Teaching the planners of tomorrow

Gwenda Kullen didn’t quite know what she was getting into when she accepted an invitation to teach at the University of Melbourne.

But before long, the Victorian Planning Authority (VPA) Strategic Planning Manager was delivering lectures to a packed room, for the third-year Urban Precincts Studio subject in the Bachelor of Environments.

“Having 40-50 students sitting very expectantly in their chairs and hanging off your every word is rather daunting,” Gwenda says.

“I was very lucky there was a very good group of academics working in this course, in particular Raju Mazumdar and Jennie Day, who have been a fantastic mentors and really helped in the delivery of the course.”

As a government authority, the VPA believes it has an important role to play in educating the community about best-practice planning principles. With this in mind, in mid-2015 Gwenda, then Manager of Innovation, determined that the VPA could extend its outreach programs by assisting universities with their planning courses.

When Gwenda contacted the university, a partnership was soon struck. She and VPA Principal Urban Designer, Frank Hanson, participated in an industry panel for the Urban Precincts Studios subject.

Throughout the semester, students had worked in groups to devise a Precinct Structure Plan (PSP) for an area in Melbourne undergoing change. Once their PSP was complete, the students presented their ideas to the panel, where Gwenda, Frank and other professionals gave them some final advice, to incorporate into their projects. Gwenda says the experience was enriching.

“I was very surprised at the quality of the students’ work,” she says. “Their knowledge of planning and their graphical skills are incredible – some were outstanding.”

On the other side of the panel, former Melbourne University student Merry Sari gained vital insights from Frank and Gwenda.

“They challenged my ideas – I had ideal views but they spoke to us about realistic considerations, such as funding and familiarising ourselves with the zones and overlays of the area,” she says.

After the students presented their work and submitted their PSPs, the top five students were invited to complete a two-week, paid internship at the VPA.

Merry was one of the ‘chosen ones’. During her internship she worked closely with planners devising the Plumpton and Kororoit PSPs – the blueprints for two new suburbs that will collectively house up to 55,000 people.

“I got to see how things work from a high-level planning perspective … how we really work closely with local and state government agencies, developers and landholders,” Merry says. “It was a really good opportunity.”

A few weeks after completing the internship, Merry was offered a job as a graduate planner at the VPA, where she continues to work today.

As for Gwenda, her involvement with the university flourished. On the back of the guest critiquing, the University of Melbourne asked Gwenda to co-ordinate the Urban Precinct Studio subject in the second half of 2016. Gwenda was strongly supported by the VPA’s management team, and she was contracted to teach at the University of Melbourne under the auspices of the VPA.

For all of semester two in 2016, Gwenda spent sixteen hours per week at the university, where she presented lectures, or oversaw guest lectures, and observed students’ work in studio sessions.

She had never formally taught at university before, so it was a novel experience. Gwenda’s mentor, Raju, gave her tips on lecturing, navigating the university system and managing students. Gwenda says the latter aspect was one she hadn’t fully appreciated before taking on the job.

“Sometimes there’s a few people that get very stressed about it all and we have to help them along a bit and reassure them they’re on the right track,” Gwenda says.

“It’s about basically putting yourself back in the shoes of a 20-year-old planning student and seeing life from their perspective … it’s making sure everyone is supported to reach their potential.”

She says the satisfaction she gained in seeing the students’ progress was immense.

“Where they get to at the end of the three months – the formal teaching period – is really quite impressive, compared to where a lot of them started from. They gain a lot of confidence.”

The VPA has also gained much from the partnership. The authority has access to the best and brightest planning students during through the two-week internship, which can result in new talent working for the authority, such as Merry.

Also, planning is a small world, so the VPA’s partnership with Melbourne University helps further the authority’s connections with people who will go onto work in a range of roles across the industry.

While Gwenda won’t coordinate the course in 2017, she hopes the VPA will continue to be involved in Melbourne University’s industry panels, as well as offering the course’s top students the two-week internship.

“It’s a very inspiring thing to be doing,” she says.

*Photo of Gwenda Kullen and Merry Sari from the VPA with student planners Crystal Tang and Emily Vongsaraphanh.