Retro-fitting urban precincts: creating liveable post-carbon communities

19 Mar 2025
04:00pm - 05:30pm
FREE
Melbourne City
Storey Hall Lecture Theatre, Building 16, RMIT University

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Join RMIT's Post-Carbon Research Centre for a panel discussion exploring the importance of retrofitting precincts. What changes to planning and building systems would enable better outcomes for sustainability at scale?

The focus on improving sustainability and post-carbon outcomes in the built environment has largely focused on individual buildings. This approach potentially misses opportunities of scale which could be achieved with a focus on precincts. This not only includes shared efficiencies across buildings but also using the spaces between buildings more effectively. While there is an increasing focus on how to make new precincts more sustainable we need to find ways to retrofit existing precincts and urban areas. A coordinated approach will be required to retrofit existing precincts to deliver affordable post-carbon precincts.

This panel discussion will explore the importance of retrofitting precincts including how can we ensure good outcomes and what changes to planning and building systems will be required.

Presenters:

Laura Little, Senior Policy Advisor Sunshine precinct, Department of Transport and Planning

Natash Palich, Executive Officer, Municipal Association of Victoria, Council Alliance for a Sustainable Built Environment

Trivess Moore, Associate Professor, Post-Carbon Research Centre Precincts cluster lead, RMIT University

Rebecca Yang, Professor, Digital twins and sustainability for precincts, The University of Melbourne

Please join us for refreshments following the event.

This event is hosted by RMIT's Post-Carbon Research Centre, a joint initiative of the University's College of Design and Social Context and STEM College, established in 2024. The Centre tackles the complex challenges of decarbonising the built environment and infrastructures to transition to a sustainable, equitable and resilient future. Combining multi-disciplinary research capabilities across the built environment and infrastructure sectors, our researchers execute real world applications that enable both innovation and impact and stay connected to social and political context for implementation at scale.

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Retro-fitting urban precincts: creating liveable post-carbon communities