The City of Gold Coast – home to Bond University – is known and celebrated around the world for its natural beauty, dynamic culture and welcoming people.
The Gold Coast is a linear city fringed by beautiful beaches and backed by the mountains of Australia’s UNESCO World Heritage listed Gondwana Rainforests. Over 600,000 people live here and as the city grows, so too does its diversity, expanding the city’s economic base and underpinning a creative culture and vibrant community life.
With rapid growth comes change, and the need for planning to accommodate a growing community.
Planning for a growing city
Students in Bond’s Master of City Planning are preparing to take on these challenges and help to shape sustainable cities and communities of the future. As part of their studies, they are exploring ways of harnessing the city’s innovation through studio projects engaging with new urban forms to suit the rapidly developing polycentric city. It’s not just about the theory – students are getting hands on with real-life scenarios, including imagining what would be possible with high-speed rail (HSR) connecting Australia’s east coast cities.
They also have the opportunity to collaborate with students and experts in other disciplines, mirroring the collaboration that occurs in the workforce. Recently, Master of City Planning students and academics worked together with Master of Architecture students and staff to develop new approaches to planning and designing the city regions. Together, they explored how Robina could become the city’s connection with the state capital and other cities. The result of the project was a new, walkable urban Robina defined as a major centre, with public spaces and urban life focused around a landmark HSR terminus and transit interchange.
Supporting health and knowledge
The reimagined city centre is just one piece of the puzzle when it comes to planning for the new Gold Coast.
Another recurring theme in Bond’s City Planning projects relates to the development of a Gold Coast knowledge corridor, envisioning the city’s three clusters of health and knowledge infrastructure as vibrant, walkable places linked by existing and future light rail.
Cities are constantly evolving, and at Bond, students are writing the next chapter of the Gold Coast’s story.
City Planning at Bond University
Bond offers a range of programs in city planning, including:
Graduate Certificate in City Planning
Graduate Diploma in City Planning
Master of City Planning and Master of Project Management