Business Chief APAC+ANZ Magazine February 2017 | Page 21

SMART CITIES people who live in Western Sydney , can also work in Western Sydney . By leveraging infrastructure investment commitments , we can drive job growth and deliver better transport links . We believe that a 30-minute city is a realistic prospect , but only with well-placed job centres .”
Activating rural and suburban areas Cities are served by those living in rural and suburban areas . With these people working within the cities but living outside , it ’ s important their needs are served with better access to those jobs .
Taylor says : “ The Government ’ s Smart Cities Plan recognises that we need to think beyond the centres of our major cities . Suburban and regional areas are just as important .”
The first three City Deals cover the regional centres of Townsville and Launceston and the populous western suburbs of Sydney . Future deals will include both metropolitan and regional centres , spreading the benefits beyond the big cities to rural areas .
Employment hubs outside of cities

“ For hubs to be successful , there needs to be a strong economic foundation ”

– Angus Taylor Assistant Minister for Cities and Digital Transformation
A hub is an area outside of a city where there are a lot of employment opportunities . These areas tend to be easier to travel to and help to reduce transport congestion in cities . One example of a hub is Macquarie Park , which has a reputation as a technology , communications and biomedical hub and is an important employment generating area .
This previously semi-rural area has plenty of advantages such as being within easy travelling distance of the Sydney ’ s central business district , its association with Macquarie University and three nearby train stations that give it access to Sydney ’ s centre and the airport .
Taylor says : “ For hubs to be successful , there needs to be a strong economic foundation . Airports ,
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