Gavin Ashley
Better Cities amd Regions Lead – HIP V. HYPE
Biography
Gavin brings 14 years of experience in urban development and sustainability across the private, non-profit and public sectors. He sees sustainability as the product of technical rigour, early integration and good communication. Gavin is passionate about working with clients and partners that embed principles of sustainability at the outset, where they can have the most impact and are commercially justifiable. He also acutely understands that the key to this is the clear communication of robust evidence.
Gavin grew up in country Western Australia, which embedded in him an appreciation for the natural environment and community. He started his tertiary education in Geography and Politics, where he gained an understanding of how spatial planning can drive sustainable change for cities and towns. Following a stint overseas Gavin went on to complete a Masters of Environment and Planning at RMIT. During this time, he worked as a town planner for Tract Consultants and gained an appreciation for the commercial imperatives of the development industry including reputation, managing cost and time. This period provided a strong background in strategic planning and refined his thinking about what makes places work for people and the environment, and in particular how the planning process can be used to drive sustainability outcomes.
Sustainability quickly became the major driver for Gavin’s work. Gavin joined Moreland Energy Foundation Limited (MEFL), where he combined his experience in planning and urban development with his passion for sustainability, working with a variety of local governments and communities. Gavin went on to lead the consulting practice at MEFL for four years, delivering a wide variety of sustainable urban development and energy strategy work including community energy transition for regional communities and climate resilience outcomes for social housing. Working with regional communities and vulnerable households was an important part of the work, often forgotten but hugely important in developing social capital as an important driver in building resilient communities.
Gavin is keenly interested in how climate change responses can be better shared and delivered beyond sustainability practitioners.
As Better Cities & Regions Lead, Gavin focuses on supporting sustainable urban renewal and community outcomes using both planning and non-planning delivery mechanisms.
Outside of work Gavin enjoys a brief escape from the city to reconnect with nature and his family camping in the bush. Gavin spends time building community gardens, running social sports and arranging other events – the planner in him just can’t resist the temptation to organise space and activity in the pursuit of community!