The Committee for Capital Cities reveals policy agenda for stronger urban development

A new policy paper from the Committee for Capital Cities, a coalition representing the committees for Adelaide, Brisbane, Greater Hobart, Melbourne, Perth and Sydney, argues that “density done well” should become the organising principle for Australia’s urban policy.

The paper builds on the coalition’s Six Priorities Policy Agenda for Productivity, Resilience and Liveability, first presented at Parliament House in Canberra in October 2025. While those six priorities remain unchanged, the latest publication identifies a single concept that can help advance them all: getting density right.

How well-planned density supports stronger cities

As the nation grapples with housing affordability, productivity challenges, climate pressures and population growth, the Committee for Capital Cities argues that density supports all six of its policy priority areas:

• Providing more housing in locations where demand is highest
• Creating the conditions needed for effective public transport
• Strengthening innovation precincts through closer connections between businesses, researchers and workers
• Supporting healthier and more vibrant communities
• Reducing emissions through more sustainable urban forms
• Improving access to employment opportunities for skilled workers and migrants.

Rather than framing housing supply and liveability as competing objectives, the agenda argues that well-planned density is how both can be achieved.

Good density requires more than new development

However, the Committee acknowledges that density alone is not enough. Poorly located or poorly designed development can undermine community confidence and diminish quality of life. To achieve “density done well”, the paper outlines five key requirements:

• Locating growth near high-frequency public transport and daily services
• Ensuring high design quality
• Investing in community infrastructure
• Improving planning transparency
• Delivering a mix of housing types and tenures, including social and affordable housing. 

Three actions for the Australian Government

To help put these principles into practice, the Committee for Capital Cities is calling on the Australian Government to act in three key areas.

Fast-track federal funding to deliver density done well

Bring forward National Housing Accord payments so essential infrastructure arrives with new homes, apply National Urban Policy principles to the sale of federal land, and agree through National Cabinet a national definition and target for social and affordable housing. 

Replace City Deals with a City Partnerships program

Establish a $500 million Urban Policy Implementation Fund over five years, overseen by an independent National Urban Investment Board, to fund enduring, strategy-led partnerships between all levels of government. 

Fund the Committees for Capital Cities

Provide $30 million over five years so the Committees can serve as research, delivery and accountability partners for the national urban agenda and the Parliamentary Friends of Cities. 

Policy recommendations shaping the future of Australia’s capital cities

For Melbourne and other capital cities, the message is clear: the nation’s future prosperity will increasingly depend on how its cities grow. With more than 15 million Australians living in capital cities and those cities generating around 70 per cent of national economic output, the report argues that urban policy must play a central role in addressing some of Australia’s most pressing challenges.

Click here to access the report