An innovative local team has taken home a prestigious Australian Urban Design Award for ‘Research and Advocacy’.
WSLHD’s Centre for Population Health won the coveted award for their Healthy Higher Density Living for Families with Children: An Advocacy, Planning and Design
Guide.
The guide combines planning, advocacy and design insight to help cities accommodate families in higher-density housing without compromising liveability or wellbeing.
The Research and Advocacy category recognises the crucial role of evidence and public engagement in shaping better places and Michelle Nolan, WSLHD’s Director of Health Promotion, was thrilled the project was honoured.
“To see that work acknowledged with a National Urban Design Award in the Research and Advocacy category is both affirming and deeply meaningful.
“The recognition reinforces the importance of this work and motivates us to continue advocating for healthier, more inclusive urban environments.”
Since 1996, the Australian Urban Design Awards have showcased successful efforts in building and sustaining Australia’s urban communities.
The awards celebrate the very best of urban design contributions and successful and promising innovations that will improve the performance of our cities and the quality of life of our communities.
Congratulations to WSLHD’s Centre for Population Health team (in alphabetical order) Belinda Duckworth (pictured top right) – Project Officer Healthy Places, Helen Ryan – Healthy Places Coordinator in the Health Promotion Team and Melissa Mason (pictured top left) – Project Officer Healthy Places.
Hear from the winning team in this Q&A:
Q. How do you feel about winning an award in the Research and Advocacy category at the 2025 National Urban Design awards?
A. We are deeply honoured to receive the 2025 National Urban Design Award in the Research and Advocacy category for our work on Healthy Higher Density Living for Families with Children: An Advocacy, Planning and Design Guide (The Guide).
This recognition means a great deal to us because it highlights the importance of designing healthier urban environments for families with children and reframing higher-density living as a health promoting, family friendly and socially inclusive option.
It also affirms the value of collaborative partnerships and research-informed advocacy in shaping more inclusive and equitable housing and neighbourhoods for families with children.
(Helen Ryan, Healthy Places Coordinator, Health Promotion Team)
Q. How proud are you that all your hard work and the team put into the Healthy Higher Density Living for Families with Children Guide has been recognised?
A. We’re incredibly proud that our Health Promotion Team’s work has been recognised at the national level.
These prestigious awards celebrate the very best of urban design contributions and promising innovations that will improve the performance of our cities and the quality of life of our communities.
The Guide represents the combined effort, passion and commitment of an exceptional team who have been committed to this project since 2017 and are dedicated to improving how we design and plan for high density housing and neighbourhoods for families with children.
To see that work acknowledged with a National Urban Design Award in the Research and Advocacy category is both affirming and deeply meaningful.
The recognition reinforces the importance of this work and motivates us to continue advocating for healthier, more inclusive urban environments.
(Michelle Nolan, Director Health Promotion)
Q. What will winning this award do for lifting the profile of The Guide?
A. This award helps bring national attention to a critical but vital issue – how we design healthier, more family-friendly urban environments – and it validates the collaborative, cross-sector approach we took to address it.
It’s a testament to the collaborative efforts of 300+ stakeholders across 19 Local Councils, academics, NGOs, state government agencies, and industry partners who all played a vital role in the development of The Guide.
Their contributions made this first-of-its-kind guide both practical and impactful.
We hope this recognition inspires broader use and continued momentum toward healthier, family-friendly urban design.
(Belinda Duckworth, Project Officer, Healthy Places)
Additional thanks:
We’d especially like to acknowledge our partners at the City of Parramatta Council, particularly Mark Egan and Carly Choi, for their invaluable support and continued collaboration on the project.
We’re also grateful to our co-author, Natalia Krysiak – a respected architect and founder of Cities for Play whose expertise in designing child-friendly environments bought both vision and practicality to The Guide.
We continue to work with the many stakeholders across broad sectors whose input, experiences, and insights have shaped The Guide into what it is today.
This award is not just a recognition of our work – it’s a celebration of the collective effort to create healthier, more inclusive urban environments for families with children.
We look forward to continuing to collaborate to achieve the intent of The Guide.
(Melissa Mason, Project Officer, Healthy Places)