FRI 17 JUL 20

Ripley Town Centre Redefines Smart City

[Silverhall Comment – Ripley Town Centre is just over 10 minutes from Springfield. The Queensland Government has forecast Ripley to be home to over 120,000 people. Together with the significant rise of Springfield, this location will be the largest growth of population in Queensland]

Sekisui House Australia—the master developer behind south-east Queensland’s Ripley Town Centre vision—together with placemaking partner RobertsDay, are redefining the “smart city” concept by putting people at the centre of the community’s urban design.

“With Covid-19 placing a renewed and potentially long-term focus on remote working, what our local environment can offer in terms of walkability becomes critically important.”

To reinforce Ripley Town Centre’s connectivity vision, a proposed transit hub will link the region to Ipswich, Springfield, Brisbane and beyond, delivering on the requirements under the Ripley Valley Priority Development Area.

The transit hub, featuring rail and bus connections, will be vital to lead and sustain the community, and provide residents with affordable transport options that improve access to services and employment.

For the Ripley Town Centre masterplan vision, this has meant creating a community based on walkability and transit to enable seamless connectivity to all of life’s necessities—healthcare, education, retail, commercial, and recreational and community facilities.

While the smart city framework typically draws on technology and digital solutions to solve urbanisation challenges and improve liveability, sustainability and prosperity, truly smart cities are designed around people and their needs, first and foremost.

“To us, a true smart city doesn’t forget that cities are places for people. They are loved because they encourage social interaction, rich exchange, and moments of surprise and delight,” Christensen said.

“Together at Ripley Town Centre, we’re creating a place that people want to be in and one that enriches lives, and this requires a very holistic and ‘smart’ approach.”

The town centre’s vision draws on the 20-minute neighbourhood philosophy with all major facilities and amenities within a 20-minute walk, allowing future residents to live locally and in harmony with nature.

Ripley Town Centre Redefines Smart City 2

The Ripley Town Centre masterplan vision is of a community based on walkability and transit to enable seamless connectivity to life’s necessities—healthcare, education, retail, commercial, and recreational and community facilities.

“Long commute times affect mental health and wellbeing, taking time away from family and work/life balance. From an energy and carbon footprint perspective, we also know relying solely on vehicles to access every day necessities is not sustainable in the long term.
“It’s better for our wellbeing and better for the planet to live life more locally.

“We look at the community, social, environmental and economic perspectives simultaneously and how we can sustain investment over a long period of time—a much more holistic approach than conventional urban design.”

The town centre’s Civic Heart, for example, will be one of the many dedicated community spaces featuring cultural institutions, education and retail experiences surrounding a green forecourt, which will become home to major community events.

The Esplanade Ripley Town CentreThe Esplanade Ripley Town Centre. Artist Impression subject to change and Council approval

The nearby Esplanade will feature alfresco dining and retail overlooking community play areas and lagoons, as well as family entertainment and leisure facilities, wide open spaces, and office and residential living with a public thoroughfare.
Similarly, The Greens linear park will provide community spaces to play, exercise, picnic, and work from, fringed by retail stores, cafés, restaurants and residential living.

These interconnected spaces will help to enrich lives by forging the connection between home, work and play, and create a self-sufficient, circular ecosystem—and a real sense of belonging.

“The benefit of not clustering all the tall buildings together also means we’re creating great access to breezes, daylight and surrounding views.”