Urbanisation poses challenges such as addressing the growing demand for housing, transportation, energy systems and infrastructure, all while ensuring the benefits are inclusive and sustainable, writes the UNSW Sydney in a statement. Now, the Australian university has launched the UNSW Cities Institute to address these challenges.
The Cities Institute is working in partnership with government, industry, communities and researchers to identify the first priority issues to tackle. Professor Claire Annesley, Dean of UNSW Arts, Design & Architecture, says: “These are affordable housing, active cities and urban governance.”
Based in Parramatta, a meeting place of First Nations peoples for more than 60,000 years, the institute will be “locally focused and globally orientated, combining a future-focused innovative design and research agenda with deep connections to place and the region’s First Nations peoples”.
The institute will also facilitate global dialogues on cities, by providing a suite of products for city leaders across the globe. According to the statement, these will include a Master of Cities, graduate certificates, diplomas and short courses, including Digital Twins and Managing Urban Heat.
