Planning for sustainability in Australian cities

The SOAC is widely recognised as Australia's most important regular research conference on urban policy and planning issues affecting Australia's cities.

A collaborative venture between UniSA, Adelaide and Flinders universities, the theme of this year's conference is "The Growth, Vulnerability and Sustainability of Australian Cities" and covers some 150 papers reporting on important new research on Australian cities.

State Housing Minister Jay Weatherill will speak at the opening ceremony on housing and urban issues in South Australia. Other key speakers include

* Professor Stephen Dovers of the Australian National University, who will speak about the need for much more ambitious and radical changes to city planning processes if people are to adapt to the dramatic changes that climate change will inevitably bring.
* Professor Ruth Fincher of Melbourne University will speak on issues that include the need to make more effort to understand and address the consequences of inequality in Australian cities.
* Professor Bob Stimson of the University of Queensland will speak on the work of the recently prepared Australia Futures Task Force.

The overall Program Chair is Professor Steve Hamnett, Professor of Urban and Regional Planning at the University of South Australia.

In addition to the host universities, the conference is generously supported by the South Australian Land Management Corporation, the SA Department of Environment and Heritage, Planning SA, Lend Lease Communities and the Adelaide City Council.
Plenary sessions begin on Wednesday 28 November in the University of South Australia's Basil Hetzel building. Details of how to attend and more information about the conference can be found at www.unisa.edu.au/soac2007