Conference

5th State of Australian Cities National Conference, 29 November–2 December 2011, Melbourne, Australia

Owning Institution

The State of Australian Cities (SOAC) national conferences have been held biennially since 2003 to support interdisciplinary policy-related urban research. SOAC 5 was held in Melbourne and hosted by the University of Melbourne, RMIT University, Monash University, Swinburne University of Technology and Latrobe University as well as the Australian Housing and Urban Research Institute and the Grattan Institute, the Victorian State Government and the City of Melbourne.

Three plenary panels brought researchers from across the country to address ‘big issues’: place-based disadvantage, the design and form of Australian cities, and metropolitan governance. Over 175 papers, in 46 themed sessions, cover topics ranging from planning and governance for environmental sustainability, to housing affordability and adequacy in the context of an ageing population. Healthy communities, better public transport, high quality open space, participatory planning, and issues affecting the peri-urban fringe are also strong sub-themes within this conference. All published papers have been subject to a peer reviewing process.

Papers from all past and subsequent SOAC conferences can be found at the State of Australian Cities Conferences Collection on APO.

Conference paper

Planning for climate adaptation: is public participation the key to success?

2 Dec 2011

Johanna Mustelin,

Paul Burton

5th State of Australian Cities National Conference, 29 November–2 December 2011, Melbourne, Australia

In the field of climate change and in particular the processes of adapting to changes already locked into place, there is a similar presumption that participation and engagement are vital to the success of any adaptation strategy. In this paper we explore this presumption and consider whether or not it is more or less critical...

Conference paper

Designing sustainable urban futures: Presenting a design-led methodology for sustainability research

2 Dec 2011

Viveka Turnbull Hocking

5th State of Australian Cities National Conference, 29 November–2 December 2011, Melbourne, Australia

To ‘flourish’ in a rapidly urbanising world with limited resources we need to imagine different ways of living: increasing density, using passive energy, turning objects into services, and perhaps most importantly imagining new systems of living our everyday urban lives. There is so much we do not know and have not yet imagined both about...

Conference paper

An urban sustainability assessment framework: role and integration of modelling activities

2 Dec 2011

Andre Brits,

Matthew Burke,

Teibei Li

5th State of Australian Cities National Conference, 29 November–2 December 2011, Melbourne, Australia

This paper focuses on the role and use of modelling activities in urban planning and policy development in general. The focus here is on "applied" models, i.e. models which try to simulate real-world processes based on or calibrated to empirical information.

Conference paper

Re-thinking how we plan to address technically complex problems: drawing on planning theory to guide practice in revision of land use plans in coastal high hazard zones

2 Dec 2011

Mellini Sloan

5th State of Australian Cities National Conference, 29 November–2 December 2011, Melbourne, Australia

This paper offers a preliminary framework to structure examination of the potential challenges faced by those who advise political decision-makers as they navigate amongst strategies to address increased risk associated with coastal high hazard zones, looking particularly at issues of information selection and technical literacy in communication of risks, and path dependency in determining likely...

Conference paper

The challenge to (re)plan the Melbourne docklands and Port Adelaide inner harbour: a research agenda for sustainable renewal of urban waterfronts

2 Dec 2011

Susan Oakley,

Louise Johnson

5th State of Australian Cities National Conference, 29 November–2 December 2011, Melbourne, Australia

This paper provides a brief background to what drove renewal projects in the cities of Melbourne and Adelaide and their current status, the changing priorities of government, the shifting commercial environment and current challenges faced by those seeking to plan these new urban spaces.