| Wednesday 14 October |
Today we will begin our delegation visits. Times and logistics are yet to be confirmed.
City of Santa Monica
Santa Monica is one of California’s most prominent tourism destinations, with an iconic beachfront, major visitor economy and a downtown precinct that has long been central to the city’s identity and financial sustainability. Yet like many coastal cities, the City of Santa Monica is navigating complex, overlapping pressures, including the need to respond to homelessness with coordinated services and public realm improvements, to rebuild confidence and investment in its downtown economic zone, and to restore and protect the coastline in the face of environmental degradation and climate impacts. During this visit, participants will engage with city leaders to explore how the City of Santa Monica is balancing compassionate, place based responses with the practical demands of safety, activation and economic recovery. We will examine current approaches to revitalising the downtown area and consider how coastal restoration efforts can strengthen resilience while preserving the natural and social value of the foreshore for residents and visitors alike.
City of Arcadia
Natural disasters are becoming increasingly common, and the 2025 Eaton Bushfire stands as one of the most devastating reminders of the scale and complexity of these events. Burning more than 14,000 acres and impacting multiple local government areas—including Altadena, Pasadena and Arcadia—the fire was driven by 100 mph Santa Ana winds and exceptionally dry vegetation and drought conditions. It destroyed over 9,000 buildings, claimed at least 19 lives, decimated wildlife habitats, and caused an economic toll estimated at more than $USD250 billion, making it one of the most destructive wildfires in California’s history. The historic Rose Bowl Stadium became the command centre for firefighting efforts and a powerful symbol of community resilience, coordination and collaboration.
During this visit, participants will engage with leaders from impacted councils as they reflect on how the crisis unfolded. Executive leaders will share their perspective, examine how local governments worked together under extreme pressure, and explore key learnings around decision making and improvements that have emerged since the disaster. Eighteen months on, we will visit some of the most significantly impacted sites to understand the progress of recovery, see first hand how councils and communities have partnered in rebuilding efforts, and consider the critical collaborations that continue to strengthen the road to long-term recovery.
Inclusions for today: lunch and dinner |
| Thursday 15 October |
City of Redlands
The City of Redlands leverages geographic information systems (GIS) to support evidence based decision making, service delivery and long term community planning, working in close proximity to Esri, the worldwide leader in GIS software and a company headquartered in Redlands. Through spatial data and mapping, the city is able to better understand infrastructure, land use, environmental risk and community needs, strengthening both operational efficiency and strategic planning. During this visit, participants will gain a behind the scenes insight into Esri’s work with governments globally, including how GIS is evolving through the integration of artificial intelligence. The tour will explore where the future of GIS is heading and how emerging technologies are reshaping how cities plan, respond and serve their communities.
A key focus of this visit is Redlands’ significant renovation of its wastewater treatment plant, where the city is upgrading a decades old facility to improve efficiency and resilience. The project includes the recycling of treated wastewater for irrigation and agricultural use, delivering tangible water security and sustainability benefits for councils facing increasing climate and resource pressures. Redlands staff will share the challenges of modernising ageing infrastructure, outline available technology improvements, and lead a guided tour of current upgrades and planned future changes, offering practical insights for councils undertaking similar infrastructure renewal programs.
City of Rancho Cucamonga
Cucamonga Station is a multi-modal transportation hub in the heart of the Inland Empire. Planned projects and enhancements will further position the region as a premier travel and economic destination. The station will be the first in the United States to offer true high-speed rail with direct, that will provide connections to air, bus, and local passenger rail. With the executive team we will explore how the City of Rancho Cucamonga led the charge to advance this transformational transportation project and the economic opportunities it brings to the region. Together, the City of Rancho Cucamonga, Greater Ontario California (GOCAL), Omnitrains, Ontario International Airport (ONT), San Bernardino County, and the Town of Apple Valley, with support from Metrolink, have established a regional joint partnership group, to align messaging and coordinate outreach and engagement. This public-private partnership highlights the regional benefits that Cucamonga Station and its stakeholder partners bring to connectivity, tourism, economic growth, and environmental stewardship. As the nation’s first multi-modal hub to integrate true high-speed passenger rail with air, bus, and regional passenger rail services, Cucamonga Station puts the High Desert and Inland Empire in the spotlight. Executive-level experts from each partner organisation are ready to share how this collaboration is transforming the region.
Rancho Cucamonga’s Etiwanda Heights Neighborhood and Conservation Plan strikes a powerful balance between conserving 3,603 acres of open space while accommodating thousands of new homes within a 790-acre neighbourhood zone. Participants will explore how the City is reshaping conventional suburban development by shifting from isolated subdivisions to a more connected, human-scaled approach featuring walkable streets, integrated parks, and trail networks that strengthen everyday mobility and access. A key focus is how policy and financing tools such as Transfer of Development Rights and land banking for mitigation, link private development to measurable conservation outcomes. By directing investment from new neighbourhoods toward preserving sensitive landscapes, these mechanisms help ensure growth and environmental stewardship advance together. The plan’s emphasis on fiscal sustainability also demonstrates how a city can deliver needed housing while minimising long-term financial impacts on existing residents. We will also explore how the plan’s design standards and implementation strategies supported by an integrated trail and park network promote healthier, people-focused communities. City leaders will discuss how they balance ecological preservation, housing needs, and infrastructure investment within a single long-term vision. Etiwanda Heights offers a practical example of executive decision-making that delivers an environmentally responsible, financially stable framework for a more connected and resilient community.
Inclusions for today: lunch and dinner
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| Friday 16 October |
City of Eastvale
At 15 years old, Eastvale is one of California’s newest cities and already recognised as one of the state’s most fiscally sound councils. Once home to expansive dairy farms, the area has rapidly transformed in response to increased housing demand and rising land values across California. This unique origin has given Eastvale the rare opportunity to build a city from the ground up, starting with the commercial precinct, prior to the creation of most of the residential homes. This has provided the executive team an opportunity to reflect on the successes of balancing building regulation and planning convention through an unconventional timeline, to create a thriving modern community that is focused on younger families.
Early investment from major commercial brands—including Costco, Amazon and Target—has generated more than 10 million annual visits, to two specific shopping centre locations and bolstered a firm grip on the trend to shift to online purchases, significantly boosting tax revenue and fuelling interest in the residential development. Fortunately positioned near major arterial motorways and benefiting from generous land parcels inherited from its agricultural past, Eastvale has been able to prioritise spacious residential design. The city’s neighbourhoods feature predominantly 4-to-5-bedroom homes on larger blocks, complemented by family focused commercial facilities. Future developments include the downtown area and the civic centre, which include a city hall, library and police headquarters. The city is also completing the purchase of a separate parcel of land to strategically build a public works yard. With significant consultation and contribution, Eastvale now has a community driven city plan tailored to reflect local identity rather than a generic environment.
During the visit, participants will meet with Eastvale’s executive leaders who will share their valuable insights for lessons learned through an unconventional timeline in the creation a modern functioning community. The tour will include visits to major development sites and the Amazon distribution facility—one of the city’s most significant commercial contributors.
Inclusions for today: lunch and dinner
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