Adelaide as an international city
The Adelaide City Council is the Capital City Council for South Australia, covering the suburbs of Adelaide and North Adelaide, including the nationally heritage-listed Adelaide Park Lands.
Adelaide City is the fastest-growing council region in South Australia. The City’s overnight population as at June 2011 was estimated at 29,767, a 50 per cent increase compared to 2001. Between July 2008 and June 2011, an estimated 2,806 permanent residents moved to the City, bringing the total figure to 21,796, a 64 per cent increase since 2001.
This growth complements the South Australian Government’s 30 Year Plan for Greater Adelaide. Over the next twenty years, the City will change as we increase our population through the addition of more than 15,000 new dwellings and 50,000 new jobs. As Adelaide grows in size it will encounter a range of challenges and opportunities which, no doubt, will be faced by many other cities around the world. International partnerships will help provide Adelaide with the knowledge and support required to develop a liveable, competitive and sustainable City.
“The Adelaide City centre is the hub of peak services, including financial, legal and educational facilities, and is the heart of cultural, retail and entertainment facilities. The City already has a compact footprint and a wide range of mixed and complementary uses, which are necessary for a sustainable and dynamic future.”
- South Australian Government, Greater Plan for Adelaide
The City hosts six major university campuses, including three institutions from overseas. City educational and vocational training institutions have seen an 80 per cent increase in enrolled students from approx. 50,000 in 2001 to more than 90,000 in 2009. International students continue to play an important role in driving demand for increased services in the education sector.
Adelaide’s Central Business District acts as a vibrant heart to the City, attracting approximately 130,500 employees daily, a 20 per cent increase from 2006. A diverse range of industries are located in the City. These include retail, education, tourism, finance and insurance, government, administration services, health and creative digital technology industries. The diversity of businesses and workforce, coupled with the City’s accessibility and vibrancy, makes Adelaide an intelligent location in which to do business.
Adelaide is known as the Festival City and its program of festivals and major events draws thousands of visitors into the city every year. Adelaide hosts an array of internationally recognised events, including the Adelaide Fringe, Adelaide Festival, Adelaide Film Festival, and WOMADelaide, which contribute to the liveability and vibrancy of the City. The renowned cycling event, the Tour Down Under, has officially been recognised by the UCI World Tour as a Pro Tour race.
The Economist rates Adelaide as the number one business travel destination in Australia and number three in the world. Adelaide is also ranked consistently by The Economist as one of the world’s top ten most liveable cities.
About Sister Cities
The Sister Cities Movement is a worldwide concept which originated soon after World War II.
National Sister Cities efforts were independently started on many different continents, with the same goal: to help develop enduring networks of communications between the cities of the world to cut across boundaries and reduce polarisation among nations.
The purpose of the Sister Cities program is to increase international understanding and foster world peace by furthering international communication and exchange at the person-to-person level through City-to-City affiliation.
In Australia 190 municipalities have over 322 affiliations overseas. Sister Cities Australia keeps a register of all Australian affiliations, encourages their extension, and provides the link between each Australian Sister City and the many projects and ideas that have been experienced here and abroad. Their web site provides a wide range of information about the Sister Cities Movement in Australia. The Association also runs a National Awards program each year to recognise the achievements of successful Sister City projects and to provide recognition of such efforts.
For further information:
» Sister Cities International
» Sister Cities Australia
