People today get superannuation when they start work. This is part of a financial plan where the outlook is over 50 years.
Some businesses around the world have plans going out 200 years – they are intergenerational.
So you would think that any government, even a local government would have planning that looks out far into the future.
Is a 1,000 year plan possible, or sensible?
It might sound impossible at first but long term planning is possible and can even simplify the planning process – you need to consider what will change and what will stay the same. Rivers do not change course very much in 1,000 years and the trees that grow around the trees will also be there, so a 1,000 year plan can start with waterways and vegetation. There are some trees that will last that long, or we can plan for trees to grow and reproduce many times in that period.
There are Red Gum trees that are 1,000 years old.
Some of the timber from Australia that has been cut for bridges, fences, railway sleepers and even wooden bricks sent to England, was cut from Redgums as old as 1,000 years.
Some of the barriers in managing an area will disappear when thinking long term. Leases on riparian land expire and land can be re-acquired by government without conflict. Transport routes can be designed and implemented over time. Railway corridors can be modified to include paths to allow bikes, access for emergency services, and vegetation. Even detail for homes and communities that is uncompromised can at least be considered if it is part of a plan that is long-term.
Water authorities in the past made long-term plans that can be used as a starting point for 1,000 year municipal plans. As development has grown, the impact of runoff on waterways is much greater today than ever before, and still increasing. The infrastructure for drainage of a municipality is costly, many millions or hundreds of millions, so it makes sense to plan carefully to protect and maintain it. The creeks and rivers are also extremely valuable and easily damaged by silt, pollution, scouring from fast running stormwater. It is possible to design places to be safe from flooding and protect natural areas, but if we don’t plan wholistically we are not going to succeed.
As the layers of the plan increase more and more detail can be included – it is likely that some things that are not currently planned for will be identified and included in this process.
Planning long-term allows the possibility of designing without compromise. Often designs are sub optimal due to short term conflicts of interest. The opportunity to produce great designs for our future is essential for achieving great outcomes, and may even persuade the naysayers to change when they see what is possible.