UTS in conversation: Robert Hammond and Dan Barasch

Join UTS Professor Gerard Reinmuth, academic, architect and director of TERROIR and designer Barnaby Bennett as they speak with Robert Hammond (Co-Founder of the The High Line in New York) and Dan Barasch (Co-Founder of the Lowline in New York the world’s first underground park) about reinvigorating public spaces, good design and what it takes to gain community and political support for major project. Drawing on the international experience of our panel and moderator, what lessons can Sydney learn in reinvigorating its public spaces and dwindling nightlife?

This intimate in conversation will allow for a Q&A and time to enjoy refreshments.

The event is in partnership with the UTS Faculty of Design, Architecture and Building and REMIX Summit Sydney.

Robert Hammond

As a Co-Founder of the High Line Robert Hammond helped lead the effort to build an elevated park on an abandoned railway line in Manhattan that has become a globally significant tourist attraction with nearly 8 million annual visitors. Since opening in 2009, the High Line has become an icon of contemporary landscape architecture and the creators have been called the 'Steve Jobs of the planning world' by CNN.

The High Line is more than a park. It’s a public space where you can view art, walk through gardens, experience a performance, savour delicious food, or just connect with friends and neighbours—while enjoying a unique perspective of the city. The High Line has become a world-renowned inspiration for how cities can transform industrial infrastructure into beautiful, hybrid public spaces

Dan Barasch

Dan is the Co-Founder of the Lowline and leads the community engagement, political outreach, fundraising, and strategic planning. He formerly led strategic partnerships at PopTech; held several strategy, operations, and marketing roles at Google; and worked in small business development within New York City government. Dan has also consulted for UNICEF in Nairobi and the 9/11 Survivors’ Fund in Washington DC. He began his career producing international affairs programming at the World Affairs Council in San Francisco, where he co-produced the weekly NPR show “It’s Your World.”

Dan is also the author of “Ruin and Redemption in Architecture" to be published by Phaidon in early 2019. The book explores the lost, forgotten, reimagined, and transformed architecture: the compelling beauty of abandoned, reinvented, and rescued architecture.

Moderator Professor Gerard Reinmuth

Gerard is an academic, architect, designer and director of TERROIR, an Australian practice with offices in Sydney, Hobart and Copenhagen. The practice is built upon a research culture that crosses both research by design and research into practice and the profession.

Dr Barnaby Bennett

Barnaby is a designer, researcher, and publisher. He recently completed his PhD thesis examining the political roles of temporary urban projects in post-quake Christchurch. Barnaby has taught across landscape architecture, architecture and design at universities in Australia and New Zealand, including RMIT in Melbourne and UTS in Sydney. He has been widely published in both academic and popular mediums including in Volume, Architecture New Zealand, Landscape Architecture Australia, Journal of Public Space, Architecture Review (Australia), Foreground, and Scroope (Cambridge University). Barnaby is the co-founder of Freerange Press which has published over 20 books on various themes around the city, design and politics.