Kim Samuel

Kim is an urban planner and housing policy professional with over 20 years of experience across both the public and private sectors. She holds a Masters in Urban and Regional Planning and a Masters in International Environmental Law, and has extensive experience in a range of policy areas including affordable housing, accessible accommodation and inclusive communities. Kim is currently Director City Planning at the Greater Cities Commission where she is focused on strategic planning to support positive community outcomes across Greater Sydney and NSW. Before joining the Commission, she was Director Planning and Places at WSP. Prior to this, Kim was the Director of Service Reforms at the NSW Land and Housing Corporation where she facilitated and project-managed major government reform and policy programs, particularly as they related to affordable and social housing across NSW. 

From August to October 2022, Kim will be travelling to the US and Israel to research best-practice approaches to creating and maintaining inclusive communities and housing that support people living with a disability to live independently with greater self-determination and with appropriate supports and structures in place to encourage stability and long-term connections to their communities.

Kim was an Impact Funding recipient in round 1 2023. Kim’s project focuses on developing Australian Design Guidelines for Access and Inclusion applicable to all residential development projects. By promoting universal accessibility, Kim aims to enhance the inclusivity and usability of built environments, fostering an inclusive society. The Guidelines will consider the full life cycle of a project from design team and site selection through to project design, operation and management. They will be accompanied by a flexible, self-assessment tool and will initially be voluntary.