ABOUT AUDRC

The Australian Urban Design Research Centre was initially established as the Urban Design Centre in 2004 as a non-profit organisation ‘dedicated to improving the quality of urban places in Western Australia’.

Established between the Department for Planning and Infrastructure, Curtin University and the University of Western Australia (UWA), its aim was to provide access to professional design and research services, education and public programs to promote a more inclusive dialogue about design and planning issues throughout the State, particularly for the benefit of those groups and communities that would not otherwise have access to professional skills in urban design. Curtin University of Technology left the partnership in 2008.

AUDRC has since become known through the work of its key staff including a number of important research projects and publishing widely on urban planning and design issues affecting the shape, sustainability and liveability of our cities.

Systems thinking, big-data analysis, ecological services, spatial analysis, design theory and their integrated application have underpinned the teaching of urban design. In recent years, the primary focus has been in education and research steered by an overarching vision to be a centre of excellence for the design and planning of cities.

AUDRC is supported by the Western Australian Planning Commission, the Department of Planning Lands and Heritage, Development WA, and the Department of Communities.

You can review our latest strategic plan below.

AUDRC’s current Strategic Plan 2023-2028 can be downloaded below