“The increasing electrification of the car and bus fleets, the advent of driverless vehicles and improved bus technology will reduce the need for work-related car parking and the road and public transport capacity required. Light rail may no longer be justified,” writes planning columnist MIKE QUIRK.

From its inception, Canberra has benefitted from planning that has effectively responded to changing transport, communication, social, economic and environmental parameters.

A major current challenge is how best to respond to changes in transport and communication technologies that are allowing greater freedom about where to live and work and when and how to travel to work.

The home-work relationship is a major influence on how cities function. Employment location was a major component of the Y-Plan’s “Jobs to the people” strategy and compact city policy.

Billions of dollars have been spent on transport networks to facilitate the journey to work. The time taken on the commute has a major impact on a household’s quality of life. Changes in transport technology, notably the rapid improvement in electric vehicle technology, including buses, and the likely future high use of automated vehicles, will also affect transport choices and the level and type of road, public transport, car parking, cycling and pedestrian infrastructure required. 

Greatly increased working from home (WFH) during, and subsequent to, the 2020 COVID19 pandemic, was enabled by improvements in information technology. 

In the ACT, the proportion of WFH increased from 3 per cent to almost 11 per cent between the 2016 and 2021 Census’.

The WFH share in the ACT was substantially lower than Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane, possibly reflecting the dominant role of Commonwealth office employment in the economy and the relative ease of travel. 

Some 68 per cent of respondents to the 2025 APS Employee Census reported they worked away from the office at least some of the time, up from 53 per cent in 2020. Those with caring responsibilities had a higher incidence of regular hybrid arrangements compared to employees without caring responsibilities.

In response, property owners are constructing premium, less formal worker-friendly office spaces and repurposing lower-grade space for residential and mixed use development. 

The distribution of remote work varies across the city. Working outside the office is most available to knowledge-economy workers who have a greater capacity to choose where they live and work. Workers in industrial establishments, hospitals, aged care, schools and service industries have limited scope to work remotely. 

In 2021 the WFH share was highest at 15 to 21 per cent in the inner Canberra (Red Hill, Forrest, Griffith, Yarralumla, Ainslie, Braddon, Turner) and lowest, 5 to 9 per cent, in outer Tuggeranong, Gungahlin and Belconnen. 

Responding to change

The attractiveness of hybrid work is likely to continue given the benefits it provides including the reduced cost and time of commuting, especially to households with child and caring responsibilities.

Policies of the ACT and federal governments, given the territory’s employment structure, will continue to strongly influence the level of uptake.

The ACT government has facilitated remote work and has established flexi-hubs in the Tuggeranong and Belconnen Town Centres. 

Facilitating hybrid work provides benefits to employers as it reduces property expenses and assists in the retention of skilled workers, likely to be an increasingly scarce resource.

By lowering peak employment, it reduces the transport and other infrastructure needed at major office centres. Increased co-ordination between the ACT and Commonwealth would increase the level of infrastructure savings possible. 

Hybrid work reduces demand for businesses such as cafes and restaurants at major office centres while increasing demand for such services and infrastructure upgrades (public spaces, roads, public transport, car-parking, pedestrian and cycle networks) at centres near preferred hybrid work locations.

Increased WFH also increases the demand for dwellings with larger living spaces. It could improve housing affordability by reducing the demand for dwellings near and density required at major employment centres.

The increasing electrification of the car and bus fleets, the advent of driverless vehicles and improved bus technology will reduce the need for work-related car parking and the road and public transport capacity required. Light rail may no longer be justified.

The implications for the workers unable to work remotely and low-mobility groups, currently dependent on public transport, will need to be addressed.

Changing technology provides greater choice, especially for knowledge workers, about where to live. Canberra is competing with other regions in Australia and cities around the world for such workers. The challenge will be to continue to provide high-quality living and housing environments to retain and attract such workers. 

The upcoming 2026 Census will provide information on the city’s demography, housing and transport choices. Journey to work information, for example, will provide information on how and where Canberrans travel to work and the level of WFH. 

The Census may identify trends that require modifications to the planning and transport strategies. Let’s hope the ACT Government takes the opportunity to interrogate the Census to inform its decisions more than it has in the past.

Mike Quirk is a former NCDC and ACT government planner. 

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