Are we ready for the next global pandemic? Cities, architecture, and public health
Description
Are we ready for the next global pandemic? Cities, architecture, and public health
Date: Wednesday, 09 September 2026
Time: 12:00pm - 1:00pm
Location: Nelson Meers Foundation Auditorium, Chau Chak Wing Museum
Has our planning for the built environment adjusted since the lessons of the global Pandemic? Unfortunately, questions about how our built environment influences public health measures during outbreaks and pandemics remain largely unanswered. This panel explores how architects and public health professionals can work together to address political and ethical challenges associated with built environments during outbreaks and pandemics. Considerations range from the design and performance of residential and public buildings through to transport, open space/playgrounds, and infrastructure.
Speakers
Dr Barnaby Bennett, Principal Design Advisor, Government Architect NSW
Professor Justin Denholm, Medical Director, Victorian Tuberculosis Program, Melbourne Health
Dr Jane Williams, Research Fellow, University of Sydney
Dr Hannes Frykholm, Lecturer in Architecture, University of Sydney
Chair by:
Dr Diego S. Silva, Associate Professor of Bioethics, Sydney Health Ethics, University of Sydney School of Public Health
Lineup
Dr Barnaby Bennett
Dr Barnaby Bennett is Principal Design Advisor with Government Architect NSW, where he manages the State Design Review Panel program and provides design advice on housing, urban development, infrastructure and public space projects across New South Wales. He holds a PhD in post-disaster urbanism, with a particular focus on temporary urbanism, community recovery and the role of public life in rebuilding cities after disaster. Barnaby was Creative Director of the Sydney Architecture Festival and the Festival of Transitional Architecture (FESTA) in Christchurch, New Zealand. He is also the founder of Freerange Press, an independent publisher dedicated to architecture, cities and contemporary culture.
Professor Justin Denholm
Professor Justin Denholm is the Medical Director of the Victorian Tuberculosis Program. Justin is an infectious diseases physician and ethicist, and is actively involved in clinical and public health research and supervision relating to a range of infectious diseases. He is a Senior Staff Specialist at the Victorian Infectious Diseases Service at the Royal Melbourne Hospital, and Professorial Research Fellow in the Department of Infectious Diseases at the University of Melbourne. He is also Chair of the Ethics Advisory Group of the International Union against Tuberculosis and Lung Disease, and the Deputy Chair of the National Tuberculosis Advisory Committee.
Dr Jane Williams
Dr Jane Williams is a Research Fellow at School of Public Health at the University of Sydney, and affiliated with the Australian Centre for Health Engagement, Evidence and Values at the University of Wollongong. She was previously an APPRISE Research Fellow at Sydney Health Ethics at the University of Sydney, specialising in public health ethics and policy. Jane specialises in public health ethics, and conducts empirical research using qualitative methodologies. Current research interests include: vaccination, disaster preparedness, research ethics.
Dr Hannes Frykholm
Dr Hannes Frykholm is an architect, researcher and lecturer at University of Sydney School of Architecture, Design and Planning. He holds a PhD in architecture from the Royal Institute of Technology (KTH) in Stockholm, Sweden. His research explores how existing residential buildings and infrastructures can be transformed to provide more shared but undefined space, addressing the challenges of high-density cities without demolition.
Dr Diego S. Silva
Diego Silva is an Associate Professor of Bioethics at Sydney Health Ethics and the University of Sydney School of Public Health. His research centres on public health ethics, particularly the application of political theory in the context of infectious diseases and health security. He is a Member and the Past-Chair of the Public Health Ethics Consultative Group at the Public Health Agency of Canada and works with the World Health Organization on various public health ethics topics on an ad hoc basis.
Festival of translocal Urbanism 2026
Sydney Festival 7-11 September
National events September – October 2026
Translocality describes the interconnectedness between different places and people, beyond national boundaries. The circulation of people, goods, knowledge and capital, though an ancient process, is facilitated and impacted by new technologies, bringing new opportunities and challenges for cities and regions. Increasingly important, a translocal lens highlights these deep and intersecting relationships between people and places over time – from the legacies of colonisation and environmental change to contemporary patterns of migration and cultural diversity. Through panel discussions, debates, exhibitions, and tours, and featuring thought leaders from academia, the arts, industry, and civil society, the 2026 Festival of translocal Urbanism examines and celebrates the complex social, economic and environmental connections between local and global communities.
Tickets for good, not greed Humanitix dedicates 100% of profits from booking fees to charity
