Page 27 - Tropic Magazine Issue 30

TROPIC • LEADERSHIP

City visionary

MEET THE CEO
Tropic sat down with the
new leader of economic
development advocacy
organisation Advance Cairns
and discovered an innovative,
contemporary chief with a
wealth of skills and experience 1
in urban planning. 1. Paul Sparshott
2. The Mi Teleferico cable car network
Words: Renee Cluff in La Paz, Bolivia
Advance Cairns CEO Paul Sparshott
is bringing a fresh perspective to 2 Infrastructure Priorities
long-known challenges in the place
he now calls home, from dealing with • Cairns University Hospital
population growth to uniting different He is quick to add that growth comes redevelopment
levels of government to shaping a with its challenges, something he • A permanent new CQUniversity
futuristic city. personally experienced when he campus
It’s an educated perspective, too. moved to Cairns earlier this year • Cairns Marine Precinct
Dr Sparshott is an urban planning from Brisbane. • Cairns Ring Road
and infrastructure expert with a “One problem I’ve had is trying to find
PhD in strategically developing new accommodation and I’m aware I’m not • Bruce Highway and Kuranda
sustainable towns and communities, the only one,” he said. “If you can’t get Range Road upgrades
who has worked across the world good accommodation then you can’t • Water and irrigation
designing and delivering attract the best people.” infrastructure
infrastructure projects and leading With both the knowledge and a zeal • Cairns Gallery Precinct
new town developments. for designing and building sustainable • Cairns Showground, Sporting
He’s full of knowledge on emerging towns, Dr Sparshott is keen to help and Community Precinct
trends in transport, ports, energy and foster Cairns as a city of the future as
water infrastructure and his passion is its population increases. “You need • Gulf Savannah Way
in sustainable design. to be thinking about all these things
now – what the city’s going to look like
when we reach 250,000 to 300,000 get caught up in specifying a type of
people – and start planning,” he said. transport at the moment but
What people like about “We need a long-term strategy you have to have a good public
transport strategy. One option is
and an integrated urban and
Cairns is its liveability and transport strategy.” what they’ve done in South America
we don’t want to lose that It’s his firm belief that improved where there’s a city that has a whole
public transport is key to sustainable aerial tram network. It’s like a modern
growth and he is open for discussion version of a cable car.”
Paul Sparshott,
Advance Cairns CEO on possible solutions from light rail to Dr Sparshott said he is also excited
urban gondolas and trackless trams about prospects for the marine and
“The natural beauty of Cairns is a real like the Brisbane Metro, which are health sectors and water security.
drawcard and everyone’s really friendly comparatively cheaper to build. “This is a lovely city, it’s good to be
compared to the big cities,” he said. “We’re a linear city like the Gold Coast here,” he said. “It interests me in terms
“What I’m seeing now are shoots of and you know along the spine of that of what can be done.”
recovery from the pandemic and is a good transport system,” he said.
we’re going to have a great future “Things are rapidly changing in that MORE: advancecairns.com.au
going forward.” space so I don’t think you have to

27 • tropicnow.com.au