A new conference panel just dropped, and it’s a corker!

Deputy Lord Mayor of Sydney, the excellent Greens Councillor Sylvie Ellsmore, has just returned from travels where she’s gathered some amazing ideas about transformative policies for public and affordable housing that are actually being implemented and working in cities like Paris and London.

Sylvie is going to tell us all about how Paris has increased its public housing from 11% to 25%, and is targeting 40%, mostly through buying existing buildings, and making housing available to people well into middle income in order to diversify and fund the program. She’ll also share the different and equally successful approach London Boroughs have been taking to reach their target of 50% of all building to be affordable, achieving 44% already last year!

Sylvie will be joined for this panel by Victorian Greens musician, comedian, unionist and much more, Mitch Alexander, whose presentation, Paved Paradise and Put Up Apartment Blocks, will challenge us, through a case study of the campaign to Save The Tote, to think about how we balance the need for cultural spaces like music venues with the need for new housing.

And this is just one of 20 panels, plenaries and workshops that you’ll have the chance to take part in if you get you ticket today to The City Transformed: urban life at the end of the world as we know it.

I also want to draw your attention to the newly added Health and Safety section on the conference page, noting our request for people to consider masking inside, and our offer to refund your ticket if you are unwell. Hopefully that can give you a little peace of mind about organising to attend. 

Looking forward to seeing lots of you there in 16 days! Do get your ticket now to avoid disappointment and help us plan catering.