Forecaz Platform Recognised at 2024 PIA Queensland Awards for Planning Excellence
- Team Forecaz
- Nov 8, 2024
- 3 min read
KEY TAKEAWAYS:
The City of Gold Coast's PUG model, powered by Sizztech's Forecaz platform and developed in collaboration with Griffith University, received a Commendation at the 2024 PIA Queensland Awards for Planning Excellence, with judges recognising the project's technical innovation in AI-driven urban growth forecasting.
The PUG model gives Gold Coast planners, stakeholders, and decision-makers a property-level, spatially sequenced forecast of residential and non-residential development, providing a defensible evidence base for infrastructure planning and investment decisions across one of Australia's fastest-growing cities.
The City of Gold Coast's Next Generation Planning and Urban Growth Modelling (PUG) project, built on the Forecaz platform, received a Commendation at the 2024 PIA Queensland Awards for Planning Excellence, with judges recognising the technical innovation the project delivers for planners, stakeholders, and decision-makers across one of Australia's fastest-growing cities.
A Night Celebrating Queensland Planning Excellence
The 2024 PIA Queensland Awards for Planning Excellence, hosted by Sharyn Ghidella, brought together Queensland's planning community to recognise the projects, programs, research, and ideas shaping the state's future. The evening included a keynote address from the Hon Jarrod Bleijie MP, Deputy Premier and Queensland's Planning Minister, marking his first industry address in the role. The event celebrated the full breadth of planning practice across Queensland, from policy and infrastructure to technology and community engagement.
The PUG Project Commendation
Among the recognised projects was the City of Gold Coast's Next Generation Planning and Urban Growth Modelling initiative, known as the PUG Model. The project received a Commendation from the judges, with recognition directed specifically at the level of technical innovation it represents for the planning profession. Andrew Saad from the City of Gold Coast led the project on council's side and accepted the Commendation on the night.
A Three-Way Collaboration
The PUG model was developed through a collaboration between the City of Gold Coast, Forecaz, and Griffith University's Griffith Institute for Human and Environmental Resilience (GIHER). The project brought together council planning expertise, Forecaz's AI-driven Forecaz platform, and Griffith University's research capability to produce a model that delivers a level of spatial and temporal detail not available through conventional growth forecasting methods.
What the PUG Model Delivers
The project applies the Forecaz platform to Gold Coast's urban growth modelling requirements, producing property-level, spatially sequenced forecasts of both residential and non-residential development across the city. The model combines council planning scheme data, GIS layers, development approvals, and existing land use information, then uses AI-driven propensity scoring to determine the likely sequence and scale of development across five-year projection periods out to 2051.
The result gives planners and infrastructure teams a detailed, evidence-based view of where and when growth will occur, at the individual parcel level, rather than relying on broad population projections applied across zoned areas. The PUG model's outputs have supported infrastructure network planning, dashboard development, and 3D Digital Twin frameworks that the City of Gold Coast team continues to build on top of the Forecaz platform.
Recognition That Reflects a Broader Shift
The judges' commendation reflects a broader shift in how the planning profession is approaching urban growth forecasting. AI-powered, property-level models are moving from experimental technology into mainstream planning practice. The PUG project demonstrates what is achievable when councils, technology providers, and academic institutions work together with a shared commitment to evidence-based decision-making.
Forecaz congratulates all award winners and commendation recipients from the 2024 PIA Queensland Awards for Planning Excellence.
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