As urban sprawl expands across the globe, planners and ecologists must come together to promote innovative approaches to conservation. Associate Professor Sarah Bekessy discusses the importance of incorporating natural habitats within cities to support wildlife conservation and improve human health and well-being. She will also showcase her work in biodiversity and how her research is helping to re-imagine cities.

Planning for Biodiversity in the Urban Fringe

The Centre for Urban Research was established in 2012 to promote better understanding and insight into urban questions and problems. Through our work, we are directly responding to the globally important need to shape cities that are environmentally, socially and economically sustainable.

Our panel of industry planning professionals, politicians and comedians debate the topic 'The denser we get the happier we are'.

The panel features:
Mr Rod Quantock, Melbourne comedian and self-professed ‘failed architect’
Dr Susie Moloney, Lecturer and Senior Research Fellow of the Centre for Urban Research, RMIT University
Associate Professor Alan March, University of Melbourne
Mr James Larmour-Reid, President Victorian Division, Planning Institute Australia and Director, Planisphere
Ms Alanta Colley, Comedian, Coordinator at Engineers Without Borders and Public Health Specialist

Paul Mees Debate 2015

Professor Robin Goodman is Deputy Dean in Sustainability and Urban Planning at RMIT. In this lecture Robin explores the divide between big picture strategic planning and planning regulation. Strategic planning, largely led by state governments, has produced ever more ambitious and comprehensive documents. The demands on planning have grown to include the production of a city that is economically competitive and efficient, environmentally responsible, dynamic, creative and liveable.

Effectively planning the city: is having a good plan enough?

Jago Dodson is the Professor of Urban Policy and the Director of the Centre for Urban Research in the School of Global Urban and Social Studies. This lecture explores the late-modern world and how it appears beset by various transformative crises: climatic and environmental, socio-technological, economic and spatial, ideological and material. Cities, where the majority of humanity now dwells, are at the core of these manifold problems. Urban questions are now at the fore of public policy. This lecture approaches the global urban crisis through the notion of ‘reconstruction’.

Planning for Biodiversity in the Urban Fringe

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