2. Unplanned Settlements
Jeddah //
Saudi Aramco + JSDP
[Current]
As the gateway to the two Holy Cities of Makkah
and Madinah, Jeddah is emerging as an important
world city.
The success of Jeddah, however, is recognised
as hinging upon its ability to address some fifty
unplanned settlements entwined within the fabric
of the city itself.
These localities are severely overcrowded and
accommodate as much as a third of Jeddah’s
population in predominantly substandard housing.
Within the unplanned settlements reside the city’s
underprivileged and migrant populations - they
lack adequate access to safe water and sanitation
and are devoid of those essential urban services
necessary to meet the needs of residents. They
are the root of many of the city’s social problems.
The redevelopment of these settlements is seen
as the beacon of a new beginning for Jeddah.
Under the auspice of the JSDP (a USD 10 billion
investment in the planning, engineering, and
construction of sustainable infrastructure for
Jeddah) – AECOM have been engaged to resolve
the challenge of the unplanned settlements.
In doing so, AECOM are carrying out a range of
planning, design and engineering exercises aimed
at transforming the unplanned settlements into
revitalized, safe and complete communities and
neighbourhoods – whose central concern is
livability.
A primary focus of the undertaking is the
development of a series of discrete Concept
Master Plans for each of the unplanned
settlements. These plans aim to guide their
transformation – whilst avoiding unnecessary
intervention, property expropriation and disruption
to the existing urban fabric and the every-day-lives
of residents.
Beyond this, a range of ‘priority interventions’ are
to be distilled from each the Concept Master Plans
and translated into detailed infrastructure design
documents (and supporting capital cost estimate)
for Engineer, Procure and Construct tenders. This
approach is considered paramount and is a key
step in ensuring those aspirations around public
betterment are fully realised.

3. Dubai 2020 Urban Master
Plan //
Dubai Municipality
[2011]
In the wake if the global financial climate,
AECOM was appointed to prepare a new
strategic city plan for Dubai to assist in
directing the Government’s strategic approach
to economic recovery and city governance.
Underpinning the plan is the vision of Dubai as
a modern Arab city and regional gateway to the
world. Key to the project was defining a
preferred spatial direction and structural form
that responds to the city’s long-term needs,
while enabling immediate priorities for public
and private investment to achieve sustainable
long term growth.
The Dubai 2020 Plan seeks to optimize existing
government infrastructure investments, protect
key economic assets, and respond to
environmental constraints while identifying a
desired staging, scale and character of future
urban development as the city seeks to refocus
on targets for economic growth and
sustainability.
Following an assessment of previous
documents, existing conditions and projections
of further population growth and land use
programming, a number of urban development
scenarios and spatial/ structural planning
options were identified taking into consideration
those key challenges, opportunities and
constraints identified within the Emirate.
Through a series of workshops with Dubai
Municipality senior staff and key stakeholders a
preferred option was identified for further
refinement. The key outcome is an agreed
Spatial Structure Plan that provides the basis
for continuing the implementation of public and
private sector projects and urban development
up to and beyond 2020.
The Plan provides recommendations and tools
for legislative implementation that includes a
governance framework and the regulatory
process covering both the Strategic and the
Statutory planning aspects including policies,
plan making and development controls for both
public and private sector parties.

4. National Tourism Planning
Guide //
Tourism and Transport Forum
[2010]
It is recognised that investment in tourism
development is pivotal to both attracting and
accommodating visitors to an area. Although
tourism investors face a range of challenges,
navigating the disconnect of Australia’s
different town planning systems is emerging as
a key concern that might otherwise might
otherwise stifle the industry’s potential if not
effectively addressed.
Funded through a TQUAL grant - the Tourism
and Transport Forum engaged Urbis to prepare
the National Tourism Planning Guide.
The Guide established the rationale for the
delivery of a long-term and consistent platform
that will foster the strategic alignment of
tourism policy across the nation. In particular
the Guide addresses the planning and approval
barriers that currently inhibit tourism
investment. In its simplest form the Guide:
 Explores the range of issues and impacts
(from an economic, social and
environmental perspective) associated
with tourism activities;
 Outlines the potential for tourism activities
to be integrated with other land uses within
both an urban and non-urban context;
 Identifies those land use zones within the
existing planning and legislative framework
that have the capacity to effectively
support and accommodate tourism
activities; and
 Establishes a series of provisions,
standards and guidelines as they relate to
the use and development of land for
tourism purposes.
The National Tourism Planning Guide
represents a paradigm shift in how industry and
all levels of government engage on tourism and
it is intended that the Guide be utilised by a
range of proponents including policy makers,
approvals authorities and the advocates of
tourism developments themselves.
The Tourism Ministers’ Council is now taking
steps to facilitate the successful
implementation of the Guide as a key focus of
the National Long-Term Tourism Strategy in
enhancing the supply of tourism products in
Australia in an increasingly competitive global
market.
http://minister.ret.gov.au/MediaCentre/MediaRelease
s/Pages/NewNationalTourismPlanningGuidetoStrea
mlineInvestment.aspx

5. Wadi Hanifa Development
Control Plan //
Arriyadh Development Authority
[November 09 – March 10]
Urbis was engaged by the Arriyadh
Development Authority to prepare the Wadi
Hanifa Development Control Plan. The intent of
the project was to build and deliver a new and
fully integrated development control framework
to meet the complex and competing demands
for protection and progress within a system
recognised as the most significant and valuable
natural attribute within the city of Riyadh.
The Development Control Plan is intended to
set out regulation s relating to all development
within the boundary of Wadi Hanifa. It includes
the rules, provisions and guidelines as they
relate to the use of land, built form outcomes,
subdivision and both environmental and
amenity standards. It is informed by the
premise that ‘protection’ and ‘progress’ are not
necessarily mutually exclusive concepts.
The key elements that were developed as part
of the project include:
 Development of the strategic direction and
rationale for the development controls via
the establishment of a Vision, overarching
planning objectives and a series of spatial
policies from which all other provisions of
the Plan flow.
 Preparation of a detailed zoning plan and
associated provisions that set out the out
the desired end state for each zone,
outline the type of assessment required for
different uses (and development) in each
zone and further specify requirements that
apply to land use, built form and
subdivision.
 Development of additional layers of control
that reflect the physical characteristics,
features, capabilities or constraints of a
particular location.
 Preparation of technical provisions and
codes that specify mandatory obligations
for various types of development.
 Creation of detailed guidance on the
preferred development outcomes in
particular localities that are identified as
having significant potential to influence the
ongoing management of Wadi Hanifa.

6. River City Blueprint //
Brisbane City Council
[October 09 – March 10]
Brisbane City Council, through Urban Futures
Brisbane engaged Urbis to undertake
background research and scoping for the River
City Blueprint project.
The River City Blueprint is intended to be an
over-arching, non-statutory, integrated plan to
shape the future of the Queensland State
capital.
The blueprint will draw together all existing
plans, studies and strategies for suburbs within
a 5 kilometre radius of the CBD to generate a
single, consolidated vision for the area. It is
intended to provide clear strategic direction and
coordination of land use, economic, social, and
cultural and infrastructure activities across all
levels of government. It endeavours to
broaden and deepen contemporary the thinking
around planning for the living, working and
lifestyle needs of the inner city.
As the first stage of the project Urbis was
engaged to undertake background research
and scoping work to inform the development of
the River City Blueprint. Through this work
Urbis:
 Defined the study area boundary and
relationships to other key areas outside the
study area;
 Identified the broad urban character of the
neighbourhoods within the study area and
the policies or projects that generated the
outcomes;
 Undertaken an analysis of key constraints
and recommend areas unsuitable for
development;
 Prepared ‘AS IS’ and ‘TO BE’ scenarios to
test and analyse all existing forecasts,
policies, plans and projects to provide an
understanding of the historical
performance of the urban area over time
and identify areas that the blueprint must
influence in the next phases of the project;
and
 Collaborated with Local Government and
State Government employees and other
consultants in undertaking work on the
River City Blueprint.
When finalised, the River City Blueprint will
provide a cohesive framework for managing
future growth and infrastructure delivery in
inner Brisbane.

7. Dubai Urban Development
Framework //
Dubai Government - Executive Council
[November 07 – March 09]
Urbis was engaged by the Dubai Government
(via the Executive Council) to prepare the
Dubai Urban Development Framework.
The Dubai Urban Development Framework
project represents one of the most significant
urban management undertakings in the Middle
East to date. The Framework presents Dubai
with a strategic plan to determine and define its
future and to maintain its position as one of the
world’s leading cities.
The Dubai Urban Development Framework
addresses current and longer term issues and
aims to capitalise on opportunities via the
creation of an innovative, flexible and fully
integrated development planning and
management framework for the city to the year
2020 and beyond.
In particular the Dubai Urban Development
Framework project encompassed the
development of:
 A Vision for Dubai;
 An Integrated Development Planning
Framework; and
 A Legal and Institutional Framework.
The scope of the project included the range of
elements as they relate to the functioning and
growth of a city including social and housing
infrastructure, economic development,
metropolitan growth, the public realm, activity
centres, transport, utilities infrastructure and
environmental sustainability.
The project culminated in the delivery of a
series of strategies, one for each of the
elements within the project scope. These
strategies provided a comprehensive set of
policies to support the overall vision for the city
and achievement of a range of technical
benchmarks and where supported by an
implementation plan for the roll out of the
policies according to strategic importance.

8. North South Bypass Tunnel
+ Airport Link //
Macquarie Bank
[July 05 + July 07]
Urbis was engaged by the BrisConnections
Consortium (spearheaded by Macquarie Bank)
to provide advice in respect of urban planning
and property development issues associated
with both the now completed Clem7 Tunnel
and the Airport Link.
Regard was given to existing and emerging
government planning policies, as were the
views of key players from both government
agencies and the private sector in order to:
 Form a contemporary understanding of
property and planning in Brisbane; and
 Develop views towards predicted policy
change within the city over a 25 year
period.
The emerging policy context was subsequently
translated from a property perspective into
quantifiable Gross Floor Area on a travel zone
basis.
The overall purpose of the exercise was to
provide a sensibility to population and
employment forecasts in order to develop
robust and appropriate inputs for patronage
modelling.
Beyond this – and within the context of the
evolving planning framework, a number of
alternative, value generating development
strategies were explored for potential inclusion
in the BrisConnections bids.
As part of a rigorous planning, market
economics, design and feasibility analysis, a
concept was developed geared towards
facilitating major regeneration within the
precincts surrounding the tunnel portals as a
catalyst for commercial development.
BrisConnections were ultimately successful in
tendering for the delivery of the Airport Link.