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Perth could become one of the world's most liveable cities by embracing creative, intelligent and sustainable planning and urban design principles, according to one of the State's leading town planners.

Director General of the Department for Planning and Infrastructure, Eric Lumsden, will deliver the inaugural Stephenson-Hepburn Oration at The University of Western Australia next month.

"Perth has the potential to develop into a vibrant, intelligent and easy-living city such as Portland, Berlin or Barcelona," Mr Lumsden said.

He will outline the key challenges and opportunities for planning and planners in Perth and Western Australia at a time when sustainability and dramatic urban design are high on the agenda at The University of Western Australia Club on Wednesday, March 19, 2008 at 6pm.

Dr Paul Maginn, program co-ordinator for Urban and Regional Planning at UWA, said the UWA Stephenson-Hepburn Annual Oration acknowledged the outstanding work of the late Professor Gordon Stephenson and Alistair Hepburn.

"Professor Stephenson and Mr Hepburn made a lasting contribution to urban and regional planning in Western Australia and were the architects of the 1955 Metropolitan Region Scheme for Perth and Fremantle," Dr Maginn said.

Mr Lumsden has more than 30 years' planning and local government experience, having held several senior managerial positions including CEO at the City of Melville (2006-2007), CEO at the City of Swan (1989-2006) and Director of Planning and Development at the then Shire of Swan (1984-1989) and Shire of Mundaring (1972-1984).

He is a Life Fellow of the Planning Institute of Australia, a Fellow of the Australian Institute of Management and Fellow and past President of WA Division of the Local Government Managers Association. In 2005 Mr Lumsden was awarded the Public Service Medal for his contribution to Local Government especially in the area of economic development in Perth's Eastern Region.

Nigel Satterley, Managing Director of the Satterley Group, said Mr Lumsden was viewed by many within the public and private sectors in WA as something of a planning guru and was the ideal person to deliver the inaugural Stephenson-Hepburn Oration.

The Annual Oration forms part of the UWA Urban and Regional Planning Lecture Series, which began in 2007 following the appointment of Dr Maginn as senior lecturer and program co-ordinator for Urban and Regional Planning at UWA.

"The overall aim of the lecture series is to raise awareness and promote discussion and debate on a wide range of key local, state, national and international issues in urban and regional planning among planning academics and students, the wider planning profession and the general public," Dr Maginn said.

The inaugural Oration has been made possible by the generous support of the Satterley Property Group, Western Australia's largest independently owned property operation.

It is open to members of the public who must register to attend by emailing Dr Maginn at [email protected]

Media references

Dr Paul Maginn (Urban and Regional Planning)  61 8  6488 2711
0421 545 190
Simone Hewett / Sally-Ann Jones (UWA Public Affairs)  61 8  6488 7977
0420 790 097 / 0420 790 098