This event welcomes all community members with concern about the local environment or the future of Albany’s urban growth – or any urban planning issue.

Albany has experienced unprecedented growth in recent years. The prevailing wisdom is that this is a good thing. However, this growth spurt is placing strain on infrastructure, water and housing. Furthermore, this is putting further pressure on what remains of Albany’s natural environment to make way for more roads and more suburbs.

As we wait on state planning recommendations for the future growth of North Albany and the fate of the Yakamia Forest, we need to ask the following questions:

Is it possible to plan for Albany’s future growth so that the lessons learnt from the Yakamia experience are not repeated?
Is future growth possible without impacting further on our natural environment or social amenities?
Or is it time we rethink Albany’s growth altogether?

In this special event hosted by Albany Community Environment Centre (ACEC), two experts share their perspectives, followed by a community Q&A.

Speakers:

Julie De Jong is the director and principal architect of H+H architects.

She will argue why it is imperative that we must rethink how we design our homes, communities and suburbs. She will provide some practical examples of how eco-friendly neighbourhoods can be achieved.

Michael Bayliss is the co-convenor of ACEC and host of the Post-Growth Australia Podcast.

He argues that the ongoing pursuit of growth is the root systemic cause of a host of environmental issues to which local conservation groups are continuously putting out the spotfires. He argues that we must learn when it is time to stop growing and why a transition to a degrowth or steady state society is imperative to a sustainable future.

Paul Kotsoglo is a town planner. Paul’s roles in the public and private sectors across a range of jurisdictions brings expertise and views which have been earned through experience. Distilling the complex to simple is what Paul aims to achieve. After close to 40 years in planning, Paul has recently transitioned from founder and managing director of a successful urban planning practice for 25 years, to photography and public art. With a role as an inaugural director of the arts company FORM - “Building a State of Creativity”, Paul is now applying his skills to creative practice.

Contact the host of Community Forum: How do We Plan for Albany's Growth?

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