MASTERCLASS & WORKSHOPS

*Please note, workshop spaces are limited and you must be pre-registered to attend. Attendance is at no additional cost to your congress registration - first in best dressed. Once booked out we are unable to increase numbers however can put you on a wait list. 

*The masterclass is strictly limited to 30 places, must be pre-registered to attend. Please note, the Masterclass is an additional cost to your registration fee.

 Due to the limited spaces available for workshop sessions, if you have pre-registered and are no longer wanting to attend your workshop session, please email congress@planning.org.au to cancel and allow us to provide more opportunities to other attendees.

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Exclusive Masterclass with Ellen Dunham-Jones:
Hands-on Exercises to Identify Good (and Bad) Urban Design

TIME AND DATE: Thursday 29 May 2025, 11:00AM - 12:30PM

The exercises in this workshop for non-designers will teach you how to assess proposed projects for contributing (or not) to the basic principles of good urbanism. Attendees will learn how to quickly identify plans that enhance the public realm, create a connected urban framework and ecosystem, layer in higher-performing infrastructure, and accommodate diverse building types for changing demographics.

Exclusive Masterclass with Ika Trijsburg:
Disinformation in the City: developing a three-phase response

TIME AND DATE: Thursday 29 May 2025, 3:30PM - 5:00PM

This Masterclass will draw on the recommendations of the Disinformation in the City Response Playbook. Released in August 2024, this world-first playbook was co- created by 40 multi-sector experts across Australasia, Europe and North America to provide guidance for local response to one of society’s most significant challenges. The interactive masterclass will be framed around the three-phase response contained in the playbook: Pre-emption & Early detection; Pre-bunking & Spread Prevention; De-bunking & Recovery response

Workshop 1: Delivering great communities: housing, resilience, connectivity and infrastructure

TIME AND DATE: Friday 30 May 2025, 11:00AM - 12:30PM

ABSTRACT: This workshop, "Working in and through community: Using peer research and facilitation in planning," aims to explore innovative methodologies that enhance community involvement in urban planning processes. Over 1.5 hours, participants will engage in a hands-on, interactive session designed to familiarise them with peer research approaches and their applications in urban planning projects. The use of peer researchers is grounded in participatory action research theory and practice, which emphasises inclusivity and co-production of knowledge (Roche et al, 2010). Peer research approaches not only democratise the planning process and build skills and knowledge, but they also build trust between planners and community members (Branom, 2012). By harnessing the lived experiences, skills (e.g., language skills, creative skills, etc.) and community networks of citizens, planners can gain deeper insights into the unique challenges and opportunities of their planning projects, leading to more relevant and sustainable urban interventions and to stronger communities through skill building, participation and micro-enterprise. During the workshop, participants will engage in collaborative exercises, framed around real world case study examples and scenarios, to develop practical tools and strategies to use peer-led research in their own practice. By the end of the workshop, participants will be able to design, implement and evaluate peer research strategies and offer new ways for citizens to engage in planning, policy and other change processes. Attendees will learn how to effectively train and empower peer researchers, ensuring their insights are integral to the planning process. This session is ideal for urban planners, community organisers, and anyone interested in enhancing community engagement through innovative methodologies. Join us to discover how peer research can transform urban planning into a more inclusive and rewarding process, for community and planners alike.

Workshop 2: The Future of Planning Education in a time of change

TIME AND DATE: Friday 30 May 2025, 1:30PM - 3:00PM

ABSTRACT: This workshop will engage participants in thinking about the future of the planning profession and how professional development, and education at universities, will enable us to do our jobs. There is an urgency to this issue. Planning is a key profession that will help steer our cities and regions towards sustainability. But university planning programs are dwindling, with many degrees being shut due to the current challenges facing the university sector, while enrolments in some degrees are declining. What skills does the future planning workforce need? What do we expect graduate careers to look like? What skills and knowledge do we need to plan with the foreseeable and unforeseen big disrupters: AI, Climate Change, Biodiversity Emergency, the next pandemic. How can planning education evolve to be future ready?