Aren’t able to join the PLA National Conference in Brisbane? Have a chance to hear from one of their keynote speakers Mitchell Silver, at our upcoming webinar!
Our event kicks off with our keynote speaker, Mitchell Silver, former commissioner for the New York City Parks Department who will share insights from his lifelong experiences and explore global trends and best practices.
Following the keynote, we will host a panel discussion focused on these themes within the Australian and Sydney context, engaging with key industry and government stakeholders from NSW.
Check out our carefully curated program and speakers below!
Program
| Â | Â |
9:30am: Welcome and Introduction | Â |
9:45am: Planning for 21st Century Parks and Public Spaces: What’s Next?  Presented by Mitchell Silver | The pandemic and recent health, resilience, and equity trends have left practitioners wondering ‘what’s next’ for parks and public spaces.  Parks have become more than green spaces with playgrounds, evolving into places for human connections, physical and mental well-being, and the first line of defense against climate change.  Planning and designing for 21st-century parks and public spaces must bring together more aspirational values and cross-disciplinary planning principles. This lecture address will discuss the evolution of parks from the mid-19th Century through the 21st century, focusing on the critical role of contemporary parks and public space planning. It will reveal how parks have evolved into a vital part of a city’s essential infrastructure and illuminate how the confluence of public health, resilience, and equity initiatives can develop a thriving modern-day public realm. |
| Â | Â |
10:25am: Panel Session Panel Includes: Alison Dunshea, Tim Bale, Johnno Hookey, Prof Thomas Astell-Burt and Joshua French. | Details to Come |
11:25am: Q&A | Â |
| Â | Â |
Meet our speakers
Mitchell is a principal with McAdams, a land planning and design company. He is responsible for providing advisory services in urban planning, parks, and public space planning. He is an award-winning planner with more than 39 years of experience and is internationally recognized for his leadership and contributions to contemporary planning issues. He is a prolific public speaker and specializes in urban planning, placemaking, and implementation strategies. Before joining McAdams, Mitchell served as the commissioner for the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation; Chief Planning Officer in Raleigh, NC and served as president of the American Planning Association and the American Institute of Certified Planners. Mitchell is one of the nation’s most celebrated urban thinkers. He was selected to Planetizen’s list of the 100 Most Influential Urbanists in the world. In addition, he has been honored as one of the top 100 City Innovators in the world by UBM Future Cities, and the Urban Times named him one of the top international thought leaders of the built environment.
Tim Bale is a Director at the Bradfield Development Authority. BDA is strengthening Western Sydney’s future by developing the Bradfield City Centre in the Aerotropolis. The masterplan features 36 hectares of blue and green open spaces, integrating Designing with Country values to honour traditional knowledge and celebrate cultural heritage.
 Tim has also led the Central Park national design competition and innovative co-design process with Dharug traditional custodians, envisioning a world-class public space to support Bradfield City as a vibrant cultural hub within a true parkland environment.
 With two decades of experience in both government and private sectors, Tim is an award-winning public spaces specialist. His diverse background spans planning, landscape architecture, sustainability, construction, and finance.
 Passionate about creating greener, more liveable cities, Tim focuses on ambitious and innovative public spaces that enhance social, health, economic, and environmental benefits. Before joining the BDA, he delivered iconic projects, including Sydney’s International Exhibition and Convention Centre, Darling Quarter, and Wild Play at Centennial Parklands. He also held key roles with the City of Sydney, focusing on the planning and delivery of public spaces and active transport networks.
Joshua joined Western Sydney Parklands Trust in 2010 and since then has led specialist teams responsible for designing and implementing award-winning architectural, landscape, and heritage projects for Western Sydney Parklands and Parramatta Park.
More recently, he has also headed up the delivery of major cultural and educational projects for Greater Sydney Parklands, including the Queens Park Cycleway and Centennial Park Ponds Management Plan. Josh has a background in horticulture and landscape architecture, with more than 20 years’ experience in the landscape and parks industry.
Johnno Hookey is a proud Wiradjuri and Bundjalung man who grew up in Redfern and now resides in Ryde. He currently works for Bradfield Development Authority as a Project Officer in the Central Park project team.
 With four years of experience in public service, Johnno has held various roles in the First Nations space and has recently transitioned to development and delivery. He contributed to the Roads to Home program at DPHI and is an active member of the Bradfield Development Authority’s RAP committee.
In his role with Central Park, Johnno emphasises Designing and Connecting with Country. He has played a key role in engaging traditional custodians and establishing multiple First Nations frameworks within the project.
Johnno brings a unique skill set and cultural knowledge to the Bradfield Development Authority, actively championing the objectives of the reconciliation action plan.
“In January 2024 I joined the School of Architecture, Design and Planning at The University of Sydney as the Professor of Cities and Planetary Health. I am an Australian Research Council (ARC) Future Fellow (2023-2027, $1M) on nature-based solutions for wellbeing and loneliness, and also lead a $1.5M Medical Research Futures Fund (MRFF, 2023-2027) multi-site randomised trial on nature prescriptions for adult cardiovascular and mental health. These projects involve co-production, collaboration, and communication of groundbreaking research with communities, consumers, and both emerging and leading scientists across Australia and internationally. I conduct research, teach and lead a busy lab of urbanists, social researchers, epidemiologists, data scientists, and PhDs investigating how cities affect health and wellbeing, and how we can (re)connect people with health-promoting resources (e.g., green spaces) in sustainable, scaleable and effective ways. I co-lead the Population Wellbeing and Environment Research Lab (PowerLab) with Prof Xiaoqi Feng, with alumni employed in research and policy positions around the world.”