SITE VISITS
AFHC 2026 Site Visits
Site Visit (A-1)
Exploring Sydney’s GreenWay: A health supportive environment with real-world lessons for global cities, human health and planetary sustainability
Date: Monday 31 August 2026
Time: 9:00-1:00
Location: The Greenway (Google Map: https://maps.app.goo.gl/g5xvC5xWD3MCudYd7)
Meeting point: TBC
Organiser: Professor Susan Thompson (School of Built Environment, UNSW)
Capacity: 20 pax
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About the Walkshop:
Situated in a rapidly growing and densifying mixed residential area, the GreenWay is a 6.7 km multifunctional green corridor. It incorporates major stormwater and light rail infrastructure, a shared walking / cycling path, bush care sites, recreational facilities, heritage and Indigenous acknowledgement, and public art installations. The GreenWay started back in 1988 as a grassroots campaign led by local residents, environmental advocates and cycling groups. Over time, it secured multi-level government support and was delivered incrementally across political cycles. The final sections opened in late 2025, completing an $AU60 million multi-government project.
The walk will commence at Iron Cove and go the full length of the GreenWay to the Cooks River. Along the way we will see different features of the GreenWay and experience first-hand its evolution from local community advocacy to an important recreational, educational and commuter corridor offering health supportive activities for local residents and visitors. During the walk there will be opportunities to consider a range of issues which offer lessons for the development of greenways in other cities. This will include challenges of ongoing maintenance, community participation in environmental programs and opportunities for education.
What to bring and wear: Hat, sunscreen, rain jacket and water bottle; wear closed in comfortable walking shoes
Background reading: ‘Learning Along the GreenWay: An Experiential, Transdisciplinary Outdoor Classroom for Planetary Health Education’. This paper situates the GreenWay within a broader global movement of reclaiming urban corridors for nature, movement, health supportive community life and education.
Inner West Council GreenWay Website. Here you will find further information on the Greenway’s shared walking and cycling infrastructure, parks and public art, bushcare and biodiversity initiatives.
Site Visit (A-2)
From Access to Activation: Simple Practices for Engaging People in Urban Green Spaces
Date: Monday 31 August 2026
Time: 9:00am – 12:00pm
Location: WILD PLAY Discovery Centre in Centennial Park (Google map: https://maps.app.goo.gl/9DJDkyqAzABxxpU67)
Meeting point: TBC
Organiser: Greater Sydney Parklands
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About the Site Visit:
Urban green spaces are widely recognised for their role in supporting health and wellbeing, yet many cities continue to focus on infrastructure rather than how these spaces are actively used. This session responds to that gap by demonstrating a simple, low-resource approach to activating green spaces through facilitated nature connection practices. It introduces an entry-level model that can be delivered on-site and adapted to digital or hybrid formats.
Grounded in practitioner experience from Greater Sydney Parklands and supported by research across early childhood, adolescent and adult programs, this session explores why nature connection matters and how it can be created with minimal resources. Evidence from programs such as Guardians of the Park, Bush School and The Ian Potter Children’s WILD PLAY Garden shows that repeated, facilitated engagement with nature supports wellbeing, social connection and pro-environmental behaviour across the life course.
This hands-on workshop will be of interest to practitioners, policymakers and community organisations seeking practical and transferable approaches. Participants will leave with a clear understanding of how facilitation — rather than infrastructure — activates green spaces, and with adaptable tools that can be applied immediately in diverse urban contexts.