A free public seminar that will provide insights into what the Sunshine Coast could look like in 15 years’ time will be held on Thursday 16 July as part of the University of the Sunshine Coast’s annual Research Week.

Five of the University’s leading researchers will present the seminar, ‘The Sunshine Coast in 2030: Designing the cities of the future through transdisciplinary research and practice’, at USC’s Innovation Centre auditorium from 6-7.30pm.

Professor Paul Salmon, Professor Tim Smith, Associate Professor Christian Jones, Associate Professor Mathew Summers and Dr Nicholas Stevens will consider the question: ‘How do we design future cities to maximise liveability, productivity, sustainability, safety, and public health and wellbeing?’.

They will discuss the latest thinking on city design from a diverse set of disciplines including human factors, safety science, urban planning and design, ageing and healthcare, and technology design.

Professor Salmon said the seminar would showcase how an integrated research and practice approach could help achieve optimum city design.

"The way we live, work and play in our cities continues to evolve," he said. "What is certain is that the cities of the future will be more technology-driven and house more diverse populations.

"They must also have the potential to be smarter, safer, more productive and sustainable, and promote a greater level of health and well-being.

"City design, however, is a complex beast and without the right approaches there is real potential to create urban environments that are dumb, dangerous, frustrating, unsustainable and blighted by significant public health issues."

Professor Salmon said the seminar would enable the researchers to connect with practitioners, stakeholders and the community to facilitate new interactions and discussion around how the Sunshine Coast could be better designed and optimised.

Register online for this event.

— Terry Walsh