Global Knowledge

Wendy Morris and Chip Kaufman, ESD's directors, regularly undertake and/or lead tours to analyse leading-edge New Urbanism and related projects.  As a result, ESD maintains an extensive and current library of material on key projects in Australia, New Zealand, North America, Europe and South Africa.

Recent urbanism tours have included:

  • May 2007: Tour Canadian  resort towns of Banff, Lake Louise and Jasper, and then dense and high rise urbanism in Vancouver.
  • June 2006:  Providence, Rhode Island and Cape Cod, USA, to analyse several New Urbanist projects including Mashpee Commons, then tour of Paris urbanism including New Urbanist project Val D'Europe, winner of a CNU Charter Award in 2006, and then tours of urbanism across north and central Italy and the Croatian Coast.
  • November, 2006: Perth Projects Tour, organized by the Australian Council for New Urbanism (ACNU), of numerous infill and urban extension projects, many influenced by the WA Liveable Neighbourhoods Code (ESD principal authors).
  • June 2005: Los Angeles and Pasadena, USA, in particular to study transit-oriented development associated with the new LA Gold Line (light rail).
  • June 2004: Chicago, Denver, Toronto and Oakland - to study a variety of denser urban infill, mixed-use and live-work projects.
  • September/October 2003: South Africa, in particular to inspect Melrose Arch and some redevelopment projects in Capetown and Johannesburg.
  • June 2003: USA - Washington Region: led a small group of developers on a two-day tour of Kentlands, King Farm, Pentagon Row, Bethseda Row and Clarendon TOD and other New Urbanist projects, prior to participating in the eleventh Congress for the New Urbanism in Washington DC.
  • March 2003 and September 2002: Inspected recent projects in Auckland NZ, including the Botany Town Centre, Waitakere City projects in New Lynn and Henderson, and Te Atatu.
  • June 2004 and February 2003: Extensive update tours of urban infill and urban extension projects of Perth, including Marlston Hill (Bunbury), Joondalup City North, Butler/Brighton, Harbour Rise and Midland.
  • June 2002 and September 2001: Florida and South Carolina  USA.  Update tours of New Urbanist projects in Florida and South Carolina including Seaside, Watercolour and Rosemary Beach, Haile Plantation, Celebration, Mizner Park, City Place, Amelia Park, Windsor, I'on, Daniel Island and Newpoint.  These trips were combined with participation in the ULI Town Centres  Placemaking Conference (September 2002) and the CNU X Miami Annual Congress.
  • May - August 1999: England.  Visits to leading sustainable urban extensions including Poundbury, Great Nottley, Noak Bridge, and major infill projects in London and Birmingham.
  • ESD also has attended annually the USA Congresses for the New Urbanism since 1993.  These congresses rotate around cities in North America and are combined with project inspections.


Other previous tours and conferences have included two visits to the UK to speak at the PTRC Sustainable Development Conferences, and a visit to Europe on behalf of the OECD to speak on sustainable urbanism and participatory processes at conferences in Athens and Linz.