Image:  View over Chatswood CBD.  Metro NSW

WEPA Public Talk – Dr Peter Davies, “Where is our urban forest?” Tuesday 17 Sept. 2019

Trees have never been so topical – the importance of the tree cover over our suburbs has become a focus for much city-wide discussion as we deal with the health impacts of rising temperatures and the sharp decline in wildlife habitat.

One of the priorities of Willoughby City Council’s recent draft Local Strategic Plan Statement is ‘To increase Willoughby’s tree canopy coverage’. Council is also reviewing its Tree Protection Policy with a draft expected for release in October this year.

This presentation by Associate Professor Peter Davies from Macquarie University will focus on the idea of the ‘urban forest’ and how this relates to Willoughby and its future planning.  Peter’s central tenet is that a green city is a contest of values and beliefs that culminate in how individuals and institutions make decisions.  This impacts directly on what and where we plant trees, how they are maintained and what we do when trees are removed.  The cumulative impact of these decisions will shape the character of our suburbs now and well into the future.

Where:  School Hall, Glenaeon Primary School, 121 Edinburgh Road, Castlecrag

When:  7pm – 8:30pm Tuesday 17 September

Cost: free but we appreciate a gold coin donation for WEPA campaigns.

Join us for refreshments after the talk.

Speaker:  Dr Peter Davies is the Head of Department of Environmental Sciences and an executive member of Macquarie University’s Smart Green Cities research centre. His research and practice draw on more than 20 years’ experience in state and local government and consultancy including senior management positions in the water sector, environmental agencies and local government. He has led and contributed to many multi-disciplinary research projects in the areas of environmental planning and sustainability, corporate planning and decision making and community participation and engagement. In 2017 Peter led the urban ecology renewal project for the NSW Environmental Trust to develop a blueprint to support greening cities.  His current scholarship and teaching focuses on urban environmental policy and planning to adopt a multi-disciplinary approach linking theory to practice.