2018_Strategic Plan

Strategic Plan 2018-2021 Level 2 1002 Hay Street PERTH 6000 AUDRC.org AUDRC.info@gmail.com @AUDRCPerth

Vision

To be a centre of excellence for the design and planning of cities.

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Background

The Australian Urban Design Research Centre(AUDRC) was initially established as the Urban Design Centre in 2004 as a non-profit organisation ‘dedicated to improving the quality of urban places in Western Australia’.

Established between the Department for Planning and Infrastructure, Curtin University and the University of Western Australia (UWA), its aim was to provide access to professional design and research services, education and public programs to promote a more inclusive dialogue about design and planning issues throughout the State, particularly for the benefit of those groups and communities

that would not otherwise have access to professional skills in urban design. Curtin University of Technology left the partnership in 2008.

AUDRC has since become known through the work of its key staff including a number of important research projects and publishing widely on urban planning and design issues affecting the shape, sustainability and liveability of our cities.

Systems thinking, big-data analysis, ecological services, spatial analysis, design theory and their integrated application have underpinned the teaching of urban design. In recent years, the primary focus has been in education

and research. AUDRC is well regarded in these areas and remains well positioned to contribute to Urban Design thinking and education internationally. I was appointed as Director in January 2018.

In the context of changing leadership, a strengthening connection between the centre and UWA, pressures being experienced across the university and higher education sector and increasing competitiveness for limited research funding from the State Government, a review of the operations and direction of AUDRC followed.

The review process included key input from past and present students and staff, key stakeholders and industry thought leaders. Importantly, the review highlighted the implications of changing practice and industry ‘disruption’ as well as contemporary cultural issues associated with migration, population growth and mobility.

It also highlighted the potential for AUDRC to make an increased contribution to State Government policy making and the testing of policy implications for our funding partners. A number of opportunities were highlighted, including:

• Ongoing engagement with key stakeholders around what is important to developing the centre’s roles, resources, capacity, focus and priorities

• An initial focus on the strength and capacity of the centre (management and administration)

• Developing a broader platform for continuity and growth

• Collaboration with the University, other research centres and stakeholders to widen the reach and impact of our work

• Increasing the centre’s public profile through debate, commentary, engagement and participation in the public arena

• Reviewing the Urban Design curriculum and research agenda in an international context

• Alignment between the research and education programme, and

• Better integrating the teaching and resources of the centre with the UWA School of Design (SoD).

While maintaining a focus on teaching and research, the opportunity exists for AUDRC to have a greater role in advocacy and consultancy. The latter would be in the context of consulting when the work is related to the centre’s research agenda and primarily in an advisory capacity. AUDRC would seek to remain independent and not operate in competition with business through tendering processes.

A key objective will be to recognise the value of funding provided by the Department of Planning, Lands & Heritage (DPLH), Department of Communities and LandCorp. This seed funding is subject to a three year agreement and is reviewed annually.

The centre will also renew its focus on increasing student enrolments and to derive income from federally funded research.

I look forward to the ongoing successes of AUDRC and to being of increasingly relevance in education, research, advocacy and professional practice.

CHRIS MELSOM Director

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AUDRC Board

FRED CHANEY JNR (Chair)

Director, Taylor Robinson Chaney Broderick

KATE HISLOP

Dean/Head of School, UWA School of Design

JANET HOLMES A COURT

Board Member, Heytesbury Pty Ltd

DAVID CADDY

Chair, Western Australian Planning Commission

GAIL MCGOWAN

Director General, Department of Planning, Lands and Heritage

FRANK MARRA

Chief Executive Officer, Landcorp

GRAHAME SEARLE

Director General, Department of Communities

UDRC

URBAN DESIGN RESEARCH COMMITTEE

LORISSA KELLY (Chair)

A/Assistant Director General, Strategy and Engagement, Department of Planning, Lands and Heritage

ANNA EVANGELISTI

Sustainability Manager, Design Manager, Landcorp

SUE MARTINS

Manager Workforce Development and Project Management Office, Department of Communities

NIGEL WESTBROOK

Associate Dean(Research), UWA School of Design

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TEAM

CHRIS MELSOM Director DR JULIAN BOLLETER D eputy Director DR ANTHONY DUCKWORTH-SMITH Assistant Professor JILL PENTER Graduate Program Coordinator GRACE OLIVER Research Assistant BILL GRACE Adjunct Professor DR ZOE MYERS Research Associate DR PAULA HOOPER Research Fellow

TIM GREENHILL Lecturer MARYAM BERENJI Lecturer RACHEL PLEASANT Lecturer EMMA VAN DER LINDEN Tutor STEVEN JOHNSTON Tutor

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KATIA DEFENDI Lecturer, PhD Candidate

“What I think you’ve done is to produce a really useful work for policy makers, for politicians, for your fellow professionals. I think it’s a book which will perhaps help us make fewer mistakes in the future. To be less grandiose in some of our thinking and more pragmatic and acceptance of the drivers of what makes a city a good place to be.”

FRED CHANEY AO

2014 Australian of the year. The Ghost Cities of Australia book launch event

Research & Innovation

Objective Strategy

Excel in independent urban research and thought leadership

Be the source of new ideas, innovation and alternative ways of addressing key issues in urban design

Be the testing ground for new ideas and urban propositions

Foster innovation in cities and places through creativity, original thinking and design

Maximise the value of research outputs

Establish a clear research agenda that is of inherent value to urban policy development

Create a collaborative, creative and supportive environment of critical enquiry and debate

Supplement research projects with further exploration and evaluation of alternative design outcomes and delivery strategies

Undertake independent research in the key issues facing urbanisation in a rapidly changing global context

Work closely with stakeholder agencies to ensure targeted research outcomes with realworld application and that foster innovation

Expand research activities and performnce

Engage with other research centres to broaden resources, perspective and impact

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“Just wanted to say thanks for another brilliant lecture. Your presentation style is so engaging, aided I think by your extraordinary knowledge of the subject. It’s really wonderful to have the opportunity to sit in on a lecture that leaves you asking questions and challenging current lines of thought - greatly appreciated.”

AUDRC STUDENT

2017 Student Feedback

Education & Experience

Objective Strategy

Enhanced reputation for teaching

Attract and retain the best staff

Develop specialist skill and knowledge areas around urban design

Provide practice-ready skills and understanding

Offer a rich student life and campus experience for staff and students

Support UWA and SoD internationalisation agenda

Maintain a local, national and global outlook in urban development education

Improve knowledge, understanding and expertise in the practice of urban design

Encourage and support key skill development

Provide practice and industry links and experience with real projects and education

Integrated study options, exposure to industry, flexible CBD studio to complement SoD campus hub

Engage internationally via UWA network and funding programmes

Work in collaboration with allied schools and faculties to leverage exposure and point-ofdifference offers internationally

Offer assistance to businesses and practitioners to build up in-house knowledge and expertise by way of non-degree based courses

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“The modular designs were fun to work with and suited participants aged 8 to over 80 from a diverse range of backgrounds and professions. Co-designing the structure of the workshops and the design of the models was hassle-free. Your professionalism, and that of your team’s made our life much easier. You were accommodating, flexible and innovative in your approach to our requests.”

Vic Park Collective & Victoria Park Urban Tree Network

DAVE LINDNER & HEATHER JOHNSTONE

Advocacy & Engagement

Objective Strategy

Be the ‘go to’ spokesperson for opinion and response on contemporary urban issues

Be an active advocate for good urban design

Engage with the professions and industry

Proactively target key people in media to promote AUDRC research and insights

Contribute to public debate, discussion and evaluation on key urban issues, draft policy documents and independent proposals

Establish speaker fora for key audience groups

Connect and perform partnerships

Showcase the work of our people

Actively engage with fellow urban research, education, advocacy, and professional groups

Promote staff and student work through publication, exhibition, presentation, engagement and review

Build reputation and profile through our work

Develop a multi-media communication strategy

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“Congratulations on bringing the work to publication. It offers a valuable summary focused on this critical component of the urban environment. Looking forward to seeing it gather its rightful place in the dialogue. I am hoping that as MRA moves into its role on Metronet we can use this to guide discussion on good street design in TOD precincts.”

BRETT WOOD-GUSH MRA

Consulting & Advisory

Objective Strategy

Supplement AUDRC income through consulting to support independent research

Develop a platform for consulting services

Develop commercial skills in research based consulting

Offer consulting and advisory services to develop a public sector, NGO and corporate client base

Develop client-focussed service provision

Align consulting with research, teaching and advocacy

Support the research outputs for AUDRC funding providers

Develop an efficient financial model for consulting services

Develop business model for consulting accountability

Establish business plan, collaboration and training model for consulting activities

Develop a non-compete consulting platform using evidence based expertise in urban design

Maintain professional excellence in service standards and ethics

Develop and apply research-based expertise to client brief requirements

Ensure alignment between recommendations and stakeholder policy directions

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“We received imaginative, considered feedback that, in turn, generated genuinely community-derived “planning principles” on which to base a scheme amendment and planning policy.”

SHARN BRUERE AND TAHNEE BUNTING Strategic Planning Officers, City of Fremantle