Permeable Pavements for a Resilient Urban Future: Stormwater, Tree Health & Greening

This half-day program brings together leading experts in engineering, urban design, horticulture, and policy to explore the role of permeable pavements in creating cooler, greener, and more resilient cities. Sessions cover the fundamentals of stormwater management, the link between urban heat and tree health, and innovations in permeable kerbs and pavement systems.

Speakers will provide insights into the economic feasibility, policy challenges, and real-world applications of permeable infrastructure across Australia. The program also highlights Porous Lane’s solution and concludes with an open Q&A panel, offering participants the chance to engage directly with experts. Networking opportunities over coffee and lunch ensure valuable connections throughout the morning.

Any profits from the event will be donated to Greenpeace Australia.

Program

Time | Session & Speaker

---------|------------------------------------------------------

9:00–9:20 | Setting the Foundation: Stormwater & Permeable Pavements

| Dale Browne, E2Designlab

| ✔ Stormwater-sensitive design

| ✔ Role of infiltration & pavements

| ✔ Policy & implementation

9:20–9:40 | How Permeable Paving Protects Cities from Heat

| Thami Croeser, RMIT University

| ✔ Canopy for heat mitigation

| ✔ Planting density

| ✔ Longer-lived trees

9:40–10:00 | Porosity & Tree-Based Ecosystem Services

| Mohammad Rahman, UniMelb

| ✔ Sealing & urban heat

| ✔ Tree stress impacts

| ✔ Drought & climate

10:00–10:20 | Hydrological Performance of Permeable Kerbs

| Chris Szota, UniMelb

| ✔ Trees in stormwater

| ✔ Large volume infiltration

| ✔ Kerb performance

10:20–10:40 | Morning Coffee Break – Network & Refresh

10:40–11:00 | Economic Feasibility of Permeable Pavements

| Kym Whiteoak, Canopy Economics

| ✔ Economic analysis

| ✔ Asset management

11:00–11:20 | Policy & Practice in Residential Developments

| Yashar Nikpayam, ORANIK Consulting

| ✔ Barriers & challenges

| ✔ Pathways to reform

11:20–11:35 | Real-World Successes Across Australia

| Mahdi Disfani, UniMelb

| ✔ Site conditions & design

| ✔ Assessment framework

| ✔ Waste tyre kerbs

11:35–11:45 | Porous Lane’s Solution – Team Presentation

| ✔ Product capabilities

11:45–12:00 | Open Q&A – All Speakers

12:00–12:30 | Light Lunch & Networking

Speakers

Dale Browne Senior - Principal Engineer, E2DESIGNLAB

Dale is an environmental engineer practicing in water sensitive urban design. Dale has helped shape policy for stormwater and develop the industry through guidelines, training and tools to align with evolution and changes in the science. Recently, Dale has been at the forefront of the industry shift from managing stormwater pollutants to managing both stormwater flow volumes and pollutants to better protect our waterways. 

Dr Thami Croeser - Vice Chancellor’s Postdoctoral Research Fellow, RMIT University

Dr Thami Croeser is an urban planner with a focus on bringing nature back into cities in practical ways, at large scale. He actively advocates for cities to convert heavily asphalted streetscapes into tree-lined green corridors, to give us a chance of handling future heatwaves and floods, and reconnect urban residents with native flora and fauna. Thami’s highly applied research approach blends urban design, urban greening and geospatial analysis to show how cities can accelerate policy implementation in urban forestry, climate adaptation and urban ecology.

Dr Mohammad Rahman - Senior Lecturer in Urban Horticulture, University of Melbourne

Mohammad Rahman is a Senior Lecturer in Urban Horticulture at the University of Melbourne. He holds a Ph.D. from the University of Manchester, where he studied ecosystem services from urban greenspaces at the microscale. He has held research positions at the University of Hull and the Technical University of Munich and has published over 50 peer-reviewed articles and delivered more than 40 lectures and talks internationally. His research focuses on plant physiology and tree responses to environmental factors, with a particular interest in modelling how climate change will affect tree growth, physiology, and the delivery of ecosystem services, supporting the development of sustainable, climate-resilient cities.

Chris Szota - Lecturer at The University of Melbourne

Dr Chris Szota is a Lecturer in Urban Forestry at The University of Melbourne where he works on designing green stormwater infrastructure to support vegetation and mitigate the impact of stormwater runoff on urban waterways. He has worked on a range of green stormwater infrastructure technologies, including green roofs, biofiltration systems, street tree systems and constructed wetlands.

Kym Whiteoak - Founder, Canopy Economics and Policy

Kym Whiteoak is the Founder of Canopy Economics and Policy, and is an experienced economist with 20 years’ experience in the financial and economic assessment of investments in the water and environmental sectors, particularly related to integrated water management (IWM).  Topics for assessment include rainwater tanks, rain gardens, stormwater reuse, and recycled water.  Kym has assessed the financial and economic feasibility of Porous Lane material in different contexts, in comparison with many of these IWM options. Kym’s training includes a Masters in Environmental Management from the Australian National University (ANU), as well as degrees in Economics and Arts with First Class Honours in Government. 

Yashar Nikpayam. Chartered Structural and Civil Engineer, Founder Oranik Consulting

Yashar Nikpayam is the Founder and Director of Oranik Consulting Engineers, a Melbourne-based structural and civil consultancy known for its creative, efficient, and climate-conscious design solutions. With over 25 years of experience spanning residential and light commercial projects, Yashar combines deep technical expertise with innovative thinking to deliver structures that are practical, buildable, and designed to last for generations.

Driven by a desire to improve industry standards, Yashar founded Oranik to offer more thoughtful engineering,  reducing waste, avoiding unnecessary materials, and design for long-term value. His leadership style is collaborative and hands-on, empowering his team while staying closely engaged with clients and project partners.

A certified Passive House consultant and signatory to the Builder Alliance Pledge, Yashar is committed to creating low-carbon buildings that make a meaningful contribution to people, communities, and the planet. He believes in leading by example — mentoring engineers, challenging convention, and raising the bar for sustainable practice in the built environment.

Prof. Mahdi Disfani - Professor of Geotechnical Engineering, University of Melbourne

Mahdi currently serves as Professor of Geotechnical Engineering in the Department of Infrastructure Engineering and con-founder of Porous Lane a UoM spin-off in circular economy space. 

Mahdi has made significant technical contributions to the field of Geotechnical Engineering, and he leads major research activities in collaboration with government agencies and industry. He has demonstrated research impact through translation of his research as a co-founder of Porus Lane, leading the start-up through to initial capital raising to full commercialisation.