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All-female panel to discuss equitable public spaces

North American city planning activist Jane Jacobs…”People must take a modicum of public responsibility for each other even if they have no ties to each other.”

THIS year’s Margaret Hendry Lecture will feature all-female panel discussing the creation of equitable public spaces, underpinned by the beliefs of North American city planning activist Jane Jacobs that “people must take a modicum of public responsibility for each other even if they have no ties to each other”.

Hosted by the Australian Institute of Landscape Architects the lecture on Thursday (May 18) is a free public event that celebrates women in the landscape architecture industry.

AILA ACT president, Catherine Keirnan said the topic was designed to encourage a range of views and showcase new ideas that reflected and honoured the work of both Jane Jacobs and Margaret Hendry, who doed in 2001.

“Jane Jacobs had a deep commitment to ensuring all features of life were served in the design of a city, including business, recreation and ethnicity. She believed this mix made a truly vibrant city,” Ms Keirnan said.

The panel members are:

Prof Kate Auty, ACT commissioner for sustainability and the environment; attached to the University of Melbourne Kate is, and has been, a chair and advieor on several national boards sponsoring research on climate change and transformation in our cities.

Dr Christine Satchell, director at Swarm System Pty Ltd. Christine is a researcher in mobile and ubiquitous computing. She was runner up in the Australian Women in Technology Awards 2014.

Catherine Townsend, ACT government architect. Catherine is a local architect who has attained an impressive list of industry awards. She has contributed extensively to the profession and to community advisory groups, including the 2003 Bushfire Recovery Taskforce.

Amy Gray, Tract Consultants. Amy was named in 2016 as one of 10 emerging voices in Australian Landscape Architecture. Amy has led workshops in Berlin as part of the BMW Guggenheim Lab, presented a popular TEDx talk, and spoken at various design and planning conferences.

“The Margaret Hendry Lecture commemorates a founding member of AILA, and a trailblazing woman in the male-dominated field of landscape architecture,” Ms Keirnan said.

“On her appointment to the National Capital Development Commission in 1963, Margaret Hendry was one of just five female landscape architects in Australia. She went on to become a senior lecturer at what is now known as the University of Canberra, but was then known as the Canberra College of Advance Education.

“Margaret’s influence can still be seen and felt around Canberra. We often talk about the ‘Burley-Griffin Plan’, but Margaret’s fingerprints are all over its implementation.

“With only limited seating available for this traditionally well-attended event, I encourage people to arrive early to ensure they can be part of one of our most popular annual activities.”

The Margaret Hendry Lecture, Cinema 1, Palace Electric Cinema, 2 Phillip Law Street, New Acton, 7pm-8pm, Thursday, May 18. Free entry.

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Ian Meikle, editor

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