The Gold Coast’s identity is shaped by its labyrinth of waterways.

From our beaches to the rivers, creeks, canals and lakes that surround our city, our waterways are both natural and manufactured environments on a grand scale.

But beyond the water views, how can we best live with, and design for, water? In a world where water is both life-giving and a destructive force, what are the socio-economic and ecosystem implications for the Gold Coast as we continue to surround ourselves with water on all sides?

In this Open House Talks session our panel will discuss whether we as a community need to revise our expectations about our relationship to water. And as we look ahead to the Gold Coast of the future, do our architects and designers need to review how they accommodate water, from the urban scale to the individual site?

Leading the discussion
Karen Johnson / Gee, Architect & Founder, Coast Arc

In conversation with
Chris Derksma, CEO, Gold Coast Waterways Authority
Prof Brendan Mackey, Director, Climate Action Beacon, Griffith University
Pradesh Ramiah, Urban Planner, City of Gold Coast Natural Hazards Team
Jaime Traspaderne, Queensland Urban Design Leader – Economics, Planning + Design, ARUP

_{Presented by Gold Coast Open House and HOTA, Home of the Arts
Image Credit: Nikolas Strugar, Ravens At Odds}