The State of Australian Cities Conference 2007, 28 to 30 November, hosted by the University of South Australia, University of Adelaide and Flinders University. The purpose of the conference is to report on current research into urban and regional sustainability, to discuss the research with practitioners and policy makers, to identify research gaps and to improve understanding of the state of Australian cities. The conference will be based around the four themes; to review the condition of the contemporary Australian city, to identify research gaps, to showcase policy relevant research and to provide a space for dialogue between researchers, policy makers and practitioners.