US Presidential appointee talks about the community of the future

As well as having a say on the type of society we want in the future, residents who attend a seminar at Wyong civic centre on May 12, will hear a high quality keynote speaker.

He has worked for every US president bar one going back to Richard Nixon, and is co-ordinating and directing the Hurricane Katrina recovery efforts in New Orleans.

But, on Monday, Professor Ed Blakely will be at Wyong as the final keynote speaker in Council’s Shire Strategic Vision Speakers and Speculation Program. Read all about the vision project.

After well received appearances by former Australian of the Year, Ian Kiernan, who delivered a speech about the environment and economic and social commentator, Keith Suter, who spoke about the local economy of the future, Professor Blakely will focus his talk on the community.

He is the Chair of Urban and Regional Planning at the University of Sydney where he has been extensively involved in urban design and community development throughout New South Wales.

In addition to Professor Blakely’s commitment to building the best possible communities in Australia, he has been spending time in New Orleans overseeing the Hurricane Katrina recovery efforts since January, 2007.

But his resume contains the names of every US president dating back to Richard Nixon _ with the exception of George Bush snr _ and his presentation is sure to draw on many of those experiences.

He views the problems facing the Shire, from a community perspective, revolve around many residents forced into a commuting lifestyle, and the problem of our identity.

“A lot of residents of the Shire face a long commute to and from work and that creates a dynamic in itself,” Professor Blakely said.

“This creates a problem with lifestyle, can create tensions at home, and call into question the infrastructure needs of residents in an effort to cope with the number of people commuting each day.

“The other problem is whether you face towards Newcastle or Sydney.

“If your region faces towards Newcastle, this can create different regional plans in terms of your rail and road plans than if you faced towards Sydney.

“Either way, infrastructure becomes a life line for your region creating a road and rail system that is effective for the community.”

Professor Blakely is proud of being a presidential appointee.

“I don’t get involved with the politics, I just get on and do my job,” he said.

“In America, it’s a case of getting the best people onto the jobs and it’s not a matter of who you know really, it’s a matter of what you know and how you can contribute.”

And that’s how he found himself involved in helping New York recover after September 11, the reconstruction of San Francisco after the 1989 earthquake, and why he’s now involved in running the Hurricane Katrina recovery program _ a job, he says, that has a long way to go.

Writing a blog for Onlineopinion.com.au, Professor Blakely said his role in helping communities and cities recover from such disasters was simple.

“As a person who has been through four disasters, the prime ingredient for recovery is how fast you are able to convince people that their homes and the spirit of their community will be restored to what it was and not as a planner might want it to be,” he wrote.

“The new will come out of the old with the old forming the template for the new.”

Professor Blakely said he was looking forward to sharing his experiences with residents of Wyong Shire.

“I want to talk about opportunities and, in doing that, we need to look at the overall stresses faced by your community, and the Central Coast,” he said.

“I will add whatever I can from my experiences in helping the community plan for a direction in the future.”

The last of Wyong Council’s Shire Strategic Vision public forums will be held in the Tony Sheridan Room at Wyong Civic Centre from 7:30pm on Monday, May 12.

As with the first two forums, the public are invited to come along, participate and provide feedback on the critical issues facing our community in the future.

Media contact: Cameron Bell - (02) 43 50 1667

Page last updated: 07/05/2008