Urbanism Down Under 2005
Urbanism Down Under took place in Wellington from 18 to 20 August 2005. It was an international urban design conference with an Australasian focus. Wellington City Council took a leading role in organising the conference.
The conference was a great success, with an unprecedented 500 delegates from New Zealand and Australia attending. Experts from many disciplines came together to present and stimulate discussion on creative urban design solutions, best practice and case studies.
Issues Discussed
The keynote speakers offered a great deal for discussion, including the idea that urban design encapsulates the three areas of human knowledge - arts, science and values.
Ian Bentley, Emeritus Professor at Oxford Brookes University in the UK, pointed out that the built environment was a political place that helped to determine the choices available to people in terms of how they live, and the quality of life they experience.
Catherin Bull, Professor of Landscape Architecture at the University of Melbourne, argued that city planners must 'fold' urban and non-urban environments together more, particularly in light of the world's rapid rate of urbanisation. She said too that the ecological functions of cities' open space needed higher priority, and the range of open space types needed expanding.
Peter Bosselmann, Professor of Urban Design at UC Berkeley in California, advocated the case for pedestrian-friendliness in cities. He gave examples of cities, including San Francisco, that had removed freeways - and survived. When San Francisco demolished the earthquake-damaged Embarcadero Freeway in the early 90s, the 90,000 cars that had once used it daily "never came back". Instead of extreme congestion, the opposite happened. "The drivers find other ways."
Conference Papers
The conference organising committee plans to publish the best of the conference papers in book form.
Year of the Built Environment
The conference coincided with the Year of the Built Environment in New Zealand. The proceedings benefited from the elevated interest in the urban environment by the New Zealand Government. Also in 2005, the Government created a national Urban Affairs portfolio and released the New Zealand Urban Design Protocol.
More Information
Gerald Blunt
Chair of the Organising Committee at Wellington City Council
| Phone: | (+64-4) 801 3758 |
| Email: | udu05@wcc.govt.nz |
Related Links
- News Release
- Conference Programme (57Kb PDF)
- Keynote Speakers and Abstracts (200Kb PDF)
- Sponsors (146Kb PDF)
- Urban Life Art Exhibition
- Year of the Built Environment - Ministry for the Environment website
Department Details:
Urban Development & Transport
