About this Event
The Faculty of Architecture, Building and Planning is proud to present the 2024 ABP Symposium. This year’s theme is climate action, bringing together local and global voices to campaign for urgent and meaningful change across Australia’s built environment sector.
This year’s Symposium connects academic, government, and industry experts to influence the national agenda for the transformation of our urban spaces. Home to over 50 per cent of the world’s population, our cities are responsible for up to 75 per cent of greenhouse gas emissions. This makes the built environment our greatest challenge but also our greatest opportunity for climate action.
Over two days, you’re invited to attend a series of thought-provoking keynote lectures, interactive sessions, panel discussions, and site visits. Each session will unpack urban solutions to the climate crisis from different angles, from research to policy to industry, while offering tangible solutions to drive positive sector-wide change.
The Symposium features international guest keynote speakers Sarah Ichioka and Deb Chachra. World-renowned urbanist and founding director of Desire Lines, Sarah Ichioka, will explore how the built environment sector can help drive the transformation of our buildings, places, and environments as we move towards genuinely regenerative approaches.
Professor Deb Chachra is a globally-recognised academic and materials scientist, working at the intersection of technology and society, with an emphasis on systems, education, design, and materials. She is the author of the much-acclaimed recent book, How Infrastructure Works: Inside the Systems that Shape Our World.
At the end of the Symposium, you'll not only understand the extent of the climate emergency but also the critical role our industry can and must play in avoiding potentially devastating impacts on our cities and their environments.
DAY 2: SITE VISITS
Discover real-world examples of best practice climate design with a series of site visits. These guided sessions will reveal the innovative built environment initiatives across the University of Melbourne’s Parkville campus and the Altona Coastal Precinct.
Available only to registrants attending the Symposium, there are a limited number of spaces available to attend.
Morning Sessions (University of Melbourne)
- 9.30am -11.00am: Sustainability, Adaptation and Mitigation (30 places available)
- 11.00am-12.30pm: Green Buildings Tour (30 places available)
- 11.00am-12.30pm: Biodiversity, Green Roofs and Gardens (30 places available)
Afternoon Session
- 2.30pm - 5.00pm: Altona Coastal Precinct Tour (50 places available)
TICKETS
- Full Price Admission - both days: $60 AUD
- Concession Admission - both days: $20 AUD
To find out more about the symposium, including speaker and program information, please visit the
For any questions regarding this event, please contact: [email protected]
A Sustainable Symposium
The Climate Action in Cities Symposium is committed to being a sustainable event we actively strive to minimise our environmental impact and inspire positive change in alignment with the University of Melbourne’s Sustainability Plan 2030, by embracing waste reduction, sustainable venue and catering options, paperless practices, eco-friendly transportation promotion, carbon offsetting, and providing educational resources.
Join us in embracing sustainability and making a meaningful difference at the Symposium.
We actively chose vegetarian meals to reduce carbon footprint and ask that attendees BYO water bottles and cups. Any excess food will be donated to Ozharvest.
Symposium supporters
This symposium was partially funded by the Australian Government through the Australian Research Council's Discovery Projects funding scheme (project DP200101378).
The Symposium keynote speaker, Sarah Mineko Ichioka is made possible by the generous support of the Robert Garland Treseder Fellowship.
Continuing Professional Development (CPD)
Attending this symposium will provide the below continuing professional development opportunities.
Green Building Council of Australia
If you are an individual who participates in the Certified Professional Development (CPD) program of the Green Building Council of Australia (GBCA), this symposium can be claimed for six Sustainable Development CPD points.
Planning Institute of Australia
This Symposium can be claimed under PIA’s CPD requirements ‘Attending conferences, seminars, lectures, study tours.’ Further information is available .
Australian Institute of Landscape Architecture
Event Venue & Nearby Stays
Glyn Davis Building, The University of Melbourne, Masson Road, Parkville, Australia
AUD 20.00 to AUD 60.00
