Last week I was a keynote at the 61st ISOCARP – International Society of City and Regional Planners World Planning Congress in Riyadh. While the experience is still fresh, I wanted to share three takeaways from my four days at the event:
1. Necessity truly is the mother of invention. 🚀
The Riyadh Region Municipality أمانة منطقة الرياض is innovating at remarkable speed—across land development, infrastructure, service provision, and the use of AI in planning. With a rapidly growing population and an ambitious goal to become a sustainable, thriving city by 2030, the pace and scale of innovation isn’t optional; it’s essential.
2. In Australia, we are incredibly fortunate to have access to high-quality data. 📊
Our work with planners is strengthened by comprehensive Census data and a suite of detailed datasets—from job ads (a leading indicator of labour market trends), to bank transactions, mobility data, shift-work activity and sentiment, and housing and land price data. This richness of information allows us to analyse complex economic and social patterns with confidence—something not all cities or regions can rely on.
3. Technical research on sustainable cities deserves more attention. 🌱
Kharbal Kaltho’s insights on the consequences of poor vegetation choices were a standout. Across nearly every international conference I’ve attended—starting with the New Cities Conference in Jakarta in 2015—the technical sessions often contain hidden gems. The abstracts and titles may not always sell it, but taking a chance and sitting in can be incredibly rewarding.
A heartfelt thank you to everyone at ISOCARP for the invitation and the warm hospitality. It was a pleasure meeting so many passionate and talented people, and I look forward to staying connected.
