Interestingly, it is the application of 20th century thinking that is frustrating real solutions-based progress today and so the city council warrants applause for its willingness to engage with an idea that is unquestionably 21st century thinking.
For some time, I’ve argued that the council should create a policy regime that encouraged, and allowed for, creation of more residential accommodation in central Shepparton, although my emphasis was always on “infill” and shop-top housing.
Long before he was elected to the council, Geoff Dobson and I talked about my ideas and the now-Cr Dobson then said, almost as a side, we should be creating housing in the free air space above public car parks — the idea, whether or not it was Cr Dobson’s directly, is edging toward reality.
Science tells us, unequivocally, that our future will be decidedly different from what was and to deal with those unfolding dilemmas we will need communities bonded in hitherto unseen ways. We will need to huddle together and have “each other’s back”.
The council has taken the lead in declaring a climate emergency and it now falls upon us to follow that lead.
The world’s best town planners are incorporating climate change concerns within their concepts, setting out to create 10-minute towns and cities; meaning that everything important in a person’s day-to-day concerns are no more than 10 minutes away, either by foot or bicycle.
The idea of housing above public car parks fits beautifully with the 10-minute city idea.
Architects alert to modern demands facing cities are creating the type of housing imagined by the council; housing that meets a family’s needs, has generous public space, is close to pubic transport and has quick and easy access to almost everything most people need most days.
The proposed housing is public and was front of mind while reading the book Rage Inside the Machine by Robert Elliot Smith.
Mr Smith, an artificial intelligence engineer, writes about the prejudices of algorithms on which AI, and the reduction and the simplifications which it so depends, has a natural, dangerous tendency to lend support to bigotry when applied to people and society.
He goes on: “It has taken centuries of human effort to continuously overcome these tendencies and work towards a more progressive and tolerant society.”
Objections to the central Shepparton public housing proposal reflect the AI troubles described by Mr Smith and runs counter to our urgent need to create a more progressive and tolerant society.
My Shepparton home is directly opposite public housing and other than being aware of what it is, those who live there are just like any other neighbours.
But there are bigger things at play here and a truly progressive and tolerant society will need to understand what’s happening and address it or the bigotry Mr Smith writes about will take our communities prisoner.
Although our Federal Government appears to think otherwise, climate-induced changes are going to reshape life for all of us and the public good needs to take precedence over private profit and the values, ideas and concepts of last century are irrelevant and unimportant as we sleepwalk into the 21st century.
Council’s housing proposal deserves our applause; it’s about the 21st century; it’s about the 10-minute city; and it’s about a progressive and tolerant society.
Rob McLean is a former editor of The News.
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