There is a lot that local government practitioners need to do and to think about. New and emerging transport technologies like autonomous and connected vehicles, electric vehicles, and shared vehicles all will impact on the way our cities and towns function but what does local government need to do to be better prepared for it? What is hype and what is real? What is needed to be done right now and how should local government go about it? What does it mean for sustainability, infrastructure design and policy setting? These are all questions that our CEO, Peter Damen, addressed when he was invited to give a keynote address at the Institute of Public Works Engineering Australasia (IPWEA) Victorian Leadership Event in Melbourne on Thursday 10 October. Peter addressed a full room and gave a 40 minute presentation followed by lots of great questions relating to regulation, infrastructure design and so forth. It was a great opportunity to help local government to become better prepared.  

On September 25 our CEO, Peter Damen, was invited to speak to the full school of Architecture at Curtin University about emerging transport technologies and what it means for the future of our cities, the built form of our buildings, and the sustainability of our communities. The session was recorded and can be viewed on YouTube using the following link https://echo360.org.au/media/5efb8c14-1616-4a09-aa7c-603312b9d656/public. The audience was very engaged and had lots of really good questions. Thanks to Dr Parisa Izadpanahi for involving us in their ArchiTalk series. It was a great experience and we hope all the architects and other professionals in the audience start thinking a little differently about the future now, and how they go about their design thinking.   

We have been very keen this year to give back to the community by working to raise funds for a very good cause - cancer research. Level5Design has sponsored Team Disco Dancing in the Shitbox Rally, and we are pleased that the team has generated more than $12,500 so far towards this really important charity.

The Shitbox Spring Rally is due to kick off on October 18 and our CEO, Peter Damen, will be at the helm of the car doing his bit for the cause. The rally runs from Melbourne to Townsville via Birdsville and 3,600 km of outback roads.

For those feeling a little generous or that just want to help out a really good cause, please make a donation via the following link https://2019spring.shitboxrally.com.au/team-disco-dancing/donate