The seventh Making Cities Liveable Conference (MCLC) will call on keynote speakers and sector professionals to examine the challenges of planning for healthy, sustainable and resilient cities.

Paul Edwards (Mirvac), Greg Mackie (Place Leaders Association), Penelope Coombes (People for Places and Spaces) and Kerryn Wilmot (UTS) will be keynote speakers at this year’s event that will consider the “liveability” of Australian cities in the future and the public policy changes required to build the communities of tomorrow.

Conference Chair, Paula Drayton says that the 2014 event will build from the success of last year’s event where the conference themes of healthy, sustainable and resilient cities, were conceived.

“This conference builds on our 2013 event, where we successfully brought together compatible conference themes.”

“At the plenary session in 2013, it was apparent that the combined domains could be easily linked, shared and used as insight 'building blocks' as delegates explored healthy and sustainable living.”

“2014 presents another opportunity for the growing Liveable Cities community to engage in rich, open dialogue, to enable new connections and sharing,” Drayton said.

The conference is set to take place on July 9-11 at Kingscliff, NSW.

The program will include an extensive range of topics with keynotes, concurrent sessions, case studies, workshops and posters. 

Topics will include:

  •  Planning liveable cities and vibrant communities
  • Managing population growth and an ageing population
  • Transport and logistics: public transport – road systems – cycling – walking
  • Resilient cities: future proofing our cities
  • Legislation and policies: what changes can we expect
  • Health promoting cities: ageing – children – safety – mental health
  • Sustainable cities: economic growth – policy to program
  • Impact of new technology: how will it continue to drive change 
  • Regional and rural towns: the interconnectivity between city and the bush
  • Future of work: dispersing jobs and the urban impacts
  • Food security – recycling – waste management
  • Managing natural resources  and renewable energy
  • Climate change: responses and outcomes 

 They Keynote speakers for the event are: 

 

Paul Edwards, Group General Manager, Sustainability, Mirvac

 

About: Edwards returned to Australia in June 2013 to take up the recently created role of Group General Manager of Sustainability at Mirvac after spending the last six years as the Head of Sustainability at Hammerson.

In this role he is responsible for all environmental, social challenges and opportunities across the whole business.

In his first six months based on benchmarking, internal and external stakeholder engagement and a materiality study he launched 'This Changes Everything' Mirvac's plan for a sustainable future.

Edwards is the current Co- Chair of the Better Building Partnership Sydney.

Edwards was named 28th most influential person in sustainability by Building Magazine, UK.

Greg Mackie, Chief Executive Officer, Place Leaders Association Limited

About: Mackie is Chief Executive of Place Leaders - an international network committed to creating great public places for people.

He was awarded a Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) for services to the arts, and received the 2007 Dame Elizabeth Murdoch Cultural Leadership Award.

Mackie was the Deputy Chief Executive for former SA Premier Mike Rann.

He was also the SA Government's 'ageing provocateur' as head of the Office for Ageing.

 

Penelope Coombes, Managing Director, People for Places and Spaces

About: Coombes is co-founder and managing director of The People for Places and Spaces.

She is the Adjunct Professor, University of Canberra, Faculty of Health and has a Masters Degree majoring in organisational change.

She was a Consultant to the Hong Kong Government, United Nations and World Health Organisation.

Advisory Board of Partners for Liveable Communities, Australia.

 

 

 

Ms Kerryn Wilmot, Research Principal, Institute for Sustainable Futures, UTS

About: Wilmot is an experienced architect with particular expertise in sustainability in the built environment.

She co-leads the Cities and Buildings research area at the Institute for Sustainable Futures at UTS.

Wilmot was the project leader for the industry-leading 60L Green Building in Carlton, Victoria that won a Banksia Award.

She was the Accredited Green Star Professional for the 5-star green Star Gungahlin College campus in ACT.

 

 

 

For more information regarding the event and key note speakers see www.healthycities.com.au