On Thursday, June 4, at 7:00 p.m., in the Dean’s Office Meeting Room of the Faculty of Geography and History, the Urban Futures Seminar (SFU) will take place on the topic: “What Nature(s) Are Possible in a Rapidly Growing City? Contemporary Environmental Planning in Perth (Australia) Under Debate.” The seminar will be led by Professor Natasha Pauli of the University of Western Australia (UWA) and will be followed by an open discussion for all attendees.
More than two million residents of Perth live in an ancient landscape located in one of the world’s 36 globally recognized biodiversity hotspots. As the capital of the mineral-rich state of Western Australia, the city’s suburban footprint is progressively expanding from the city center, now encompassing more than 120 kilometers of the Indian Ocean coastline. The city is also on the front line of the impacts of climate change, experiencing decades of steadily declining rainfall and rising temperatures. Professor Natasha Pauli will explore how past and present environmental planning frameworks relate to economic and demographic changes, with a particular focus on initiatives to promote urban greening and water-sensitive urban design in an increasingly hot and dry climate.
Pauli is an environmental geographer specializing in the study of the relationships between society and nature in biodiverse environments and in areas dominated by human use. Her research focuses on local knowledge, the sustainable use of natural resources, ecosystem services, and the integration of socio-environmental considerations into environmental management and planning, in both rural and urban areas. She has extensive professional experience consulting for businesses and public administrations, as well as in the design of international conservation policies. She has developed a strong track record of fieldwork in the Americas, Asia, and the Pacific.
