The Australian City in the 21st Century will be the topic of a presentation by Sasha Ivanovich, Director of SIA Architects and AURA Urban & Regional Alliance at the upcoming 7th International Urban Design Conference in Adelaide in September.

A practicing architect and urban designer with over 20 years of experience, Sasha’s presentation will examine where urban renewal in Australia is heading in the context of climate change and commercial imperatives that will impact on the overreaching vision of an ideal 21st century city for Australia.

The search for alternative energy sources, reduction of infrastructure costs/densification has brought out a new approach in re-envisioning Australian cities using practical solutions.

One of the most radical models of a 21st century city is Masdar, a fossil fuel-free city of 50,000 people to rise on the outskirts of Abu Dhabi, shifting city planning from the implicit dependence on the motor car to one that proposes a carbon neutral design-for-climate city model and development program.

The port city of Fremantle, Western Australia is, on the other hand a typical Australian city with a rich history and mixed demography, extensive heritage building stock and car oriented past, beginning to address liveability and the making of high quality urban spaces for people. With Masdar as reference and AURA Urban Alliance’s latest propositions for Fremantle CBD, the presentation will trace recent urban renewal initiatives in Fremantle, promising to bring the city to the forefront of urban renewal in Australia.