Gold Coast Future

The Gold Coast remains Australia’s fastest growing city and has done so for nearly 40 years.  It continues to face new and more difficult challenges as it confronts the prospect of becoming part of the mega metropolis of South East Queensland that will ultimately be the second largest after Sydney.

Our city is at a crossroads - about preserving the lifestyle that people came here to enjoy, about accepting change to the economic base that created its incredible growth, about the character of the city as perceived by residents and visitors, about its reputation for continuing safe investment, about its ability to preserve its quality environment and about how it is being managed with provision of vital infrastructure that is necessary to keep abreast of the burgeoning population growth.

The widely respected demographer Bernard Salt said there is simply no other city on the Australian continent like the Gold Coast.  Other cities evolved into greatness over the course of centuries but the Gold Coast has done it in a single lifetime.  A city built on tourism has evolved into a knowledge and innovation centre based on massive growth in tertiary education and medical facilities supported by specialised manufacturing. 

Our rate of growth however is under threat from state and local bureaucratic pressure and its ability to adapt to the rapidly changing needs of the city.  Our physical growth is limited by the "green behind the gold" so our future growth must focus on intensification of developed areas.  This has been greatly assisted by the new light rail now under construction and the growth in large permanent employment bases like the universities and hospitals.  This change also promises to deliver a world city that will displace the current image of it being merely a tourist destination. 

As we strive to maintain our lifestyle SDGCI is focused on ensuring that we maintain our unique identity, our competitive advantage for sustainable development and our innovative attitude for making the Gold Coast Australia's city of the future.