Professor Darryl Low Choy’s extensive and ongoing contribution to the planning profession has been acknowledged with his elevation to Fellow of the Planning Institute of Australia (PIA).
Griffith University’s Head of Urban & Environmental Planning received the honour at the recent PIA 2015 Awards for Planning Excellence Queensland, held in Brisbane.
In the past three decades, Professor Low Choy has exercised enormous influence on planning and planning education, particularly in Queensland.
According to the PIA’s citation, this is most obvious through his impact on the many students he has taught and mentored in Griffith’s School of Environment — and who now work as planning professionals throughout Australia and internationally — as well as in planning research, best practice, natural resource management and regional planning.
The PIA made particular mention of the role played by Professor Low Choy — along with colleague Professor Lex Brown — in establishing the School of Environment Planning at Griffith University in 1995.
“I come from a science background and what attracted me to Griffith University was the opportunity to create a planning program that was informed by science,” says Professor Low Choy.
“As South-East Queensland has developed into the fastest growing region in Australia, we’ve held science front and centre in the face of such rapid growth and the accompanying challenges around issues such as water, noise pollution, urban space and climate change.
“Looking ahead, we must be informed by climate science if our planning is to lead to more resilient communities.”
Professor Low Choy’s honour was the highlight of successful PIA awards evening for Griffith University.
2011 graduate Jacob Anson, who is now the State Infrastructure and Planning Manager for AFL Queensland and was a finalist in the inaugural Griffith Sciences Young Alumnus of the Year Award, received the Robert Swider Memorial Award for Young Planner of the Year.
Griffith’s Strategic Planning Studio received a commendation in the Outstanding Student Project-University category for producing an integrated and adaptive
water management framework, while the Building Our City light rail corridor study conducted by City of Gold Coast and cohorts of Gold Coast planning students won the Best Planning Idea (small or local project).
Queensland Planner of the Year, Ms Shannon McGuire — now Principal Planner with Brisbane firm Buckley Vann — is also a Griffith graduate.