About the Conference
The 5th International Urban Design Conference will be held at the Hilton on the Park in Melbourne from Monday the 10th to Wednesday 12th of September 2012.
The International Urban Design Conference was established in 2007. Since then over 390 presenters have shared their knowledge in developing a range of themes including, Resilience in Urban Design 2011, Designing the Future 2010, Waves of Change - Cities at Crossroads 2009 and Survival: implementing tomorrow's city 2007.
OPPORTUNISTIC URBAN DESIGN - 2012
If the act of planning is to legitimise 'what should be done', opportunistic design thinking seeks to action 'what can be done'. Indeed, the focus of planning may enable it to be read as one form of catalyst for thinking opportunistically. That is, a process of creative thinking leading to more flexible, more inventive and more contextually responsive strategies of intervention into the urban environment.
City leaders in Australia and internationally are , to varying degrees, endeavouring to respond to the aftermath of the GFC, effects of climate change, dramatic population movements, peak oil speculation, emerging social media and the influences on how we socialise and connect with each other, and a search for meaning (to name a few !).
Growth, flux, and decay are inherent aspects of urban systems. As changing financial, political, environmental, technical and social conditions influence urban life, it is apparent that urban design will have to become increasingly opportunistic and creative in approach, formulation and delivery.
This trend is manifesting itself across a broad range of disciplines, scales and intents. It is most popularly evident in innovative place making projects and strategies such as the High Line in NYC, tactical urbanism, a multiplicity of fluid uses of public spaces (eg pop ups).
The conference will focus on ideas and projects that are visionary despite, or maybe because of, the current context.
The 2012 Platinum Sponsor is the Department of Planning and Community Development, Victorian Government. |
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The Conference attracts delegates from a wide range of backgrounds including:
| Policy makers | Social planners | Town Planners |
| Politicians | Architects | Urban Designers |
| Senior public servants | Landscape Architects | Consultants |
| City Governance personnel | Engineers | Demographers |
| Development Industry | Academics | Researchers |
| Infrastructure Fund Managers | Economic Commentators |
Keynote Speakers
Alan Saunders - Keynote & Moderator
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Award winning broadcaster and writer Alan Saunders is host of The Comfort Zone, an ABC radio programme which debates and celebrates the cultural significance of food, design, architecture and landscape. In 1998, The Comfort Zone was awarded the Adrian Ashton Award for architectural journalism by the New South Wales chapter of the Royal Australian Institute of Architects and in 1999 it won the Bates Smart Award of the Victorian chapter.
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The Conference committee is building a list of keynote speakers based on delegate suggestions and the proposed theme in 2012. Full details will be published here in late November.
Committee
| Sue Wood, Co-Chair, Assistant Director Urban Design, Department of Planning and Community Development (VIC) |
| Craig Gillette, Principal Urban Designer, Department of Planning and Community Development (VIC) |
| Kelvin Walsh, Director City Sustainability, Hume City Council (VIC) |
| Gay Williamson, Manager, Design Policy, Planning Services Branch , ACT Government (ACT) |
| Darren Bilsborough, Managing Director, Cminus Sustainable Spaces (SA) |
| Geoff Barker, Managing Dircetor, PM+D ARCHITECTS P/L (WA/NT) |
| Michael Neustein, Director, Neustein Urban (NSW) |
| Alistair Ray, Associate Principal - Head of Urban Design, Jasmax, New Zealand (NZ) |
| Peter Sugg, Urban Design Australia Conference (QLD) |
