Boldly Going Nowhere Symposium

09/06/17

RMIT DESIGN HUB, LEVEL 10, PAVILION 4 (100.10.006)

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Master of Architecture / Master of Urban Design

Boldly Going Nowhere

A mini-symposium on qualitative density and endless mobility.

Organised as part of Eco Urban Practices.

DATE: WEDNESDAY 06/09/2017, 2:00PM – 4:00PM
LOCATION: RMIT DESIGN HUB
LEVEL 10, PAVILION 4 (100.10.006)
BUILDING 100, CNR VICTORIA AND SWANSTON ST, CARLTON

Speakers include:
Graham Crist
John Doyle
Mark Jacques
Patrick Macasaet
Ian Nazareth
Simon Robinson
Gretchen Wilkins

The Discussion of sustainable cities and the metropolis generally is obsessed with transport and density. Mobility is so often a measure of both liveability and productivity. Density is viewed as both a measure of desirable consolidation of the city, and a threat to its liveability.

The perception of density and the liveability of a dense city is relative to the amount we move around in it. similarly, our carbon footprint in a city is strongly correlated to the amount of transport we use in it. Sprawling and reducing density generally expands our dependency on transport. The relationship between these two is complicated though; Melbourne is developing a model of a very dense core made from towers full of cars; Reyner Banham paradoxically suggested Los Angeles is an ideal model for a pedestrian metropolis.

There a number of ways we might consider reducing the mobility within a city; redistributing the jobs and the infrastructure; capitalising on smart networks like Uber, and increasing our use of virtual services.

How can we stay still to make the city more dynamic and more sustainable?