Darwin Living Lab Symposium 2022: Knowledge into Practice

The Darwin Living Lab Symposium was held on the 3 August 2022 at the George Brown Botanic Gardens Event Centre.

The Symposium was well attended, with more than 90 registrations. Participants represented all levels of government from several agencies, peak industry bodies, private businesses, universities and  traditional owners. The 2022 Symposium had a focus on translating knowledge into practice, while developing awareness of cooling initiatives and supporting research underway through the Darwin City Deal and the Feeling Cooler in Darwin Heat Mitigation and Adaptation Strategy.      

The symposium encompassed three themes, which were explored through presentations, panel discussions and interactive workshop sessions. The symposium themes were:

• Navigating change in Darwin – How is Darwin changing, what are the challenges and tensions at play, and what mechanisms are there for Darwin to transition to a cooler and thriving capital city?
• Community and Indigenous knowledge for improving heat-related liveability – What approaches are being used to cool urban landscapes and how can green infrastructure provide increased heat mitigation and biodiversity outcomes for Darwin?
• Advancing energy efficiency and indoor thermal comfort in Darwin – How can Darwin’s built environment and occupant behaviour be adapted to improve indoor thermal comfort while reducing emissions associated with cooling indoor spaces?

 

The keynote address was provided by Dr Josh Byrne Josh’s House Living Laboratory – Monitoring, Evaluating and Communicating the Journey

Dr Josh Byrne is an environmental scientist and urban design professional with a national profile as a consultant, researcher and communicator in urban sustainability. His approach is leadership through demonstration by engaging in projects that provide opportunities to test innovation, build capacity and share learnings with stakeholders and the wider community.

Josh has a long association with applied research and has authored a number of academic publications and industry guides in the areas of water sensitive design, energy efficient housing and sustainable urban development.  

Josh is well known as the WA presenter on ABC TV’s Gardening Australia program where over the past 20 years he has demonstrated how gardening can improve urban livability to a national audience. He is a regular contributor to print and radio media, and author of three popular books on sustainable gardening and low carbon living.  

More information on the Symposium is available here