Green Cities: Learning on 'Country': Collaborative Learning in Partnership with Indigenous Communities

Join us for our online CSU Green Cities event, Learning on 'Country': Collaborative Learning in Partnership with Indigenous Communities.

Wednesday, November 11, 5:00–6:00 PM EST
Thursday, November 12, 9:00–10:00 AM AEST

Featuring guest speaker, David Kaunitz FRAIA and moderated by CSU board member Anna Rubbo, LFRAIA

Talk Abstract 

What can architecture learn when ‘Country’, local knowledge and community leadership shape the brief from the beginning? This talk explores how Indigenous perspectives, reciprocity and ethical partnerships can inform architectural education and the design of learning environments and communities. It will highlight the Australian National Standard of Competency for Architects requirements that First Nations knowledge be included in architectural education, and that Indigenous perspectives, understanding of Country, and ethical engagement are embedded into the curriculum.

Drawing on Kaunitz Yeung Architecture’s work with First Nations communities across Australia and with Pacific communities as well as his teaching, David Kaunitz will share examples from his practice and teaching of how these principles influence design decisions, relationships and long-term outcomes. The talk will consider how this work connects with regenerative design and the Sustainable Development Goals, and what it can contribute to conversations about climate action, education and more culturally grounded cities - in Australia and the Pacific but also worldwide.

Speaker Bio: David Kaunitz, FRAIA

Managing Director of Kaunitz Yeung Architecture & Associate Professor of Practice at the University of Sydney

David Kaunitz is Managing Director of Kaunitz Yeung Architecture and an Associate Professor of Practice at the University of Sydney. His practice works exclusively with First Nations communities, supporting community-led health, aged care, education and cultural projects across Australia and the Pacific. Over more than 18 years, David has worked with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities and Pacific Island communities through participatory design and long-term partnerships. His work includes culturally grounded learning environments and community infrastructure, and has received national and international recognition. Awards include the UIA Vassilis Sgoutas prize for humanitarian architecture. 

For more info: https://kaunitzyeung.com/

Moderator: Anna Rubbo, LFRAIA  (CSU Board Member)

Anna Rubbo, LFRAIA,  is on the board of the Consortium for Sustainable Urbanization and a Researcher at the Center for Sustainable Urbanization (CSUD) in the Climate School, Columbia University. Previously Associate Professor of Architecture at the University of Sydney, in recent years she has focused on accelerating the take up of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in design practice and education. Currently she is director of the SDGs Local Learning Studio.

AIA CE Learning Objectives

1. Define the concept of 'Country' and local knowledge within First Nations frameworks and explain how they reshape the traditional architectural brief from the outset.
2. Analyze the ethical partnership principles and reciprocal methodologies required when executing participatory design with Indigenous and Pacific communities.
3. Identify the structural requirements of the Australian National Standard of Competency for Architects regarding the integration of First Nations knowledge into curriculum and design.
4. Evaluate how Indigenous perspectives and culturally grounded design connect with global frameworks like regenerative design and the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Sponsor Organization for Green Cities

Consortium for Sustainable Urbanization (CSU), UN-Habitat, AIA New York, AIANY Planning & Design, the NGO Committee on Sustainable Development-NY, Habitat Professionals Forum for Sustainable Cities, Creative Exchange Lab (CEL), Global Urban Development (GUD), and the Columbia University Center for Buildings, Infrastructure and Public Space (CBIPS).