The development of Tamworth mega city

development of tamworth - inland mega city

Tamworth’s transformation and growth into a city that can easily accommodate 8 million people will be a massive undertaking. It will be an extremely costly and time-consuming task. Such a task would necessitate massive amounts of organic energy and ongoing investment from a large number of people, as well as a compelling sales pitch.

We’d need a very specific reason to choose Tamworth over all other possible locations, and that reason would need to be backed up by a very thoughtful economic policy that drives consistent financial growth and makes people want to live there. Most people will probably prefer a coastal location for Australia’s first Mega City, but we’ve seen enough coastal flooding in recent years to know that’s probably not the best idea in the world. Furthermore, let’s face it, we’ve already ruined our coastline with ridiculous amounts of development; let’s keep our coastline a place that embraces the environment rather than covering it with concrete.

Both the public and private sectors would need to make a significant upfront financial commitment, and everyone involved would need to acknowledge that the early years won’t be easy on the weak-willed. We’d need to have a rather generous stretch factor with the budget because it’s possible that it could end up being significantly more expensive than anyone can imagine.

Building an inland Mega City will be difficult.

The first stage of Tamworth Mega City (TMC) will require us to establish city principles and address the major conceptual and philosophical issues that will influence how people think about TMC. As soon as possible, high-level principles and objectives must be established, and much thought must be given to how TMC will benefit Australia and what its most eye-catching aspects will be.

Phase one will also need to identify potential new city development strategies that are not currently considered or imaginable in existing cities, such as mega manufacturing plants, the creation of massive artificial lakes, or the construction of a nuclear power station, specifically an Advanced Fast Neutron Reactor.

Get to and from Tamworth Mega City very quickly

TMC would require the best possible access to and from other cities if it was to become Australia’s first Mega City. In addition to building Australia’s largest airport, we will need Hyperloop, very high-speed rail and first-class motorway access.

TMC will be made possible by investment and the potential to make billions

Tamworth Mega City could be the ideal platform for Australia to overcome its previous manufacturing failings and demonstrate to ourselves and the rest of the world that we can actually make a few things without going on strike every 5 minutes.

TMC’s manufacturing plants should consider what we will need 10 to 20 years from the estimated completion date and beyond. We would need to look towards newer technologies such as alternatives to lithium batteries, alternatives to steel, extremely fast trains, electric vehicles, hydrogen vehicles, bio-fuels and hybrid electric/bio fuel vehicles, alternatives to plastics, pyro-chemical nuclear waste processing, and advanced solar technologies.

TMC would need an internet that isn’t the world’s laughingstock

I don’t think any rational company would consider spending billions of dollars building mega manufacturing facilities in a country that is now ranked 68th in the world for internet speed, making it the fourth-slowest country in the OECD for broadband. We might want to do something about that pretty soon.

Water will be a huge obstacle to overcome

Australia is one of the driest countries in the world, and Tamworth can be extremely dry, so getting a large amount of water there and maintaining supply during the driest seasons would have to be a top priority. If, for example, the Warragamba dam wall is raised in the coming years, will it be possible to pipe water directly from there to artificial lakes that would need to be built on Tamworth’s outskirts?

We couldn’t afford to have contamination from minerals, fertilisers, or pesticides if we built lakes in this area, so farming practices would have to change. Alternatively, would it be possible to pipe seawater from the coast to a new Zero Brine Discharge Technology desalination plant in Tamworth?

The Government will need to lead the way

The NSW Government would have to be the first to shift all operations to TMC. The best way for the government to demonstrate its commitment would be for them to be the first to set up shop in Tamworth.

They could fund their relocation by selling all of their Sydney properties.

The TMC should be managed by the state rather than the local government

There are far too many problems in Australia with local government corruption, poor management standards, a lack of skills, and a lack of ratepayer confidence to have a semi-skilled council running what will be Australia’s largest City. The state government would run TMC, and any existing local government functions would be absorbed.

Create the world’s best public and paid transportation systems

TMC should be designed so that private vehicles have little to no access. Getting around the city should be safe for pedestrians first and foremost. Second, a commuter should not ever feel inconvenienced by their inability to drive themselves around the city. If we want the world to take notice, there should be a variety of options for getting from one end of the city to the other as quickly as possible, and all of these options should be zero emissions.

Start a conversation today

If you have thoughts on this matter that are similar or dissimilar to mine, please share them as soon as possible. The more we talk about it, the more likely it is that someone in authority will notice and run it up the flagpole.