Celebrating AGSU – Australian Graduate School of Urbanism

This month UNSW BE has celebrated our new school, AGSU, Australian Graduate School of Urbanism, with lectures that continue to challenge our understanding of the urban environment.

AGSU was created to fill the gap in the number of leading thinkers on urban issues. AGSU Director, Professor Alan Peters, demonstrated our strength in this area with his examination of the perceived negative impact of Australia’s planning system on the Sydney housing market. His lecture, as part of the Utzon Public Lecture Series, compared the vast empirical evidence from the US and UK with Australia in a rousing lecture titled, Does too much urban planning result in higher housing prices or slower economic growth - a broader view. Watch his lecture below.

The AGSU celebrations continued last week, with world renowned housing economist and urban policy expert, Professor George Galster delivering the Utzon Lecture titled Driving Detroit: The Quest for Respect in the Motor City. Professor Galster offered insight on the social history of one of America's most troubled cities, and demonstrated how the once-thriving industrial powerhouse was transformed within half a century into a dysfunctional metropolis.

The celebrations are set to continue with the next Utzon lecture on 16 October with Professor Susan Fainstein of the Harvard Graduate School of Design. This acclaimed academic, author and educator on urban planning issues will present her lecture titled Justice in the Neo-liberal City that will explore arguments for prioritising justice in planning.

AGSU is an Australian leader of research on urban issues, producing graduates who are drivers of change, analytical thinkers and future leaders. Join us for the official launch of AGSU during LuminoCITY, our annual graduate exhibition in November.

Register for the next Utzon Lecture with Professor Susan Fainstein