Chats for the Goals: Can we make Sydney a Cool Green City?

Dr Peter Irga, Ralph Fares, Gabby Duani will share insights into urban green spaces and enhancing urban biodiversity, from their experience in environmental science, air quality, and green infrastructure. Their approach integrates living infrastructure with nature-based design to reduce urban heat, support biodiversity, and improve public wellbeing. Peter, Ralph, and Gabby will explore what are the best ways to retrofit existing spaces and shape new developments to embed nature within the built environment. 

Solutions such as green roofs, biosolar systems, and adaptable public spaces will be discussed as part of a broader shift toward regenerative, environmentally responsive cities. The presentation will highlight two flagship research projects that exemplify this work. 

The first is Lend Lease’s Daramu House in Barangaroo, where Peter led Australia’s first biosolar green roof study funded by the City of Sydney. This project showed how combining solar panels with vegetation improves energy efficiency, reduces heat, filters stormwater, and boosts rooftop biodiversity Green Roof & Solar Array – Comparative Research Project.

The second project investigates a series of modular green infrastructure installations across Western Sydney, developed by Future Village and funded by the NSW Office of the Chief Scientist and Engineer. These lightweight garden trays turned hard surfaces into cool, vibrant community spaces, achieving temperature reductions of up to 14°C in areas like Auburn and Parramatta Square. Together, these projects demonstrate scalable, research-backed strategies for enhancing urban resilience through integrated green infrastructure.

This event is part of UTS Global Goals Month 2025, and is presented by UTS Sustainability and UTS BUILD. Explore more of the Global Goals Month program here.