As proud supporters of the 2019 Asia Pacific Cities Summit and Mayors’ Forum, Place Design Group are thrilled to be part of the 2019 event.
Held in Brisbane from 7-10 July 2019 at the Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre, the APCS and Mayors’ Forum is the region’s premier Summit, bringing together more than 1,300 of the best and brightest thought leaders from over 140 different cities across the Asia Pacific.
This year, the conversation will focus on innovation, mobility, liveability and sustainability of cities, with Place Design Group having two speakers as part of the 2019 Program.
On Monday 8 July, Chris Isles, Executive Director of Planning was a panel speaker for the ‘The rise of micro mobility and what it means for cities around the world’ plenary session. Chaired by Colin Tooze, Public Policy & Communications of Uber, the panellists addressed the multitude of issues and challenges surrounding the rise of micro mobility.
When asked to address the apparent elephant in the room of safety concerns, Chris suggested comparing data sets from Northern America & Europe where e-scooters are only legally allowed to operate on the roads, to Australia where it’s illegal to ride on the roads and are only permitted on pedestrian pathways.
This idea of data sharing prevailed throughout the discussion, with panellists discussing how local government authorities across Australia and internationally will need to collaborate and work together to effectively implement micro mobility policy and infrastructure, to how it’s the only way forward for cities to progress from trials to mass deployment.
Moving into the sustainability of cities key theme, Tony Dickson, Planning Principal, today participated in the ‘Sustainable destinations – lessons learned from across the world’ plenary session, sharing what makes global cities sustainable from a strategic planning perspective. Starting close to home, Tony discussed how Brisbane competes on the global stage by playing to its strengths; a sub-tropical climate to offer a vibrant outdoor events calendar and its natural asset – the Brisbane river that continues to characterise the growing city. When asked what placemaking contributes to a sustainable city, Tony suggested public realm destinations that offer authentic experiences are the new anchor tenants for cities, allowing urban areas to thrive from a social, environmental and economic perspective.
Our focus as built environment professionals is guided by the global imperative to respond and keep ahead of the urbanisation trend to ensure that the future of cities for people is not lost during rapid urbanisation. #APCS2019 was the ultimate world-stage to share our message and make real progress towards a people focused future.
