8 May 2018
Australia’s capital cities regularly make the top 10 of surveys comparing the world’s most liveable urban environments – testament to the ability of our planners to deliver places that help satisfy people’s social, economic and environmental aspirations.
Ensuring that the quality of our local, urban and regional places exceeds expectations is challenging work, and demands of our planners a willingness to explore, collaborate, and innovate.
This they do routinely, year in and year out.
The most outstanding examples of their work in 2017-18 are being celebrated on 9 May at the Planning Institute of Australia’s National Awards for Planning Excellence in Perth.
Awards and commendations across 12 separate categories are being given out on Wednesday evening, including Planner and Young Planner of the Year, Planning Champion, Best Planning Ideas Large Project, and Best Planning Ideas Small Project.
Many of the 65 entries in the running for the 2018 Awards involve revitalising aged and underutilised places, or applying cutting-edge research and innovation to resolve stubborn social, environmental or economic issues in Australia’s built environment.
Other projects and individuals being considered for Awards were nominated for their strong emphasis on collaboration and community engagement – or because they used strategic planning principles and local and regional planning frameworks to achieve positive outcomes.
PIA National President and National Awards Convenor Brendan Nelson said that judging of the Awards was becoming more challenging each year as the quality of entries improved.
“In particular, the judges struggled to separate the entries in a couple of the categories,” he said.
Mr Nelson congratulated all the finalists, saying their work was contributing materially to the creation of more sustainable and prosperous communities.
PIA will post details of all the Award winners (and those who receive commendations) on its website () and on social media after the 9 May presentation ceremony, which begins at 6pm.
ENDS