UQ|UP, under the leadership of Sébastien Darchen and Sara Alidoust, is playing an active role in organising the upcoming State of Australasian Cities Conference (SOAC), to be held in Brisbane from 9–12 December 2025.

The objectives of the conference are as follows:

• Investigate interdisciplinary research that challenges conventional lifestyles, design practices, and urbanism.
• Foster dialogue on innovative strategies that promote sustainable city-making, community participation, transparent governance, and a forward-thinking understanding of urban life.
• Develop guidelines that inform and manage changes in urban structure, economic systems, professional practices, and governance.

The conference will host around 400 scholars in urban planning including 80 HDR students. A report of the conference will be published in Australian Planner (Practice review article) and authored by the academics from the organising committee, including QUT, UQ, and Griffith University. More details on the conference program are available here https://absoluteevents.eventsair.com/soac2025/