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The annual Festival of Urbanism is a series of conversations where researchers, practitioners, community advocates and industry leaders come together to debate the threats and opportunities facing our cities and regions.
Melbourne: 12 - 16 September 2022
Sydney: 18 - 23 September 2022
Cities and regions are at a precipice – from the climate crisis to rising social inequality and the ongoing global pandemic – the future has never seemed more uncertain. Unsustainable patterns of land and resource-use persist despite extraordinary technological advances over the past century. The pervasive rise of digital platforms has disrupted every facet of society from how we work, travel, shop and socialise to our experiences of home. Urban planning, as a future-oriented discipline, has often embraced new technological solutions at the expense of meaningful community engagement or systemic change. Yet the promise of the so called ‘smart city’, while often unrealised, brings with it a space to explore alternatives, and opportunities for more socially just and environmentally resilient places.
In this context, the 9th Festival of Urbanism asks how our future cities and regions will change, and what interventions are needed to address the mistakes of the past. From reinstating the voices of First Nations’ communities, to transitioning to zero carbon models of development and ensuring affordable homes for the many rather than rising housing wealth for the few, this year’s Festival of Urbanism engages with a wide range of topics through a combination of live and online events, podcasts and films. With diverse speakers and thought leaders from academia, industry, policy and advocacy communities, discussions at the 2022 Festival of Future Urbanism promise to inform, challenge and inspire.
Join us to debate and define opportunities to bring about better urban and regional futures.
Image Credit:
Isabelle Fleming, Sydney School of Architecture Design and Planning.