Sustainable Urban Ambitions: Decarbonising Our Cities Through Radical Collaboration
Presented by Collectivity Talks
DETAILS
Ticketed
Melbourne Quarter Tower (MQT) - Level 20
695 Collins Street, Docklands VIC, Australia
With cities generating 75% of global carbon emissions and housing over half of humanity, charting a path to low-carbon, sustainable urban environments demands unprecedented collaboration between the public and private sectors. This forward-thinking panel brings together visionaries and changemakers to explore how partnerships between government, industry and community can transform our cities into regenerative urban environments while reducing both emitted and embodied carbon. From urban farms to recycling stations, from all-electric buildings to on-site renewables, grassroots and precinct-scale initiatives are already demonstrating how both engaged citizens and big corporations are reimagining the neighbourhoods and business districts in which we live and work in. This discussion will examine how through radical collaboration, fresh thinking and innovation, the people driving these micro and macro solutions will reshape Melbourne’s future.
Participants
Paul Murfi tt, Co-Director, Regions and Community Action, Sustainability Victoria
Paul is the Director of Regions and Community Action for Sustainability Victoria where he leads work to engage with communities across the state to achieve net zero carbon emissions and build a circular economy. Having worked in the sustainability fi eld for more than 25 years, Paul has led work streams on energy policy and programs addressing sustainability, aff ordability, reliability and security. Paul is also a sessional lecturer at RMIT University in the Masters of Renewable Energy Engineering program.
Dr Usha Iyer-Raniga, Professor, Co-Lead, United Nations, Sustainable Buildings and Construction, RMIT
Usha is a Professor at the School of Property, Construction and Project Management at RMIT University, and Co-lead for Sustainable Buildings and Construction at the United Nations. She started working in the fi eld of energy effi ciency and conservation in the late eighties, broadening her expertise to encompass sustainability and circularity issues in the built environment. Usha has worked in architectural practices in India, Canada and Australia, and brings wide industry experience to her teaching and research.
James Wewer, General Manager, Sustainability, Construction & Development, Lendlease
James leads his team to deliver environmental and social sustainability outcomes. The projects he has worked on at Lendlease include urban transformation for tertiary education facilities, workplaces, apartments, hospitals, data centres and logistics facilities. With over 20 years’ built environment industry experience within Australia and the UK and on projects in France and Singapore, James combines technical and commercial expertise, and thrives on industry collaboration in solving big sustainability challenges.
Tai Hollingsbee, Head of Sustainability APAC, GHD
Tai Hollingsbee is GHD’s Head of Sustainability, Asia Pacifi c. With an international career spanning nearly 25 years, Tai has held a variety of roles across the sustainability and built environment portfolio in the Asia Pacifi c region, including translating United Nations Sustainable Development Goals into physical outcomes for global clients. He also established a construction technology company that worked in community housing with remote communities in the Northern Territory of Australia.
Kathryn Newland, General Manager, Communications Collective (Panel Chair)
In her leadership role, Kathryn works across the agency’s portfolio of clients operating in the property, design, architecture, arts and cultural sectors. With more than 25 years’ experience, Kathryn combines a background in journalism with strategic communications expertise to position brands, shape perceptions, infl uence opinions and build reputations. Kathryn has led global campaigns that tackle some of the world’s greatest sustainability challenges – accelerating the energy transition, mitigating and adapting to water risk, fostering equitable communities and delivering resilient infrastructure – and brings a deep understanding of this important subject matter to her work.