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Vale Bill Chandler Tributes
One of our true civic minded planning champions, his legacy will be remember by our future generations.
Gareth Hately
Bill was a giant in the world of Planning. If you were ever stuck with a problem, you could always go to Bill to test ideas or even just shoot the breeze.
Kate Stapleton
In his passing I’ve come to appreciate Bill as the unofficial coach of planning in Victoria; not the belligerent, carping type but rather inspiring his players with his crystal clarity on what planning stands for.
Marcus Spiller
Bill would never let a prospective Planning News contributor escape his grasp; with a twinkle in his eye and a cheeky smile: “So I’ll expect an article on your latest research by Friday next week – okay?” Bill’s commitment to planning, and keeping planners up-to-date with the latest research was legendary.
Billie Giles-Corti
I’ll never forget the advice Bill gave me during my term as PIA VIC President - to have confidence in speaking up on behalf of PIA members and “don’t sit on the fence”!
Laura Murray
Bill was a great planning mate, particularly during my time as the Victorian Division President. Bill has always been there to challenge and guide me with a smile. He will be sadly missed at all PIA events.
Jason Black
Bill was arguably the pioneer of lifting Urban Design onto the national consciousness. We and the nation are all indebted.
Gordon Holden
Bill’s leadership, positivity and sustained energy have paid a national dividend.
Peter Dungey
Addressing a conference workshop in the early 90’s, Bill announced: “For every complex problem, there’s always a simple solution ...” As he paused for dramatic effect, I thought I was about to hear a great revelation. “… and it’s almost always wrong!” How right he was!
Nathan Alexander
Bill was an indefatigable champion of better cities; cities that are not just well-designed and managed but, as he always reminded us, are fundamentally about and for, people.
Malcolm Snow
Bill was truly a remarkable man who helped so many of us to share his wisdom. He was a tireless, optimistic and always humorous campaigner for better people places and our cities are better as a result of Bill’s life’s work.
Rob Adams
The more time I spent in the planning professions, the more I was amazed at just how much Bill had been involved with, stretching back decades, and even more impressively, how much he was still involved with. We will miss him.
Tim Westcott
Bill once said to me he was worried that he might be seen more as a critic of government rather than a promoter of good stuff - rest assured Bill that you will indeed be remembered for all the good stuff.
Jane Stanley
Bill was refreshingly persistent in raising the big issues – in an environment where planning is too often undervalued and pushed to the background, Bill used every endeavour to remind everyone of the difference upfront planning can make to achieving solutions to the big challenges facing our communities, cities and regions.
Stuart Moseley
Bill’s unfailing generosity not only to individuals within the profession, but also the industry as a whole – and in particular his role in elevating the importance of good design outcomes in planning – leaves an enduring legacy but also means he will be sorely missed.
Jane Keddie
A generous mentor, guide, supporter, coach, sounding board, colleague, and good friend.
Rod Duncan
To mark his 30 years at the City of Melbourne, Rob Adams had an exclusive dinner– invitation only. Bill arrived and said in his usual cheery voice, “Rob you didn’t invite me, you should have. Waiter another chair please!” Typical Bill. We shall miss him more than we know.
Steve Thorne
I can’t recall precisely when it started, but at some stage quite early in my career Bill started to call me his ‘Uncle Bill’ and it stuck thereafter – for nearly 40 years! That has always felt very special to me.
Jen Rayment
Bill was a great advocate for design excellence, commissioning some of Melbourne's best designers through his role at the Docklands Authority.
David Pryor
Australian cities owe Bill a debt. You cannot conceive how we would have got to here without him for he was central over decades to the creation and promotion of the critically important national Urban Design dialogue: as activist, teacher, professional, communicator, mentor, catalyst, networker and organiser. He was also my generous no-nonsense colleague and friend.
John Byrne
As Chair of the Planning Advisory Panel, Bill was one of my trusted issue experts. I enjoyed Bill’s quizzical look, his integrated approach to Land Use and Community Planning and loved delving past the theoretical to the practical to reach results. Bill continued to play a dynamic role in stimulating communities to think and act on how we wanted and needed neighbourhoods to look, feel and operate.
Jane Nathan
Many generations of young (and not so young!) planners benefited from Bill’s energy, enthusiasm and experience. At events, you always knew when Bill was in the room – centrally positioned, more often than not with a full glass of red, with planners orbiting around him, in and out of conversation.
His social and professional contributions to our industry will stand the test of time.
Ben Cooke
Bill told me my new position was to “serve as a human shield” between vulnerable more junior staff and some “loose cannons” in the company. He was always generous with a wry, considered retort.
Frank Hanson
I first encountered Bill when I started Melbourne Uni’s Grad. Dip. Planning in 1974 ... and he was teaching a class comprising many of those who dominated planning in Victoria for decades to follow.
Trevor Budge
Bill was courageous, always agitating boldly and bravely for better cities, places and the built environment professions...with a bit of cheeky humour thrown in; he will be so missed.
Emma Appleton
Bill was undoubtedly the greatest Urban Design champion in Australia. He facilitated opportunities for students to connect with industry in a casual social setting. Bill always gave his time and energy for the future generation of urban designers. His opening at the 2014 Urban Design Group conference in Nottingham was “The land doesn’t belong to us, we belong to the land”.
Pamela Caspani
Bill has always been a constant presence in the day-to-day activities of the PIA Vic Office. He has been a source of inspiration, friendship, and wisdom to all of us.
Carmel McCormack, Diego Pappalardo & Lydia Lovelock
Thank you for your tireless & powerful advocacy for Urban Design and the Public Arts in Australia. You have been a rare driving force for design thinking in the Planning sector for generations and an inspiration to me and countless others.
Craig Czarny
They say the true test of being a radical is a radical at the age of 60. Well, Bill Chandler was one hell of a radical. Bill was not just an articulate talker but a man on a mission to change the way we plan and design our places to better places.
Roz Hansen
Bill urged us to make sure concepts like the urban design framework and design strategies had a “home” in the planning scheme, and worked tirelessly behind the scenes to help it to happen. He has certainly left his mark on the Australian city.
Stephen Axford
Bill Chandler was the epitome of the professional planner and urban designer, a good friend, colleague and mentor to many, and a highly respected contributor to our profession; Bill will be deeply missed.
John Henshall
Bill and I disagreed about the initial Docklands’ governance model: we had a robust discussion, shook hands and were firm friends thereafter. He was always generous with his time and positive in his outlook.
Alan March
Bill’s passions - for ideas, for people, places and professionalism - will be greatly missed but live on in his inspiration to others.
Rynd Smith
It was such sad news to hear of Bill’s passing. I appreciated so much Bill’s kind assistance helping me work on two different articles for Planning News in recent years. The conversations with him were so rich and insightful. He was generous with his time and shared really interesting stories about planning in Melbourne.
Bryan Colbourne
Bill was a long-time colleague in urban change forums, comrade chanting outside Frydenberg’s office on a Friday night, lobbying to get a forum of Federal Candidates in 2019 at Swinburne University and good associate across issues of urban design and city making.
In the early days of UDF we spent long hours crafting submissions for Better Cities forums in Canberra when we really thought we could get somewhere on new thinking. Last time we talked was on Bill’s experience working with Jeff Kennett as I was writing my chapter on this period for my Phd. Bill was a figure that used his ‘capital’ always ‘available’ to be called on which stands him apart. Your either ‘living’ or your ‘dying’ and I think Bill was definitely ‘living’ to the very last second. He’ll be well missed.
Gerry McLoughlin
And most of us will be familiar with this parting remark:
“OK, that sounds good. Send me 800 words and a picture, or 1,600 and two pics ... by the 15th of the month please.”
Bill Chandler