Heat, Suburbs & Equity - Designing the Future We Can Live In
Who gets to be cool? Heat, housing and inequality
As our cities warm and the cost of comfort rises, the question isn’t whether change is coming – it’s whether we’ll shape it together. Climate Action Week 2026 brings together leading thinkers and practitioners to tackle one of the most pressing urban challenges of our time: how we rethink, redesign and reinhabit our suburbs for a hotter world, without leaving anyone behind.
Dr Peter Irga, a leading researcher in climate-resilient urban environments, will be joined by Branko Jaric, an architect and urban designer whose work involves advancing urban greening for cooler cities and happier people. Together, they’ll explore how rising heat is reshaping suburban life – and why equity must sit at the heart of every planning and design decision.
Adding academic depth from UTS, the panel includes Dr Allan Teale, Chancellor’s Research Fellow specialising in governance, planning and community-centred infrastructure, and Associate Professor Fraser Torpy, Director of the Plants and Environmental Quality Research Group, whose work on nature-based systems demonstrates how living infrastructure can cool cities and improve wellbeing.
Throughout the conversation, Dr Lisa Portolan (greenHorizon; Managing Director, Horizon Communication Group) will ground the discussion in lived experience, examining how people adopt – or resist – new ways of living, and how culture, storytelling and social norms can accelerate change.
Moving from climate science to everyday streets and homes, the session will explore practical, scalable solutions already reshaping suburbs into places that are not just cooler, but fairer, more resilient and deeply human.
By registering for this event, you agree to share your registration information with the organisers of Climate Action Week Sydney. Your information will not be shared with third parties.
Please note: The UTS Balcony Room is adjoining from the Great Hall on level 5 in the Tower building (Building 1) at UTS. The street address is 11 Broadway, Ultimo NSW 2007. Please see a map below: