Many hands, many actors, many ideas: unpacking Parramatta’s urban design

Date: Thursday, 18th September 2025

Time: 12:00pm - 1:00pm

Location: Civic Gallery, Level 4, Parramatta Library

This session investigates the change of a major urban place over-time and across policy and projects by the hands of many different actors. It examines the revitalisation of the Parramatta City Centre by exploring the challenges, opportunities and sometime surprising creative leaps, that deliver specific projects for major urban change. The four central blocks at the core of Parramatta’s centre are undergoing a significant transformation across a suite of city shaping infrastructure, public space and built form projects. These projects - Parramatta Square, Civic Link, City River Strategy, Parramatta Light Rail and Metro West – intersect within the core to bring together the actions of urban designers working within and for different government agencies and across different delivery pathways.

Chair

Deena Ridenour, University of Sydney, formerly Strategic Design, City of Parramatta

Speakers include:

Kelly Van Der Zanden, Group Manager City Design, City of Parramatta (Metro Precinct/Civic Link)

Philip Graus, PhD Candidate UNSW City Centres Research Centre; Adjunct Professor, UTS; former Director, Western City Deal, Greater Cities Commission.

Phillip Vivian, Managing Director, Bates Smart – urban design consultant for Metro West, Parramatta Station and Precinct.

Callantha Brigham, Director Strategy, Design and Delivery, Greater Sydney Parklands.

Gigi Lombardi, A/Director Urban Design, Public Transport and Precincts at Transport for NSW.