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.      

Themes from the symposium are summarised in this report. Links to presentations, recorded keynote addresses and photos are included below.

Symposium Themes

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?

Highlights