Steven will be presenting at the Planning Institute of Australia’s National Planning Congress on 24-26 May.

Information about the congress is available here

ABSTRACT

It has become commonplace for papers and presentations about cities to start with the fact that in 1950, 30 percent of the world’s population was urban and by 2014 that number had reached 54 percent. Reference to this trend is invariably followed by an assertion that the trend must inevitably continue into the future, suggesting, for example, that by 2050, 66 percent of the world’s population is projected to be urban. The starting assumption of increasing urbanisation frames and informs the challenges that must be addressed by urban planners. This presentation will question whether this trend is inevitable or, indeed, desirable.

For an overview of what I will be presenting read this article in the Fifth Estate.