Educating ourselves and our communities, with Kate Doyle
Kate is the former CEO of the Architects Accreditation Council of Australia, a role she held for seven years. Her practice as a leader and collaborator was founded on her early career experience in education and policy, working across diverse social, cultural, and linguistic contexts. Kate is currently on the Board of the Living Futures Institute of Australia, and Chair of their Performance and Noms Committee.
What do you love about cities?
I love lots of things about cities. I love the way they're busy and they're vibrant and they're diverse, and the way that they’re made up of communities. I always like to try and get a feel for what other cities' communities are like when I visit them. I also love the unexpectedness of cities and the way the whimsy and the beauty of them can be really surprising.
What changes have you seen in cities over the past 20 years that matter the most to you?
Density is such a big thing but increased density is a really hard sell, as we all know. When density is done well, it provides us with all the benefits of living in a community where we're close to our friends and immediate family, where we're close to services, and hopefully close to work. It provides a level of safety and it provides community. But the way that density is put into place is the trick, and I think that's why, when you ask a person on the street, they'll go, "Oh, density is so bad." People don't understand what it means. When I get something from the local council that says there's going to be another 4,000 residents living three blocks away from me, and I think, "Well, how? How are they going to get in there? What's going to happen?" And it's because that's often where the information sharing stops. We need to break down really complex information into a way that's understandable.
If you unpack the advantages, you can show people what it means for a person living in a highly dense area. What is it that they want to do? How will they go about their business? How will they get there? How will they get to somewhere else? How will they actually relax? How will they work with their community? And we don't do a good job of telling these stories very well. Density is good, it's very good to live in. But when it's bad, it's terrible. If we look at Australia, one of the most highly urbanized countries in the world, then we actually need density, good density, to be there alongside our stepped action in reducing carbon emissions, because that's the way you reduce carbon emissions. Ironically, talking in global terms, even with air conditioners going all time, tall buildings are still more efficient than a suburb.
“…we actually need density, good density, to be there alongside our stepped action in reducing carbon emissions, because that’s the way you reduce carbon emissions.”
To be a great ancestor for future generations, what does our sector need to focus on today?
Well, the things that we need to do to be good ancestors revolve around education, and a lot of those are very long-term goals, education in schools, students. We need to be looking at our practitioners in the system, and particularly our practitioners who are currently in the system to actually help them become change agents in their own right. And then I think we need to think really clearly about encouraging all to be involved on that journey towards net zero carbon.
What are the key practices you draw upon to help you achieve these outcomes?
I think one thing that we could all do as practitioners is not have so much responsibility on our own shoulders. Doesn't mean that we get out of the way, but we actually think more broadly about how collectively we work together, because it doesn't matter if someone has a great idea, we actually have to work together to make it happen. It relies upon cooperation and a shared vision towards an outcome, and I think that's really important in the built environment. And that needs to happen through education, it needs to happen through practical education in universities and TAFE colleges, and wherever else people are being trained. We also need a broader commitment to and understanding of the continuing community of our Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, regardless of where they are living in Australia. And what we can garner from them in terms of their knowledge of the land, in terms of helping us with issues around density, around climate change, and when you think about Country, you're thinking about conserving, and you're thinking about resilience.
