Overview

Urban infrastructure systems are planned and implemented in a highly uncertain environment. In this presentation, Dr Shirin Malekpour will unpack robust transformative planning as a process for developing infrastructure strategies that are path-breaking, and at the same time can cope with changing circumstances. Dr Malekpour will present how a novel scenario planning intervention can assist the planning process, as well as where this approach has been used by industry to inform real-world infrastructure strategies.

Speaker

Dr Shirin Malekpour

Dr Shirin Malekpour is a Senior Lecturer at the Monash Sustainable Development Institute, where she leads a research program on planning and governance. Her research explores how transformative change towards sustainable development could be enabled in different contexts, acknowledging that this would be a long-term endeavour, faced by significant uncertainty and disruption, and requiring robust and adaptive strategies. She has designed scenario planning interventions to help decision makers with future thinking. Her interventions have been adopted by industry, mainly in the water and food sectors. Shirin has an interdisciplinary background with a PhD in Environmental Sociology (Monash University – Australia), a Master’s Degree in Civil Engineering (Delft University of Technology – the Netherlands) and a Bachelor’s Degree in Chemical Engineering (the University of Tehran – Iran). Prior to her academic career, she has worked in large water infrastructure projects across Africa and the Middle East.

The material presented has not been peer-reviewed. Any opinions are the presenters' own and do not necessarily represent those of IChemE or the Victoria Member Group. The information is given in good faith but without any liability on the part of IChemE.

Maximum CPD Hours: 1.5 hours.