Urban Transformation Summer School

The Urban Transformation Summer School is an annual multi-disciplinary program for Western Sydney University Master of Architecture students presented in partnership with Holdmark and Powerhouse Parramatta. The school focuses on urban design and transformation with a holistic approach to the built form.

Each year, the school engages a Western Sydney council to develop a real-world design ‘challenge’ for students to solve, using the local urban area as a model. Working in multi-disciplinary groups, students design interventions to improve the spatial, environmental and practical amenity of the selected urban space.

During the program students have direct access to leading industry experts from world renown engineering, architectural, planning, design and advisory firms.

In 2026, the Urban Transformation Summer School focused on Cabramatta, marking 50 years since the Whitlam dismissal and the construction of the Whitlam Library by Harry Seidler. Masters of Architecture, Industrial Design and Visual Communication students explored Cabramatta as a site shaped by Gough Whitlam’s social reform agenda, including major investment in civic infrastructure, education and public amenity across Western Sydney.

Informed by letters written by Cabramatta Public School students, projects responded to issues such as extreme heat, limited tree cover, pedestrian safety and access to public seating, water and community spaces. The program culminated in an exhibition at the Western Sydney University Parramatta Engineering Innovation Hub, showcasing multidisciplinary design proposals exploring architecture, design and communication as strategies for urban transformation.

For 2025, the Western Sydney University Urban Transformation Summer School invited students to investigate the intricate and multicultural urban landscape of Bankstown. Masters of Architecture and Industrial Design students were challenged to propose design solutions that enhance social connectivity along the Appian Way, which connects the eastern and western sides of Bankstown. The program culminated in an exhibition and symposium at Bankstown Arts Centre, with student projects presented alongside professional architectural projects that are set to shape Bankstown’s future.

The Urban Transformation Summer School collaborated with Blacktown City Council to develop the program’s design challenge for 2024. The challenge focused on a critical thoroughfare in Mount Druitt: a pedestrian path from Mount Druitt train station to Mount Druitt Hospital. Students were challenged to assess the pedestrian journey and explore how small interventions could be located along the walking route, facilitating opportunities for rest, engagement, environmental protection and communication.

The inaugural Urban Transformation Summer School engaged the City of Parramatta Council to formulate the program’s design challenge for 2023. Over seven days, students were tasked with addressing the influence of the design for Powerhouse Parramatta on the local area’s urban environment. Industry experts delivered presentations and led discussions around Parramatta’s rich built environment, including the role of art and culture in the city, designing for livability and climate change, and the Parramatta River interface.