QUT student wins Minister’s Town Planning Prize

Queensland University of Technology student Lauren Mudd has taken out the prestigious overall Minister’s Town Planning Prize for her study on the residential preferences of Australia’s aging population. 

With a focus on greater Brisbane, her study findings highlight an opportunity for increasing awareness of the benefits of higher-density environments for an elderly population.

Minister for State Development and Planning Cameron Dick today congratulated winners from seven universities at an awards ceremony at Parliament House.

“The prize is awarded to the best thesis or major final year research study which has the potential to contribute significantly to the advancement of regional or town planning techniques. It is recognition for innovative, practical approaches to real problems,” Mr Dick said.

“The level of research across the board has been of particularly high quality and I congratulate Lauren for her important work

“This year we have seen a diversity of prize winners’ studies, from the relationship between cities and mental health, an analysis of urban amenities for families rearing children in inner city high-density neighbourhoods, to heritage management and character preservation in the face of urban growth, our aging population and economic development.

“These are the minds that will help shape wonderful places for people to live, work and play over the coming years.

“Their visions have the potential to create stronger, safer, healthier and well-connected communities now and for future generations of Queenslanders.”

Each entry had to meet the assessment criteria which included the work being applicable, relevant and clear to planning practitioners and local governments as well as the originality of the student’s work to the subject matter.

The winners of the Minister’s 2018 Town Planning Prizes are:

• Lauren Mudd,  overall winner and Queensland University of Technology winner
• Lauren Struthers, Bond University winner
• Edina Krkalic, Griffith University winner
• Bridget Schulz, University of Queensland winner
• Tammee van Bael, University of Southern Queensland winner
• Bethany Williams-Holthouse,  University of the Sunshine Coast winner
• Jack Growden, James Cook University winner

Dr Severine Mayere, QUT’s Urban and Regional Planning Subject Area Coordinator, said the prizes were a great initiative that enabled emerging planners across the state to be recognised and celebrated.

“The Minister’s Town Planning Prizes are a fantastic opportunity for our undergraduate students to showcase the diversity, the quality and the relevance of the research projects they are conducting in their final year. I certainly think the prizes can inspire our emerging planners,” Dr Mayere said.

“It is a great opportunity to demonstrate the relevance of university planning courses, and the impacts some of these student research projects can have on planning practice,” she said.

Media contact: Joe Begley 0447 320 039