Conference shines light on big issues for Australian cities

Monday, 27 November 2017

A special plaque will today be added to the iconic statue of Colonel William Light on Montefiore Hill, North Adelaide.

Light oversaw the first plan of the City of Adelaide in 1837, and his statue overlooks the city in memory of his vision.

In keeping with Light's key role in city planning, the new plaque will commemorate the 100th anniversary of the First Australian Town Planning and Housing Conference and Exhibition, which was held in Adelaide in 1917.

The plaque ceremony has been organised as part of the official activities of the State of Australian Cities National Conference 2017, to be held at the University of Adelaide this week (28-30 November), 100 years after that initial national conference.

This week's conference – bringing together leaders in urban planning, architecture, economics and demography from around Australia and overseas – will tackle issues of major importance to the future of Australian cities, such as:

Housing affordability in Australian Cities. Where's the Crisis?

This plenary session will ask and address the question: do we really have a housing affordability crisis in Australia? How does housing affordability impact on different Australian cities? And who in our community do we need to worry about and protect? The session brings together researchers from the University of Adelaide, University of Melbourne and Heriot-Watt University, whose work is focused on supply and demand, human effects, measurement, and international policy responses.

Urban Resilience

This panel session, featuring a range of eminent speakers and chaired by University of Adelaide Professor Jon Kellett, will investigate the issue of creating a "resilient city" – one that can rebound from a range of systemic shocks. These includes economic, demographic or natural disasters. How can this work inform policy decisions, and what are the barriers to and opportunities for creating a truly resilient city?

For full details of the conference program, visit: http://soac2017.com.au

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