I’m celebrating: 2013 was a great year for community activism in planning. In New South Wales, concerted action by many forces, including the Better Planning Network (https://betterplanningnetwork.good.do/nsw/fund-the-better-planning-network-in-2014/), resulted in the State Government withdrawing the contentious and flawed proposed state planning legislation. The Better Planning Network has more than 430 community groups and many… Continue reading Activism in Planning in Australia: A Delicate Balancing Act
Tag: Sarkissian Associates Planners Pty Ltd
Vancouver’s EcoDensity Policy: Reflections on Australian Planning’s Cultural Cringe and Cultural Imperialism
Australia‘s “cultural cringe” One of the challenges of being a “migrant” in Australia is understanding the “cultural cringe” that infects so much of Australian life. I’ve lived and worked here for 45 years and it still puzzles me. For those not familiar with it, it is an internalised inferiority complex that causes us to… Continue reading Vancouver’s EcoDensity Policy: Reflections on Australian Planning’s Cultural Cringe and Cultural Imperialism
Banging on about Bang the Table
A couple of times recently, I’ve heard Australians complain about the Australian online engagement firm, Bang the Table (BTT) (see https://bangthetable.com/). I’ve done their training and greatly admire their work, which I see as directly complementary to my more “hands-on” approaches. I decided it was time to sort things out in my own… Continue reading Banging on about Bang the Table
“Realising the Revolution”: Medium-Density Housing in Queensland by Bridget Rogan and Fran Toomey
First posted June 8, 2012 – 3:21 pm Two Brisbane Planners Call for a “Revolutionary” Approach to Increasing Housing Density: Realising the Revolution? In a recent paper to the Planning Institute of Australia (PIA) Queensland conference, Bridget Rogan and Fran Toomey of the Council of Mayors (SEQ) presented the results of work… Continue reading “Realising the Revolution”: Medium-Density Housing in Queensland by Bridget Rogan and Fran Toomey
Engagement without Borders, Melbourne, 2012
I was delighted to assist IAP2 with this forthcoming event at Abbotsford Convent on the 29th May in Melbourne. Download the PDF of the program here: Engagement Without Borders _outline program Personal, organisational, cultural, demographic or geographic; engaging with the full spectrum of our communities can be a significant challenge. … Continue reading Engagement without Borders, Melbourne, 2012
Local Wisdom about Apartment Storage
When I lived in Vancouver in 2007, teaching and managing a housing research project at the University of British Columbia, I had several interesting accommodation experiences. The first one was terrible: a chronically ill middle-aged couple with a dog who was dying of cancer. They slept with the dog and spent all day… Continue reading Local Wisdom about Apartment Storage
Kitchen Table Sustainability launched in Adelaide 22 November 2008
Reflections on the Adelaide book-signing event, November 2008 When I emigrated to Australia in October, 1968, the second person I met was Hugh Stretton, now widely regarded as one of Australia’s foremost urbanists. Ideas for Australian Cities In his kitchen at 61 Tynte Street, North Adelaide, actually at his kitchen table, Hugh was putting the… Continue reading Kitchen Table Sustainability launched in Adelaide 22 November 2008