June 19, 2026
The sixteenth in the series of Ideas@theHouse events, which are joint presentations of Her Excellency, The Honourable Margaret Beazley AC KC, Governor of New South Wales, and the Royal Society of New South Wales, was held on the evening of Tuesday, 16 June 2026, in the Ballroom of Government House, Sydney.
Distinguished architect, Leone Lorrimer LFRAIA, was the speaker on this occasion, addressing the topic of ‘City Futures: from challenge to opportunity – by design.’
In her lecture, Leone Lorrimer argued that Sydney’s future depends on ceasing urban sprawl in favour of people-centred, well-designed, sustainable communities. She began by stressing the need for an inspiring vision that can be communicated clearly, since urban planning is a ‘long game’ shaped by transport, population growth and public choices. Looking back at Sydney’s development, she traced how roads, rail, trams, the Harbour Bridge, post-war migration and the rise of the private car encouraged outward expansion and the ‘great Australian dream’ of detached suburban housing. This model, she argued, had produced disconnected estates, long commutes, traffic congestion and high infrastructure costs.
Ms Lorrimer presented the alternative as a redefined Australian dream: compact, walkable, mixed-use communities located around public transport. She highlighted the Greater Sydney Region Plan’s ‘metropolis of three cities’ and the ’30-minute city’ vision, as well as Sustainable Sydney 2030’s ‘city of villages’ approach. She emphasised that good design is central to this shift because it creates places that are welcoming, healthy, adaptable, efficient and economically valuable. Architects and urban designers, she said, translate complex technical and social needs into coherent places.
A major focus is housing supply and affordability. Leone Lorrimer argued that Sydney must increase density, with a mix that includes high, mid and low-rise. She highlighted that adaptive reuse, build-to-rent, student accommodation, social and affordable housing all having roles to play.
She emphasised models that use smaller private footprints supported by shared amenities, strong public transport access and long-term stewardship. She also called for more urgent state-led action on social housing, noting the scale of waiting lists and homelessness.
Finally, she linked future cities to climate responsibility. Buildings and transport produce a large share of emissions, so better standards, low-carbon materials, prefabrication, digital construction and innovation are needed. Her call to action is to design our way out of crisis through cohesive planning, housing diversity, sustainability, social equity and intergenerational fairness.
A recording of this presentation is now available on the Society’s YouTube channel. A gallery of images from the occasion is also available for downloading from the preceding link.
