Steve Dunn made a Fellow of PIA

The VPA would like to congratulate Steve Dunn, who was recognised as a Fellow of the Planning Institute of Australia this morning.

Steve is a renowned industry leader and has been at the forefront of urban planning and development throughout his career.

During his 10 years at the Victorian Planning Authority, he has held various Executive positions in policy and strategy, structure planning, urban renewal, and a stint as acting Chief Executive Officer.

He was also tasked with the formidable job of delivering the successful Metropolitan Strategy, one of the few strategies, in recent times, with durability beyond a change of government.

Steve has also held longstanding positions at the Planning Institute of Australia, as State President and until recently, the National Board Director. During this time, he chaired the Membership Committee.

Steve demonstrates selflessness towards furthering the objectives of what we strive to achieve in land use planning, by improving the quality of life of those less fortunate through numerous volunteer roles.

As Board Member of HousingFirst, for example, Steve has championed building affordable homes for local communities. The association is now the largest registered housing association in Melbourne and has changed the lives of people most in need – from families escaping domestic violence to elderly people with nowhere else to turn.

Steve has also been actively involved in the PIA Post Tsunami Recovery and Reconstruction Project and Bridging Lanka, both formed out of the aftermath of the 2004 tsunami.

Through these roles Steve has volunteered months of his time on site in Sri Lanka, where he has built the capacity of a generation of Sri Lankan planners and coordinated several volunteer programs that have resulted in well-planned communities.

He has also represented the institute on several delegations to East Timor to support the local planning profession. Amongst all this, he is seen every Good Friday Appeal raising funds for the Royal Children’s Hospital.

Steve Dunn is a worthy recipient of a fellowship of the Planning Institute of Australia and the VPA is lucky to have him as a longstanding member of our team and Executive Director of Middle Melbourne.