Peaceful Families
Peaceful Schools
Peaceful Work Place
Peaceful Towns
Peaceful Governments

18th September 2010, Town Hall, Armidale.

Speakers:
Dr. Kerkyasharian
Ms. Kath Parker
Ms. Lynett Riley
Dr. Howard Bell
Mr. Phil Donnan
Professor Halen Ware
Dr. Izabel Soliman
Dr. Bernard Swan
Professor Hani Soliman

Workshops:
Dr. Marty Branagan
Ms. Kim McConville
Mr. Eddie Whitham

Registration: $20 ; Students $10 (including lunch, morning and afternoon tea) Coference Dinner: $10

For Further information emai:
Dr. Amin Amini
amin.amini@une.edu.au

Appropriate materials selection; previously our conventional materials selections have stemmed from these criteria’s, the cost, its appearance, strength and sustainability. But now, our future criteria for building practice should focus on; clean, natural, resource and energy efficient, abundant, durable, healthy, renewable and re-useable/ recyclable materials.

Waste management is also an important factor when considering an ecologically sustainable development. Cost of waste = Disposal cost + material cost + opportunity cost.
Disposal cost => 1-2% of house cost.
Material cost => 5- 10% for wastage.
Opportunity cost => materials could have been used elsewhere; this is lost opportunity.

There are many aspects to Urban & Regional Planning, what we have to be aware of, is the practice of town planning in a equitable and knowlwedgable manner. There is always going to be development in this world, how are we going to approach this issue, so that it will be plasing to all that share this vital environment in an anthropocentric approach. Is this the way to think in an ultra-morden socity?
Once we start exploring these ideas and many other aspects surrounding urban & regional planning, many other questions start to arise…this can be a little depressing for some, i know i found it difficult to comprehend the great minds who laied the fundamental foundations before us. We have to grasp the subject with anticipation in the hope to find not just the answers but more questions, for this also helps with the human progression in life. We also have to leave behind our thoughts of self progress/ benifit ( for i know that without this life would be meaningless to our identity) and focus on what or how we are going to manage what we have to create some sort equllibrience in our society.

I would like to put it out into the universe of what my perfect world would look like and may get a response from those who may think like me or share similar ideologies; but there are many walks of life on this earth and we have to try and understand their views. A compromise, nowdays is just not enough, as there are things as right and wrong. Most people i believe wake up everyday with thinking, what is right is right and wrong is wrong. Wrong.
So, how do we approach this complex sittuation?
There may never be answers for such a questions ( but if you do i would like to here from you); law may be our solution to create equiality amongst the disagreable crowd. But even in the practice of law thare are “loop holes”.

Where does our future belong to?

The components we need to consider are as follows;
Alternate Building materials/practice,
Renewable Energy &
Inter-generational equity.

I will expand on these points in the coming weeks.

But first, let us all get familiar with the terminology.

Alternate Building Material/ Practice;

Materials like old tyres, building rubble, strawbales, mud, recycled building products/materials, chicken wire, materials with a low embodied energy, etc,..
The building practice is i believe will be much more difficult to change, but is not impossible.

Renewable Energy;

This is an easy one, so, i will not question your intelligence. What is interesting to think about in this section would be its market value of such a venture and change that is imposed on society by increased dependence on technology. Is there a need for such a technological advancement, whilst, there are pockets of society that are struggling to meet the daily nutritional requirements. Are there any globally agreed set of morals we should think about or even be governed by?

Inter-generational equity:

This has stuck with me since my lecturer mentioned it to me back in 2007. Basically leaving enough of everything for all those who are yet to be born. Here, we have to consider the depletion rate of resources, new methods of resource usage, accelerated renewable technology, transforming societies dependencies; by cultivating our next generation in what we currently consider an appropriate mining practice and resource distribution, how this may have adverse intergenerational inequality concerns. What we consider to be appropriate practice may be negatively impacting the needs of the future?

There are many facets to consider when we are faced with managing for the future. What do we need NOW? and How much of it can we consume, in one sitting, in one hour, one day, one month.
When do we stop/ how do we stop/ where do we stop/ What now?

I would welcome any one who has an interest in the subject matter to share their thoughts with the rest of the world. Change is miniscule, but accumulated change is historical.

Think of a positive world everyone,

_OneUrban_
Prashanth Van Houten
B. Urban & Regional Planning, the University of New England.