City Building Seminars – Liveability in a subtropical city

Thursday 27 February 2025 | 12:00 PM

Presented by Dr Rosemary Kennedy of the SubTropical Cities Consultancy.

The Gold Coast’s identity and enviable year-round outdoor lifestyle are grounded in its subtropical climate and landscape. “Subtropical design” has been part of the urban and regional planning regulatory framework in South East Queensland since 2005.

For over two-decades, design guidelines and policies have emphasised the role of local climate and context in high quality urban design for liveability and for community resilience to climate change. As our cities and suburbs evolve to meet the population growth, good design for life in the subtropics is increasingly important in the renewal of older centres and suburbs.

Dr Rosemary Kennedy presents design strategies and planning case studies that take the local climate as the starting point for the benefit of environment and community.

• Hear examples of how subtropical design thinking has environmental, social and economic benefits for life in the subtropics and why keeping the climate top of mind is important as the city continues to grow.
• Examine the benefits and values of design guidelines.
• Consider ways we can raise the bar locally for a liveable city.

Getting there

Consider using public transport or active travel. Plan your trip with Translink's journey planner.

Parking may be limited. For metered parking, use the EasyPark app to start, end, and extend your parking direct from your phone to avoid fines. For more information visit City of Gold Coast's Parking page.