Woods Bagot has appointed Kirsty White as senior urban designer, as the company works on a growing portfolio of global urban design projects.
The firm is growing its teams as it points to the rise in urban-renewal projects throughout Australia.
The company says White’s approach has been ‘instrumental in delivering precincts for tomorrow, and is set to share and inject global thinking into the urban design work across the Australian region, as major areas look to renewal of centres’.
“The rise of concentrated-cities, where a variety of commercial, retail, residential and community facilities are present are seeping into the Australian urban landscape, where the success will hinge on smart urban design and essentially, an efficient use of resources,” said White.
White has been involved in delivering major projects such as the London Olympic Legacy Framework, Heart of Canning Town mixed-use centre and Sydney Olympic Park’s Vision 2025 Masterplan and Development Control Plan.
“In a time when land supply across Australia is tight, concentrated-cities provide an innovative planning solution where density and intensity is smartly used. The advantage of concentrated-cities is that not only does a dense population enrich the space experience, it also enables shared use of resources,” she continued.
White says connection and access is key to the success of these urban centres, and ultimately where the role of a lateral and innovative approach to master planning is essential.
“You need to plan — this is where the master planning framework is needed to guide and test the wider regional strategies and networks; and in turn identify the opportunities and constraints for the local context.”