The fifth International Urban Design Conference will be held at the Hilton on the Park hotel, Melbourne, from Monday, September 10 to Wednesday, September 12, 2012. The conference will focus on ideas and projects that are visionary despite, or maybe because of, the current context.
The International Urban Design Conference was established in 2007. Since then, more than 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).
Keynote speaker and moderator is award-winning broadcaster and writer Alan Saunders, host of The Comfort Zone, an ABC radio program 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.
Invited and confirmed speakers at the conference include Amanda M. Burden, FAICP, honorary member, AIA chair of the New York City Planning Commission and director of the Department of City Planning.
Also in attendance will be Mayor Bob Parker, Christchurch, New Zealand; Dorte Ekelund, executive director, Major Cities Unit, Department of Infrastructure and Transport; Andrew Tongue, departmental secretary, Department of Planning and Community Development, Victorian Government; Marcus Westbury, founder of Renew Australia, a new national social enterprise designed to catalyse community renewal, economic development, the arts and creative industries across Australia; and Maha Sinnathamby, chairman, Springfield Land Corporation, Qld.
The call for abstract submissions is now open and will close on May 14, 2012. Presentations will be selected to provide a program that offers a comprehensive and diverse treatment of issues related to the conference theme.
For more information about this conference or to submit an abstract, please visit the website www.urbandesignaustralia.com.au
