Promoting liveable and affordable communities is one of the key priority areas in the government response to growth management.

As part of this priority, the government will shape liveable communities to protect Queenslanders' quality of life by working closely with local government to plan affordable and sustainable places. There are many factors that affect housing affordability, with the state only able to influence some factors such as infrastructure charging and land supply.

To deliver on this priority, seven key initiatives and six supporting actions have been identified.

Key initiatives

Urban Land Development Authority

Task the Urban Land Development Authority with responsibility for facilitating delivery of major new satellite communities in priority greenfield areas, initially at Ripley Valley, Yarrabilba and Flagstone. A mandated percentage of all dwellings developed across these areas will be affordable to people on low to moderate incomes.

Infrastructure charges reform

On 26 May 2010, the Premier established the Infrastructure Charges Taskforce to investigate Infrastructure Charges Reform. The Taskforce identified opportunities to simplify charges and provide greater certainty, as well as provide advice on alternative trunk infrastructure funding arrangements such third party financing.

Streamline state planning arrangements

Streamline state planning arrangements to increase certainty and improve housing affordability and increase land supply. This will include:

• coordinating state interest check reviews more effectively in structure plan areas
• effectively integrating structure planning and master planning stages for greenfield developments
• reducing the number of state agency referral triggers for development applications
• publishing a forward program of proposed state planning instruments
• boosting the tools and training available to support Queensland's new planning system.

'Go Zones and No-Go Zones'

Release a discussion paper on 'Go Zones and No-Go Zones' to provide greater planning certainty for local communities in partnerships with local governments.

New ways to deliver affordable housing

Investigate new ways to deliver affordable housing which support people on lower to middle incomes, including:

• reviewing options to incorporate affordable housing in new developments
• piloting a social housing renewal project at Coopers Plains, working with the Brisbane City Council to masterplan a new future for an area of aged public housing stock.

Next Generation Planning

Growth Management Queensland, in partnership with the Council of Mayors (SEQ) has developed new guidelines for housing and neighbourhood design for South East Queensland to encourage housing diversity and affordable living. A video has been developed to help explain the concepts behind the project.

Commonwealth Games athlete's ecoVillage

Design an athlete's ecoVillage as part of Queensland's 2018 Commonwealth Games bid, suitable for post-games reuse as a vibrant transit oriented community on the Gold Coast.

Sustainable urban development

Support sustainable urban development through leadership including:

• ensuring government developments are exemplars of sustainable urban design. Pilot Yeerongpilly Transit Oriented Development as a demonstration of best practice in sustainable urban development
• continuing to support the Centre for Subtropical Design for a further three years to enable the centre to extend its research into the design and delivery of climate responsive development in Queensland. As part of government's in‑kind contribution to the centre's activities an experienced planner will be assigned to work with and support the centre
• piloting a green roof or wall project in association with a major government infrastructure or development project
• piloting CitySwitch Green Office, a national tenant energy efficiency program, in a Queensland Government building
• delivering projects demonstrating best practice in sustainable urban design in the regions.

Supporting actions

Transit oriented development guidelines

Release transit oriented development guidelines that identify best practice in delivery of compact communities by September 2010, supported by training and workshops to build capacity around transit oriented development delivery.

Landmark transit oriented precinct

Seek Expressions of Interest from the private sector to develop a landmark transit oriented precinct focussed on Coorparoo Junction in partnership with Brisbane City Council (following the expiry of current leases).

Annual growth management program

Prepare annual growth management program reports to monitor land supply, track development against dwelling targets and recommend actions to manage growth in South East Queensland.

River City Blueprint

Brisbane City Council, in partnership with the Queensland Government, is developing an overarching plan to guide the growth and development of the inner city - the River City Blueprint.

Scope of the Urban Land Development Authority

Review the scope of the Urban Land Development Authority, including consideration of its role in influencing land supply, fostering a competitive marketplace and potential compulsory acquisition powers.

Program of leadership in urban design

Initiate a program of leadership in urban design including:

• incorporating urban design as a critical component of the recently announced Queensland Design Triennial to be held in Brisbane in early October 2010
• requiring key infrastructure procuring departments to appoint appropriately qualified urban design champions, who will work with the Board for Urban Places to champion well-designed buildings, public places and infrastructure
• using Queensland's Commonwealth Games bid to focus international attention on Queensland's emerging reputation as a design leader, and ensure games infrastructure exhibits design excellence.

Urban design capacity

Build urban design capacity in Queensland including:

• developing training and capacity building programs to increase urban design skills across state and local government, with industry and the community
• developing a Guideline for Government Buildings, Precincts and Infrastructure to which all agencies must comply
• investigate widening the scope, strengthening the powers and increasing the resourcing of the Board for Urban Places
• having the Board for Urban Places prepare a Queensland Infrastructure Design Strategy including a review of how current procurement practices could be enhanced to support optimum urban design outcomes.