenges, we need integrated sustainable solutions connecting data and human desire to deliver elevated outcomes that support resilient communities projecting the assets and systems we rely upon. Productive communities improving workforce and asset performance. Connected communities seamlessly connecting people, goods and services. Inspired communities creating investable space with a sense of identity. This is our commitment to find balance amid the disruption to unlock shared value and lay the foundation for future success. Creating lasting community benefit together. This is Future Communities. GHD

Community enablers

Increasingly complex challenges require sophisticated, integrated solutions. Our specialists carefully weigh-up the disparate wants and needs of communities to solve problems and harness opportunity – dialing up or down our emphasis on four key enablers to get the balance right for our clients:

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All types of communities

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By connecting our global network of capability across GHD, our integrated teams are able to address the unique challenges of communities everywhere.

From bustling cities to rural towns, expanding suburbs to remote villages, our Future Communities specialists work across typologies, geographies and markets to help our clients lay the foundation for future success.

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Helping our clients get the balance right — to support the communities of today and tomorrow.”

Unlocking opportunity

In partnership with our clients, we're applying our integrated expertise and deep experience to explore five key areas.

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Mobility

The way we travel is rapidly changing. This can be attributed to two main drivers — the need to adapt to human behaviours and the need for greater sustainability.

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Asset transition

Market forces, age and productivity limitations are changing the traditional role of assets. To remain investable and relevant assets need to transition.

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Adaptation and resilience

According to data from the World Bank, the number of people affected by natural disasters tripled to two billion in the past decade. The costs are not just financial: critical infrastructure, societal cohesion and wellbeing are also at risk.

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Access and equity

Whether it be health, education, justice or sporting facilities, equitable access to infrastructure plays an important role in ensuring a society’s quality of life.

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Housing

Dynamic forces such as a shortage of affordable housing, population growth and regulations are impacting the provision of housing to communities. In response, the sector is changing and traditional approaches are transforming.

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New solutions, elevated services

To ensure our Future Communities solutions and services deliver meaningful, long-term benefit, we undertake rigorous client engagement and ongoing market analysis. Each new offering is designed to help our clients get the balance right, to support the communities of today and tomorrow. 

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Loveable

Putting people at the heart of place; Loveable is an approach that puts people outcomes first, celebrating the varying experiences and uniqueness of place. 
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Strategy to Street

A strategic planning approach that connects high-level policy and strategic vision with the reality of network planning.
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Place Pulse

We’re harnessing digital smarts, domain knowledge and emerging data sources to dive deeper in to community values, attitudes and their expected behaviours.
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Climate Risk and Resilience

Helping our clients proactively plan for, adapt and respond to immediate and future threats from extreme weather events and natural disasters.
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