From new Census data to urban planning and emerging energy markets, learn more about the society we live in at these free events.
Western Sydney University: 2016 Census data seminar
1 August, 2017
Find out what the 2016 Census of Population and Housing tells us about ourselves, our communities and Australia.
Planning Institute of Australia – Planning and NSW Land Rights Act 1983: Improving practice
3 August, 2017
Local Aboriginal Land Councils (LALCs) are significant land owners in NSW. One of the intentions of the original act and its subsequent amendments has been for LALCs to use this land for purposes of economic development. In many cases this has been very difficult, largely due to planning issues.
Festival of Urbanism – Emergent cities
4 August, 2017
City Size and Inequality
Applying scaling laws and complex system models to Australian data illuminates the relationships between city size, economic inequality and urbanisation.
Smart Cities
This talk delves into the spread of smart city practices and promises around the world questioning how we can build telecommunication infrastructure into strategic planning.
Barangaroo: Machiavellian megaproject or erosion of intent?
Join Mike Harris, University of Sydney PhD candidate as he focuses on mixed-use mega projects in Australia and Denmark.
University of Sydney – Space, social conflict, and the future of urban society
4 August, 2017
Professor Michael Herzfeld will argue that gentrification is the tip of a much larger iceberg, called ‘development’. Using examples from Thailand, China, Greece, and Italy, he will demonstrate how short-sighted policies are creating an increasingly disenfranchised and resentful under-class.
Western Sydney University – Heritage in North Parramatta
9 August, 2017
Five expert speakers and a local community member will frame the historical significance of the North Parramatta heritage precinct, examine the appetite for redevelopment and unpack the various tensions that exist, as well as consider potential solutions. How can planning ensure the city keeps pace with changing needs and still maintain heritage conservation at its’ heart?
Kaldor Centre for International Refugee Law – Out of Syria, searching for safety: Creative approaches to refugee protection
9 August, 2017
In this panel discussion, three experts will provide their insights into what is working and what is needed – in host countries in the Middle East, Europe and Australia.
- Discover how UNHCR Lebanon representative Mireille Girard is working to protect and assist Syrian refugees in the immediate region;
- Hear how Italy’s church-led Humanitarian Corridors from Syria provide safer pathways to protection, from the Kaldor Centre’s Dr Claire Higgins; and
- Get a first-hand account from Omar Al Kassab, a Syrian refugee, activist and humanitarian campaigner.
Festival of Urbanism - Insights from the Urban Housing Lab: Researchers and practitioners in conversation
10 August, 2017
In this session, Professor Nicole Gurran the University of Sydney, shines new light on contemporary housing and urban policy problems and potential solutions. This is followed by a discussion with Dr Deborah Dearing, Greater Sydney Commission, Gavin Tonnet, Stockland and Ned Cutcher, Tenants’ Union of NSW who discuss further research and policy priorities. Official welcome by the Minister for Planning Hon. MP Anthony Roberts.
Centre for Independent Studies – Evidence-based policy: Why is progress so slow?
5 August, 2017
The expression 'Evidence-based policy' rolls off the tongue easily, but if it was as easily done as said, we’d have it by now. Evidence-based policy has been agonisingly slow going because to do it effectively it needs to be done in a way that is integrated into programs, is highly collaborative and generates monitoring and evaluation outputs that are publicly reported in as close to real time as possible.
Join us to hear from economist, Nicholas Gruen and CIS Research Fellow Sara Hudson, about what can be done to embed evidence-based policy into practice.
UTSpeaks: Australia’s new energy ecosystem
17 August, 2017
Can the transition to renewable and decentralised energy create a clean and affordable future for us all? Join Audrey Zibelman and UTS experts for an inspiring and urgent conversation about the future of energy in Australia.
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