HONIARA, SOLOMON STAR: The Ministry of Lands, Housing & Survey is hosting a National Urban Conference in Honiara from 27 to 29 June.
This is the first time such a conference will be held in Solomon Islands, and a range of Ministry, Provincial, and international representatives are scheduled to present.
Director of Physical Planning in the Ministry of Lands, Housing, and Survey, Buddley Ronnie said the theme for the conference is “Reconnecting the Urban Dots”.
“The conference seeks to reconnect all issues of the urban planning and development in Solomon Islands,” Mr Ronnie explained.
He said presenters will cover a range of topics, including planning for climate change, informal settlement upgrading, proposed national urbanisation and housing policies, provincial planning issues, and new and proposed initiatives such as the Land Board, Strata Titles, sub-division planning and legislative reforms.
“The conference will also look at why urban planning seems to be lagging behind in terms of transforming urban development at an anticipated pace and scale.
“By the end of day three of the conference, the aim is to agree on the best way forward to improve urban planning and development in Solomon Islands.”
Mr Ronnie said the ministry, with the assistance of UN-Habitat, Secretariat of the Pacific Community, and the Australian Government, is hosting the conference.