Ideas@theHouse

presented by

Her Excellency the Honourable Margaret Beazley AC KC
Governor of NSW

“City Futures: from challenge to opportunity – by design”

Leone Lorrimer LFRAIA
Architect

Date: Tuesday, 16 June 2026, 6.30–8.00 pm AEST
Venue: Face-to-face (by invitation for Society members) and live streaming from Government House, Sydney
Registration: Society members who registered for a face-to-face place at Ideas@theHouse will receive their formal invitation from Government House before the event.  You must RSVP to this invitation to confirm your place.
Registration is not required for the live stream, which commences at 6.30 pm, Tuesday, 16 June 2026.
Entry: No charge
All are welcome to the live stream

Please click here to join the live stream on
Tuesday, 16 June at 6.30 pm AEST

Summary: ‘Unprecedented’ and ‘crisis’ are so frequently used that the challenges appear overwhelming.

The challenges are well known. There are crises in housing, cost of living, mental health, healthcare and aged care, not to mention climate change, technology and AI. There is an ever-widening gap in wealth, education and standards of living.

What roles do city planning, urban design and architecture play in delivering solutions?

Although the scale of the challenge is huge, state government, local government and the private sector working together can deliver successful solutions.

Certainty, resulting from long-term, visionary city planning, supplemented by urban design guidelines, is the responsibility of government. Many of the initial city-scale steps have been taken by government, but reliance on the private sector and variable market forces is not enough to close the housing gap.

History shows us that in crises, governments have delivered housing at large scale, but we cannot afford to sprawl and crawl model of the past. A large-scale program is required to build new affordable housing near hospitals, emergency services, schools and aged care, in locations that are not economic for the private sector. The high land value requires greater density, supported by quality urban design and placemaking.

Affordable housing needs to be near new jobs that support future industries, with good public transport, schools and green space. This requires visionary city-scale master planning, combined with economic incentives and a partnership between state and local government.

To deliver such a huge volume of housing, with labour and material shortages limiting capacity and driving up costs, innovative construction methods, such as prefabrication, are required. Smaller, less expensive homes that meet all the householders’ needs can result from good design. The construction of energy-efficient homes reduces ongoing energy bills.

Good design also improves the quality of city living in walkable, mixed-use neighbourhoods. Every detail is considered, from the light, air and views, circulation, proximity of green space, water reticulation, playground design, materials and public art. Good design supports physical and mental health and underpins the ultimate goal of delivering social and economic equity.

Leone Lorrimer is a distinguished Australian architect and executive leader whose four‑decade career has shaped major design practices and city‑scale projects across Australia, the UK and the Middle East. Born in Sydney, she studied architecture in Sydney and London, graduating with Honours in 1983.

Returning to Australia, she held Directorships at Stephenson & Turner, then Woods Bagot, where she co‑founded the Sydney studio and became a defining force in its global expansion over the next two decades. Her international portfolio includes leadership roles on major developments such as the Qatar Science and Technology Park, and the Louvre, Guggenheim and Zayed National Museums in Abu Dhabi.

Lorrimer later served as National Practice Leader at GHD Design and has been recognised as a Life Fellow of the Australian Institute of Architects, an Indesign Luminary and one of Australia’s 100 Women of Influence. She continues to contribute as a design awards juror, reviewer, specialist advisor and advocate for design excellence and gender equity in the profession. She is also a keen sailor and Board Member of the Sydney Amateur Sailing Club.

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