Wednesday 20 May 2026
National award-winning planning projects recognised by the Planning Institute of Australia (PIA) demonstrate how improved planning systems and long-term strategic planning can help Australia respond to housing, productivity and cost-of-living challenges.
The National Awards for Planning Excellence unveiled in Canberra tonight recognised planner-led projects making a meaningful contribution to housing, growth management, digital innovation and planning system improvements that support more connected and liveable communities.
PIA National Vice President and National Awards Convenor Rukshan de Silva RPIA said the projects reinforce the role good planning plays in supporting housing supply, infrastructure coordination and access to opportunity.
“Planning is fundamentally about improving everyday life for people,” Mr de Silva said, “When housing, transport, infrastructure and public spaces are planned together, communities function well and people have access to jobs, services and affordable housing choices.”
The Greater Adelaide Regional Plan by SA’s Department of Housing and Urban Development was awarded the prestigious national Strategic Planning Project Award, recognised for planning for an additional 316,000 homes and 254,000 new jobs through a fully digital and interactive planning platform designed to guide growth and infrastructure investment across Greater Adelaide.
The award-winning Planning and Economic Feasibility Analysis – Integrating the “Missing Middle” project by Purdon was celebrated for developing evidence-based tools to better understand the feasibility of medium-density housing and inform broader housing reform discussions in the ACT.
South Australia’s Code Amendment Tracking System by SA’s Department of Housing and Urban Development was also awarded as a first-of-its-kind digital platform, led by planners, enabling real-time tracking of amendments to the planning code, making it easier and more transparent to track changes to planning codes.
Meanwhile, the Advancing AI Innovation in Local Government by the Municipal Association of Victoria brought together around 70 per cent of Victorian councils to explore how artificial intelligence can safely and ethically reduce administrative burden and improve planning efficiency and outcomes for communities.
Mr de Silva said the projects demonstrate how planning innovation can enable more homes in well-planned communities, improve transparency, support better decision-making and create more efficient systems for growing communities.
“These projects show how when we invest in good planning it supports more affordable, connected and productive communities,” he said, “As Australia continues to grow, long term planning helps ensure communities remain resilient, well connected and easier to live in.
“As these award-winning projects show, planning helps coordinate growth in a way that improves quality of life and supports stronger outcomes for current and future generations.”
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