UNSW Built Environment: Utzon Lecture “Sydney 2030 Vision” now on UNSWTV

The second installment of the 2011 Utzon Lecture Series “Sydney 2030 Vision” by Clover Moore MP, Lord Mayor City of Sydney is now available for viewing on UNSWTV.

The lecture can be viewed by clicking the icon below.

UNSW Built Environment: 2011 Melbourne Planning Summit

The 2011 Melbourne Planning Summit is now open for registration.

This two day event will be held on 18 and 19  May. Speakers will discuss and review the future direction of metropolitan planning in Melbourne in the wake of the recent state election.

This summit will provide analysis of future urban planning policy, the examination of how to achieve sustainable planning solutions for Melbourne’s growing population and the presentation of case studies of innovative and successful planning solutions.

For more information on this event please visit the 2011 Melbourne Planning Summit page.

UNSW Built Environment: Clover Moore MP, Lord Mayor City of Sydney presents Utzon Lecture “Sydney 2030 Vision”

The second installment of the UNSW Built Environment Utzon Lecture Series is being held tomorrow night. The lecture, titled “Sydney 2030 Vision” will be given by Clover Moore MP, Lord Mayor City of Sydney.

Date: Wednesday 6^th April, 2011

Refreshments: 6.15pm – 6.45pm, Foyer area, AGSM Building, UNSW Kensington campus

Lecture: 7.00pm – 8.00pm

Venue: John B Reid Theatre, AGSM Building

Cost: Free

Download a UNSW campus map here.

Clover Moore MP has been an Independent Member of the New South Wales Parliament since 1988 and Lord Mayor of Sydney since 2004. The first popularly elected female Lord Mayor of Sydney, she was re-elected in 2008 with an increased majority.

Throughout her public life, Clover Moore has pursued appropriate sustainable development, better residential and urban amenity, increased open space, improved public transport, action to protect our environment and address climate change, open and accountable government and social justice.

As Lord Mayor she leads Sydney’s City Council to implement Sustainable Sydney 2030, the City’s strategic plan to secure Sydney’s future as a competitive global city and one of the world’s leading green liveable cities.

Please RSVP for this event today to fbeevents@unsw.edu.au

UNSW Built Environment: Resilience in Urban Design

4th International Urban Design Conference 2011

Would you like to contribute to the debate on resilient cities? The 4th International Urban Design Conference is calling for abstract submissions from those who are interested in presenting at the 2011 conference. This year’s theme is Resilience in Urban Design through measures such as supported interconnectivity, appropriate densification within urban footprints, multiple transit modes and walkability, socially inclusive design, economic resilience, and adaptive built environments.

Resilience in Urban Design is a chance to reinforce and highlight these resilient solutions for our citywide planning, design & infrastructure – to be able to successfully address emerging challenges brought about by climate change, peak oil crisis, population growth, social disengagement, technological disparity, rising pollution and waste, demands on food production, rising carbon emissions, and diminishing habitat and biodiversity.

Authors or organisations interested in submitting a paper or presenting a workshop are invited to submit an abstract of no more than 250 words outlining the aims, contents and conclusions of their paper or presentation; or about their intended role in a workshop.

Abstracts close at the end of April, however due to the long Easter break you may want to submit yours soon.

For more information on submission details, please visit the International Urban Design Conference website.

 

UNSW Built Environment Research: Laura Goh

Hi Everyone,

Well it’s already the end of Semester 1 and so much as happened since my last post in November 2009! The biggest news – I AM BACK AT UNSW! No, no don’t panic – I didn’t fail my undergraduate thesis…actually I have just started my PhD!

The first questions most people ask me when they hear that I am in my sixth straight year of uni is ‘Are you mad?’ Well, actually – yes I am (obviously). So why did I decide to do the PhD? Well, whilst writing my undergraduate thesis I felt that I didn’t have enough time to explore all the aspects that I wanted to on my topic area. My supervisors encouraged me to think about turning my undergraduate work into something bigger, as well as apply for a post-graduate research scholarship. For anyone thinking about postgraduate research degrees check out the UNSW Graduate Research School Website or UNSW BE Future Students page .

I have been offered an Australian Postgraduate Award Scholarship for three years, which will help to cover my living expenses whilst I am doing my PhD. I don’t think it would have been possible for me to do the PhD without the scholarship – so I am very thankful for the support. I have a desk in the lovely new PhD Lab in the Red Centre. We have a fabulous view of the University Walk and the Village Green, as well as our own little kitchen for heating up our lunches and making millions of cups of tea (note: this blogger is a tea-addict).

At the moment I am at uni four days a week and still working as a planner one day a week. I have started doing some lecturing and tutoring work for a couple of the undergraduate planning subjects, which is a lot of fun! I was even luck enough to go up to Kurri Kurri with the Third Year students on their strategic planning field trip!

Lots more soon – I think it’s time for a cup of tea!

UNSW Built Environment Planning: Christina Livers

The fourth year planners are almost there…work experience is coming to a close, only a few more weeks to go!

The year has encompassed many different elements (learning to manage the workload, liaising with clients, going on site visits, attending meetings and preparing reports to name but a few) of which when pieced together create a truly valuable experience. To have been given the opportunity to be part of the planning profession before having graduated is an opportunity that we are all very fortunate to have had. I have gained a greater understanding of how all of the theory which I have learned at uni over the past few years is applied in practice. I have had the opportunity to develop my skills and learn from many experienced professionals- some of whom are past graduates of the BPlan. As well as this, those who have mentored me while on work experience have been instrumental in my progress throughout the year. I have experienced first hand the importance of professional development from those who have mentored me, as it is under their guidance that I have been able to reflect and enhance my skills.

Even though work experience is coming to a close, the journey continues as planning is forever changing and the management of this change is fundamental to reaching good planning outcomes for the community at large. I will absolutely take all of the skills which I have learned over the course of work experience with me as I go back to university to complete the BPlan. It is with positivity and enthusiasm that I will approach the final semesters of uni, as work experience has given me a taste of the profession- I am now even more so keen to graduate. I look forward to contributing everything which I have learned as a graduate and perhaps join those who have mentored me as a professional.

UNSW Built Environment Bachelor of Planning: Christina Livers

Hi everyone!

I hope you all had a wonderful summer break! Welcome to all the new students at UNSW, especially those commencing the BPlan- good choice!

It is that time of year again… uni is just beginning for the year and everyone is catching up after the summer break. However, the work experience program continues for the fourth year students. We are now 9 months in and the time has absolutely flown by. It has been a great experience to be immersed in the planning profession everyday for the past 9 months, as it has afforded me a greater perspective of the industry as a whole and allowed me to gain direction as to the area of planning I aspire to be involved in.

I have had the opportunity to witness different aspects of planning including policy and development assessment. This has allowed me to see how planning policy is formulated and how this transfers to the development assessment process, where it is used to determine whether a development application is permissible. This is one of the great aspects of the BPlan as it gives you the opportunity to see planning in practice!

I have also gained great insight into the profession as I have had the chance to see planning issues arise and become resolved so that a good outcome is achieved. This has been a very rewarding experience and a privilege to be part of. In addition to this, having the opportunity to be involved in discussions at meetings has been a beneficial part of work experience. I have also been given the responsibility of managing my own projects. There have also been some great site visits along the way- always a great adventure!

The work experience component of the degree sets it apart from other undergraduate planning degrees as it gives students practical experience in the industry before graduating- and it looks great on your CV! It also gives you a greater perspective on planning issues which you can take into the final year of the degree, and is a wonderful way to make contacts within the industry!

That’s all from me for the moment- I will definitely keep you posted and let you know what transpires over the next few months in the forever changing world of planning.

UNSW Built Environment Planning: Spray Away – Jessica Irons (Planning 09)

Spray Away: Making the case for legal graffiti as a legitimate form of public art in Sydney

Jessica Irons, Bachelor of Planning

Graffiti is increasingly being recognised by both professionals and the general public as having the potential to be used as a legitimate form of public art.  Graffiti’s history is firmly ingrained in the streets, providing the art form with a unique suitability for use in public domain projects.  One of the challenges faced by planners, artists and local authorities is that of differentiating between the legal and illegal forms of the practice, as well as educating the public on how the graffiti sub-culture can positively impact upon the community through youth engagement, development of young artists’ skills, and increased community pride and ownership.  This thesis will strengthen the case for the use of graffiti in public art projects in Sydney through a survey of existing policies, initiatives and projects relating to graffiti management in metropolitan Sydney. It involves an examination of tools and resources available to local councils that provide a context for the principles and actions necessary for implementing successful graffiti projects.  National and international case studies offer examples of how graffiti can be used successfully within the public art context with important implications for Sydney.

UNSW Built Environment Alumni: Community Art as a means of Place-Making for Culturally Divers Communities

Rhonda Jamleoui, Planning 09

The creation and promotion of public space is seen as a powerful opportunity to generate cultural engagement within a community despite a lack of understanding which planners and local communities often have for changing demographics in established neighbourhoods and their resistance to new cultural expressions. The role of creating culturally influenced public spaces is to alleviate isolation and the fracturing of community life by bringing together people from culturally diverse backgrounds. The thesis is an investigation of the creation of place through community art. The research will focus on the design and implementation of community art projects which allow local people to express their culture and local stories through a collaborative process in which all local stakeholders take part. The thesis investigates three case studies:  Greenacre Town Centre Improvement Art program, Llandilo Multicultural Footprints and Nelson Park Upgrade. All three projects illustrate the ways in which communities can come together to improve their local neighbourhood, creatively address local issues and eliminate cultural barriers through promotion of public space. Community art projects allow local people to take pride in where they live, create a sense of place and provide a level of ownership which empowers them to care and maintain for their local area.

UNSW Built Environment Event: Urban Futures – Planning Graduation Exhibition

Well! It’s all over!

The collective sigh of the 5th Years was audible last Tuesday as posters went up and hair was let down. As part of the thesis project, each 5th Year had to produce an iconic image that best represented their thesis. These images were then blown up and presented next to each thesis abstract, over which the students, their parents and the academic staff pored and pondered. Although we had grumbled about preparing the iconic images during the intense study environment that was the thesis project, the fruits of our labours were realised in the exhibits and the associated end-of-year booklet. If you haven’t yet grabbed a copy of the ‘Urban Futures’ booklet (how aptly titled), make sure you get your hands on one. It certainly inspired some envious comments at work.

Of course, it wasn’t all about the 5th years. The exhibit included  amazing work from the students in the Urban and Regional Design, Images of Sydney and History, Heritage and the Built Environment electives. Urban Futures was thus a showcase of the talent within the Planning branch of the Built Environment, and I know that all of the students that I spoke were impressed with what they saw. My parents also enjoyed it (and how rare is it to find something that parents and students enjoy?).

Many thanks to the academic staff and administrative support staff for organising and encouraging this event and others like it at UNSW – it feels nice to know we leave with more than just a degree. To all planning students, best of luck in the future! And to the 5th years – we made it!

Alec Tzannes (Dean of Built Environment) and Peter Williams (Head of Planning program)