Planning the public city: Tackling wicked problems in the Nation’s Capital and region

Date: Thursday, 31st October 2024

Time: 11:00am—2:30pm

Location: Shine Dome, 15 Gordon St, Canberra ACT 2601

Canberra is the quintessential public city. Our “Bush Capital” planned from its inception by Walter Burley Griffin and Marion Mahoney Griffin, Canberra is also Australia’s largest inland city, situated within an enviably diverse natural environment renowned for its liveability. However, dramatically detrimental effects are occurring due to climate change. These, combined with a rapidly growing population and a legacy of out-dated pre-climate-change policies and plans, result in wicked problems that compromise the region’s appeal and threaten its precious ecology.

Recognising the disconnections arising from these wicked problems, and the connections needed to solve them, is a complex, challenging but essential task. Listen to an eminent panel of speakers explore these themes and engage in the wider discussion.

This event is co-hosted with the Planning Institute of Australia.

Panel

Christian Hampson, CEO and Lead Design, CO-Founder of Yarrabingin

Matt Collins, CEO, Planning Institute of Australia

Dr Julian Raxworthy, Associate Professor and Discipline Lead: Landscape Architecture, University of Canberra

Dr Hitomi Nakanishi, International Sustainable Transport Planner, Associate Professor, University of Canberra, Adjunct Senior Research Fellow, Kagawa University, Japan, and Affiliate Academic, University College London, UK.

Dr Paul Wyrwoll, Director, Centre for Water Economics, Environment and Policy, Crawford School of Public Policy and Fellow, Institute for Water Futures, Australian National University  

Facilitators

Dr Maxine Cooper, Fellow PIA, ACT PIA Committee, Fellow EIANZ, Adjunct Professor University of Canberra, Chair ACT & Region Catchment Management Coordination Group, Chair Landcare ACT, Deputy Chair National Landcare Network

Thomas Carburry, PIA, ACT PIA Committee, Senior Planner - Urban Communities, SMEC

Festival of Public Urbanism 2024

Great cities are defined by the quality of their public realm. From parks to civic architecture, well designed public infrastructure supports and enables the social, cultural, and economic dimensions of urban life. But are these public assets, along with public processes of urban governance and planning, under attack? Over the past fifty years key legacies of the modern urban project – such as publicly funded housing and urban infrastructure; or comprehensive planning for new development – have been eroded by waves of political and economic reform. Faith in market based ‘solutions’ has reduced public planning processes to ‘red tape’ and replaced public investment in rental housing with subsidies for private investors and households. At the same time, digital transformation under ‘platformisation’ has seen private corporations able to evade domestic regulations, disrupting every facet of urban life and governance.

The Festival of Public Urbanism will debate these topics and more. Join us to engage with academics, activists, politicians, industry leaders through our program of panel discussions, walking tours, and podcasts across Sydney and Australia.