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Conference
2006
Plants as infrastructure
 This
conference was held at Unitec, Mt Albert, Auckland, 24-25 March,
2006.
Unitec, Auckland local
government, the New Zealand Institute of Landscape Architecture
and the Royal NZ Institute of Horticulture came together to consider
the topic of plants as infrastructure in our cities.
The conference showcased
several green infrastructure projects, and focussed on matching
theory with innovative best practice.
Topics included water,
weeds, trees, teams, planning, design and management.
The
keynote speaker was Joan Nassauer, Professor in Landscape Architecture
at Michigan University. Joan's expertise in water management
is at a wide variety of scales, including peri-urban, suburban and
fully urban areas.
The programme
consisted of invited papers, oral papers, poster presentations and
a range of fieldtrips that visited initiatives around greater Auckland.
Rationale
The premise of this conference
was that 'greening the city' by providing plants as infrastructural
systems is an important normative goal in landscape architecture
and urban planning.
In order to enact this
goal, appropriate resources and expertise must be applied to the
planning and implementation of such planted systems.
The functions and values
this plant infrastructure can provide includes both the biological
management of air, soil and water quality, climate and habitat resources,
and enhancing cultural values of amenity, recreation, and providing
a sense of place and cultural identity.
The conference was held
at Unitec in Auckland and focussed on issues of interest to greenspace
managers, landcare groups, planners, landscape professionals, horticulturists,
ecologists, students, educators and local body politicians.
Presenters explored
the issues from a range of scales, from broad international perspective
from the keynote speaker Professor
Joan Nassauer down to specific technical subject areas of rooftop
gardens and stream-side plant trials. There were examples of a broad
range of projects in Auckland, such as large-scale projects designed
by Peter Walker, a wetland system at Waiatarua, and also a focus
on providing successful interdisciplinary teams to manage successful
projects.
Information
Date of conference
24-25 March, 2006
Venue
Unitec, Carrington
Rd, Mt Albert, Auckland
Organising Committee
Penny Cliffin (convenor)
Ron Davison
Chris Ferkins
Jack Hobbs
Andrew Maloy
Bev McConnell
Leigh Rockell
Helen Swinburne
Enquiries to: Penny
Cliffin (pcliffin@unitec.ac.nz) 
Conference sponsored
by:
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- Auckland Regional
Council
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