It’s July 2020, I’m sitting down with a full notebook and brain, ready to digest what was a fruitful three week virtual ‘Liveable Cities Conference’. Three sessions of speakers from all over the globe. Three days of case studies, unpacking systems, concepts introduced, and ultimately hope instilled in all listeners and watches. The Liveable Cities Conference was an exceptional demonstration of the sustainable projects and planning happening in communities today.

If you missed out, don’t fret. You can plan to attend next year, or access the conference recordings here (this link gives you a 15% discount, and in full transparency, I make commission on it too). Whatever you choose, I’m here to pass onto you my three key takeaways from the Liveable Cities Conference 2020 - grab a cup of tea and pretend you were there!

Sustainable developments- the physical stuff

A liveable city involves many aspects, but the practicalities of the ‘physical stuff’ stood out to me as the building blocks in which a liveable city flows from. Of course a liveable city looks different depending on the climate, but this is what a liveable city could look like:

• Water tanks for each household

• Permeable pavements (so the water nourishes the earth instead of running off)

• Solar panels

• EV charging points accessible publicly and privately

• Future proofed cities to enable future technology updates

• Electric bike shares

• Car sharing

• A central community hub that acts as an education centre: creating different ways to showcase sustainability and foster community

• Diversity of house types/people/incomes (to allow for more community resilience)

• More greenery

• High level of native plants and wildlife

My favourite speaker was the very first: Jessica Stewart, Sustainability Manager at Ginninderry - a sustainable development in Australia. Her description of their 40 year development plan made me think about the horrible developments that have popped up at the end of my road, filling a previously beloved golf course. Why can’t they be more like Ginniderry?

If they were, all residents would choose a landscaping package, allowing less freedom for the inhabitants, but more control over keeping native plants thriving in the area. New residents would be presented with bus timetables, electric bike share information, and directions to walking commute tracks as soon as they arrived. According to Jessica, an individual chooses how they are going to commute to work on the very first day of being in their new home, so directing them to the most sustainable options from day one would be important.

If the development at the end of my road was like Ginninderry, the natural environment would look different too. Rather than ripping out trees to make way for buildings, the buildings would be designed around the trees, with consideration and respect for their root systems too. Moving on from the trees, low lying shrubs and grasslands would be protected, ensuring all animals of all kinds had a space to live too. All human inhabitants would be offered ample education to understand this way of living. They would know to leave random logs to sit (insects need a space to live too), avoid mowing their lawns to the edges (butterflies often lay their eggs here) and appreciate that they are not the only species who roam this earth. Although the space may look slightly more ‘scruffy’ compared to what society has been conditioned to expect, the entire community would flourish with life, and be far more liveable for everyone.

Vehicles would not be prioritised, linear systems would be ‘designed out’ and replaced by circular ones, and education of this new way of living would be everywhere. If only the development at the end of my road was more like Ginninderry!

Community resilience- the crucial stuff

“We are not a business, we are a culture.” I wrote down this quote from Kirsti Luke, Chief Executive, Tuhoe Te Uru Taumatua, Ngai Tuhoe's Tribal Authority, at the top of my page in bold letters. Communities are being built as business ventures, and that’s not a liveable city. Although, as I’ve mentioned, the physical elements of a liveable city are important, for a city to truly be sustainable there must be work done on the community itself. I’m talking about the people.

Kirsti spoke on resilience, responsibility, and livelihood, describing livelihood as the level of contribution from a family into a community, in order to then get it back. I was drawn to her concept of a ‘net zero community’ - one were incomes are not needed, but livelihoods can be earned in other ways.

A true liveable city is one that “creates spaces so people feel comfortable to go through life’s journey,” says Geraldene Dalby-Ball, Director of Kingfisher Urban Ecology and Wetlands. “Every person needs the potential to be heard.”

A common thread throughout all sessions was the importance of a strong community that shares. Less resources are needed when communities share, but in order to share, the community must be founded on a culture that opens space for all people to be heard. This concept is one I will continue to ponder, and take with me into the way I engage in my own community.

The biggest barriers

Before the conference, I had an understanding of the barriers stopping sustainable developments and liveable spaces. However, Geraldene summarised them perfectly:

• Perception

• Habits

• Management & maintenance

• One person making all the decisions

• Lack of knowledge

• Environment (e.g. bushfires)

While I could dwell on these barriers, I won’t. But I will say that during the conference, and in the world in general, the answer to many of these barriers is to talk to your original people.

I could go on and tell you about the beautifully painted streets that have reduced car speeds, kept businesses alive, and reduced traffic accidents. I could describe Geraldene’s theory of ‘butterfly teachings’ that mirror our society’s need for resilience, transformation, and learning. I could also mention the exceptional session by founders of Coreo, Jaine and Ashleigh Morris, around the importance of quick sustainable wins and strategy… but a blog post can only be so long.

The Liveable Cities Conference made me inspired to do more in my own community, saddened by the developments who embody nothing I’ve mentioned above, but hopeful that there are enough people in the world developing liveable cities.

I just wish I still had a golf course at the end of my street or a Ginninderry!

Reminder: If you are interested in learning more and watching The Liveable Cities Conference yourself, you can access them here.