Emerging transport technologies could see Canberra become a dormitory suburb of Sydney, according to GHD Canberra and Southern NSW manager Jo Metcalfe, who has encouraged the capital's residents to approach the future with open-mindedness.
The professional services company this year celebrates 50 years in the ACT. Among the swag of projects to its name is work on the enlarged Cotter Dam, a redesign of the Royal Australian Mint and work in both the Old Parliament House and its new counterpart.
Ms Metcalfe said the company was looking to the future and working with the government to ensure essential services kept pace with expected population growth.
Hyperloop technology – a transport method promising to move passengers and goods at "airline speeds for the price of a bus ticket" – presented an opportunity for the capital, Ms Metcalfe said.
"I think our governments need to start thinking about Canberra as not just the national capital and not just a regional centre but what will effectively become a dormitory suburb for Sydney," she said.
"I think there's an inevitability about the fact that it will be … much harder to live in Sydney, and it already is much harder to live in Sydney.
"The liveability of a city like Canberra or a city like Wagga or even Goulburn if it ended up with a stop there is that you can just fit more into life and you can balance your life so much better."
Ms Metcalfe said good design and planning was key to maintaining Canberra's liveability status.
She said the City of Sydney provided a good example in how to encourage and incentivise development. And with a reasonably new population unburdened by nostalgia, Ms Metcalfe said the opportunities for high and medium-density growth in Canberra were apparent.
"I think it frees people's minds to say why not, and I think there needs to be more of that and more open-mindedness to try new things. You'll probably fail more often but you'll succeed sooner if you're allowed to do more. I think communities that have a 'don't build anything here ever'-type attitude will be the poorer for it.
"I think the government's doing a good job at imagining it but I think they've got a way to go to change the culture within the bureaucracy to keep up with that vision."
GHD's current major projects include the Australian National University's Union Court redevelopment and the ACT Healthy Waterways project.