CONFERENCE PROGRAM

You can now download a more detailed Provisional Program PDF.

SOAC 2009 will be a working research and policy conference, providing participants with the opportunity to report on, learn about and discuss current academic and policy research on issues related to urban sustainability and to identify research and policy gaps for future exploration and funding. The conference will be an important forum for established and early career academics, researchers and policymakers.

A half-day workshop for PhD candidates is proposed (subject to sufficient interest) for 24 November 2009. There are also plans to offer a limited number of accommodation bursaries to interstate PhD candidates to help offset some of the overall costs for those who attend/participate in the conference.

The full conference will officially commence on Wednesday 25 November and conclude on Friday 27 November. In addition to the usual academic keynote addresses at SOAC, the 2009 Organising Committee is actively trying to secure the participation of senior politicians/policymakers to deliver keynote addresses at the conference.

In response to issues raised in Adelaide about the sustainability of the SOAC conference itself, the 2009 Organising Committee and its conference/events organiser, PROMACO, will be exploring ways and means of helping delegates reduce and/or off-set their individual and collective carbon footprint. The Co-Chairs for the 2009 Conference are:

Professor Roy Jones, Dean of Research and Graduate Studies,
Faculty of Humanities, Curtin University of Technology; and

Dr Paul J. Maginn, Senior Lecturer/Program Co-ordinator
(Urban and Regional Planning) University of Western Australia.

In a determined effort to further enhance the links between academic researchers and the policy world, this year’s SOAC conference will close with a keynote session involving three prominent ‘policymakers’ from across different policy sectors. The sub-prime housing crisis and the collapse of a number of prominent investment banks have been at the heart of the so-called global financial crisis.

The ripple effects of the GFC have had a profound impact on urban (and regional) centres across the globe. We are delighted to announce that Mr Jon Sutton, Managing Director, BankWest, will be taking part in this year’s conference to provide some insights from the banking world about the challenges and prospects for Australian cities.

Planning (and local government) reform are now under way in WA and this reform agenda is being overseen by Mr Gary Prattley, the newly appointed Chairman of the Western Australian Planning Commission. We are delighted that Gary Prattley is taking part in this year’s conference to offer a ‘local’ perspective on urban sustainability.

Urban policy is at long last garnering serious interest at the Federal level, as reflected in the setting up of the Major Cities Unit. We are pleased to announce that Ms Dorte Ekelund, Executive Director of the MCU will offer some strategic insights and advice to academic researchers about the future directions and thus research needs of Federal Government Policymakers.

A Q&A session will follow these closing keynote addresses and will provide delegates the opportunity to initiate and engage in some healthy discussion and debate about the future of urban studies.