Placemaking Summit to return to Melbourne in May 2024

MONDAY NOVEMBER 20, 2023

After the remarkable success of last year's event, the summit is set to return to Melbourne in May 2024. The purpose of this 2-day summit is to create a high-level forum for discussion and debate on the critical role of placemaking in designing and shaping the future of Australian cities and towns. The event is designed to bring together urban planners, placemakers, architects, landscape architects, engineers, policy-makers, developers, contractors, and building managers from both government and private sectors to network and discuss opportunities and solutions for challenges encountered in placemaking across Australian cities and towns.

The summit aims to provide a holistic understanding of the concept of placemaking, catering to the needs of people-focused practice and commercial acumen, which are critical for successful placemaking. It will feature presentations by leading industry experts on the latest trends and projects. The topics will cover a broad range of areas such as City Renewal and the Power of Place, Placemaking lessons from Christchurch, Unlocking the Time Economy in Places, Placemaking and Public Lighting, Compelling Places Need POW! (Purpose Opportunity Wheel), Role of Landscaping in the Placemaking Process, Placemaking and Transport Infrastructure, Healthy Placemaking, Mobility and Placemaking, Retail and Towncentres Placemaking, New Urbanism - focusing on human-scaled urban design and more.

Placemaking goes beyond just constructing physical structures. It necessitates taking into account the physical, cultural, and social identity of a place.  For many communities, placemaking has been a means of reimagining and rejuvenating their public spaces. By practicing placemaking, communities can develop a sense of belonging and increase community pride. Placemaking is a versatile tool that can be used to promote community development in a physical sense, such as by restoring buildings or improving traffic flow. It can create an inviting environment that leads to job creation and attracts talented workers or residents.

To learn more about Placemaking and how it can improve communities, join the Australian Placemaking Summit on May 1-2, 2024 at the Melbourne Convention & Exhibition Centre.