Bringing with him over 15 years of experience in the built environment, Marc Lane’s extensive background in architecture, urban design and policy and strategy in Australia, the UK and Dubai makes him well equipped to support our team in delivering smart, practical solutions to complex community challenges. He joins us as Principal of Cities.
Hailing from Government Architect NSW, Marc has contributed to major projects like the Movement and Place Framework and Design and Place State Environmental Planning Policy – both significant in the shaping of place integration and urban design in New South Wales.
He says, “I have a passion for the role of integrated thinking about our cities, not only in terms of how different disciplines come together, but also how they are able to best serve people’s needs. Good design is as much about good process and collaborative governance, awareness of strategic intent and use of data, as it is about spatial design.”
As part of his focus on Cities, Marc will provide advice around city planning including movement and place integration and precinct planning, while bridging between various expertise throughout WSP, including digital spatial systems, transport planning and benefits realisation.
“A city isn’t built by any one field of practice alone. A multi-disciplinary approach to places that brings together people with different perspectives, including interdisciplinary knowledge where possible, is needed to ensure outcomes are optimised and solutions do not inadvertently impact on other aspects of the built environment.”
Planning for a resilient future
From her previous role as Place Manager with the City of Parramatta Council, and bringing a wealth of knowledge in post-disaster rebuilding and resilience, Roz Palmer joins WSP as Associate in our Cities team.
Originally from New York (NY), Roz is an urban place specialist with a passion for engaging with communities and local municipalities to create places that thrive. Her extensive background in recovery work, which saw her rebuilding displaced communities in Brooklyn (NY), the US Virgin Islands, and Greece, will see Roz bring valuable skills to WSP’s strategic place-based city building capabilities.
She says, “With climate change increasing the frequency and severity of natural disasters and crises in Australia, each one of our projects must improve upon the resilience of our built environments. The root meaning of the word ‘crisis’ is ‘change,’ so every disaster is a time for us to build for the future.”
In her role at WSP, she will be responsible for driving inclusive and sustainable city-shaping projects for clients, as well as coordinating teams to deliver healthy, enjoyable places for future generations.
Sara Stace, Director – Cities, says, “There are a lot of great conversations around movement and place right now, and the spend from state governments is significant. The commencement of Marc and Roz represents a significant opportunity for us to further our city-shaping capabilities, laying the foundations for future infrastructure that will adapt overtime and in parallel with evolving communities.
Read more about our Strategy, Community and Place team.
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