The incident involving a truck smashing an excavator into Acton Tunnel, Parkes Way on Tuesday (20/10/15) highlights the importance of building city resilience, say members of built environment body Consult Australia working to reopen the site. Kevin Keith, ACT Manager for Consult Australia explained that City resilience is the capacity of people and places to survive, adapt, and grow in the face of chronic stresses and acute shocks. It considers the impact of sudden sharp events like the failure of critical infrastructure such as Acton Tunnel, alongside longer term issues including population growth, city planning and environmental change. Mr. Keith went on to add that Resilient cities are those with organised buildings and services; practised governments and response systems; and engaged communities who contribute to broader conversations about risk and change at a social, economic, technological, and environmental level.
“In context of Acton Tunnel this means applauding the excellent response work of agencies, communication with communities, and adaptability of Canberrans who amended their routine accordingly. It also means thinking about population growth, infrastructure maintenance, over-reliance on one mode of transport, impact on productivity and other factors to minimise the impact of a similar future event. It is about making sure resilience is an integrated part of government policy framework.” Mr. Keith commented.