Robert Hammond, co-founder of New York City’s High Line, a paragon of urban revitalisation, says he and co-founder Joshua David had two dreams for the High Line: that it would become a well–loved park among New Yorkers, and that it would inspire others to start their own projects.
Mr Hammond will be in Melbourne to deliver the keynote address to Thriving Neighbourhood 2013, and will also hold workshops in Sydney and Melbourne to discuss how the High Line process and business model could be applied to local projects.
Now in its third year, Thriving Neighbourhoods is a conference on emerging global approaches to the planning, design and management of communities and cities that will radically improve the sustainability, liveability, health and productivity of communities.
Mr Hammond said he and Mr David had no experience in urban planning or architecture.
“We saw something in our neighbourhood and wanted to change it. I’m excited to share [at the conference] the story of how we turned this sort of crazy dream into reality.”
Conference Chair Martin Brennan said that thriving communities had the resilience needed to adapt creatively to unexpected challenges such as climate change, population change, rapid technological change, social upheaval and economic crises.
“The complexity of the systems involved in creating thriving communities poses difficult and challenging issues for planners, developers, managers and researchers. But the potential returns on the invested effort are massive.
“Capturing these returns requires professional collaboration across policy sectors including health, planning, design, infrastructure, IT and the built and natural environments. Communities must also be engaged from the outset, recognising diverse cultural and individual needs.”
Thriving Neighbourhoods is an initiative of ICLEI – Local Governments for Sustainability, the world’s leading association of cities and local governments dedicated to sustainable development.
Also featuring at the conference is Rachael Trotman, Principal Advisor on Community Development and Safety at Auckland Council, who will discuss some of the innovative partnerships and responses emerging in Auckland to foster neighbourhood development in the recently expanded council.
Thriving Neighbourhoods 2013 will be held from 28—30 October at Melbourne Town Hall. For a full program and registration details visit www.thrivingneighbourhoods.org
