Planningxchange

In PX121 our guest is Calvin Po (https://www.calvinpo.com). Calvin Po is a strategic designer at Dark Matter Labs, co-leading the Radicle Civics portfolio, where he explores institutional and governance systems as sites of design. He has led projects with the Scottish Government’s Land Commission on land governance reform, the Taiwanese Government on decentralised web3 civic infrastructure, and is developing multi-actor governance approaches for river ecosystems, and in FreeHouse, a commons housing model based on ‘self-owning’ houses. At the Architectural Association School of Architecture, Calvin is a unit master of Diploma 9, ‘Universal Free Housing’, focusing on strategic, policy, and economic pathways for realising housing as a universal human right. He studied architecture at UCL Bartlett, where he graduated top of class as a RIBA Donaldson Medallist, and he was a scholar at the AA, where his Diploma thesis won the Dennis Sharp Prize and was a finalist for RIBA President's Awards for Research 2021. Calvi

In PX120 our guest is Assistant Professor Akane Bessho, Ph.D of the Housing and Urban Analysis Laboratory, Department of Engineering, The University of Tokyo.  Information about Akane’s work is at https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Akane-Bessho-2 and her website is: https://www.akanebessho.com Akane has a wide range of research projects and in the field work including those that seek to reverse depopulation in Japan’s rural areas, assisting people with disabilities in the agricultural sector (see for example Coco Farm & Winery (https://cocowine.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/cocofaw-pr-eng.pdf), new approaches to food production and creating community gardens designed to aid those with dementia.  Akane describes her faculty at the the Tokyo University and the excellent work it produces. The students are highly motivated and create highly innovative urban projects. Details at https://www.due.t.u-tokyo.ac.jp/english/ The interview discusses many issues confronting Japanese society. From this we can dra

In PX119 our guests is Kylie Legge of Place Score (https://www.placescore.org/about-place-score/). Kylie is a leading voice in placemaking,  an architecture graduate, planner, place maker, author, facilitator, curator and entrepreneur. She is founding Director of Place Partners, a multidisciplinary placemaking consultancy based in Sydney, Australia and Place Score – the world’s first place experience measurement company. An engaging interview about new methods to find out what citizens seek in their local area. In Podcast Extra / Culture Corner, Kylie Legge recommends The National Gallery of Victoria ‘Triennial’, an exhibition featuring 120 artists with contemporary works (see https://www.ngv.vic.gov.au/triennial/home/). Jess recommends Turning Point on Netflix (https://www.netflix.com/au/title/81614129) Pete recommends the ‘WSJ Free Expression Podcast episode - ‘Is Modern Technology Ruining Our Children’ https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/is-modern-technology-ruining-our-children/id1609730284?i=10006514

In PX118 our guests are Jonathan O’Brien and Jonathan Nolan of YIMBY Melbourne. Details of YIMBY Melbourne are at https://www.yimby.melbourne YIMBY Melbourne seeks a ‘People-led’ ‘Grassroots’ ‘For Housing Abundance.’  The YIMBY website states: ‘A better Melbourne is possible. A Melbourne that is affordable, liveable, and sustainable. A city that is walkable, accessible, and which gives everyone access to the amenity-rich areas that make living here so special. Creating housing abundance will take a lot of work. It will require reform across planning, governance, and taxation. It will force us to take a serious look at how we use, value, and control the use of land in this city. The two Jonathan’s outline the problems with the current planning system and how this leads to disadvantage, exclusion and a lack of new housing. They propose various measures that can redress the problems. They also call for volunteers to assist the cause. An engaging interview with dedicated activists who have created a new third par

In PX117 our guest is Rob Parker, President of Trilith Development, LLC. Rob oversees with a development team the continued growth of the Trilith Township and Film Studios. Trilith is located on the edge of Altana in Fayette County, Georgia. Trilith is in the advance guard of new urbanism practices. Details at https://www.trilith.com Trilith is a large masterplanned community which seeks to ‘redefine the modern American town’. Based on New Urbanism 2.0++ principles, the town has a vibrant commercial centre, multiple open space places and a diverse range of housing options. It is colocated adjacent the Trilith Film Studios. Rob describes the passions that drive the Trilith team and the concept of continuous improvement in the creation of new urban spaces. He discusses building for the long term and the high level of detail that goes into making first rate community projects. Trilith has many unique features. One of the surprising aspects is the popularity of the ‘Trilith Experience’, a tour of not only the fil

In PX116 our guest is Stephen Rowley. Stephen is the author of two books, ‘Movie Towns and Sitcom Suburbs: Building Hollywood’s Ideal Communities’ and ‘The Victorian Planning System: Practice, Problems and Prospects’.  In February 2022 he was made of a Fellow of the Planning Institute of Australia, the citation included: ‘Over the first 20 years of his career Dr Stephen Rowley has made a very significant contribution to planning as an inspiring and passionate lecturer, through his publications, his engagement in planning debates, and his continued advocacy for planning reform. Stephen is one of the profession’s leading voices on the operation of the Victorian planning system. His critical insights into the structure of the VPPs and their intersection with planning practice are highly valued across the sector.’ An engaging interview with a planning profession who has given much to the profession and Australian cities. His observations can be applied broadly to planning systems around the globe. In Podcast Extr

In PX115 our guest is Liz Mackevicius. Liz is an urban planner who has taken a new role as an organisational coach for those in the built environment industry. She will be leading the  Planning Institute of Australia (PIA) program ‘Pathway to Lead’. Information about the program, and the link to register for the session is: https://www.planning.org.au/eventsandcpdnew/additional-programs. It’s for consultants across Australia. An accredited organisational coach, Liz has built a reputation of strong but supportive coaching. She values accountability, acknowledging this is what helps us translate aspirations into real breakthroughs. She has worked with a range of clients, building their confidence, resolve and satisfaction. Liz is also a trainer and facilitator with a passion and commitment to helping those who create our liveable cities be more effective and have rewarding work. She believes that the challenge and problem solving we experience at work should be part of a fulfilling life – but that we often need

In PX114, our interview guest is Anna Lowder, a co-founder and director of Hampstead, a New Urbanist community in Montgomery, Alabama, inspired by her experiences while living in London before returning to Montgomery. Established in 2008, the 416-acre master-planned residential and mixed-use development features homes, townhomes, condos, apartments, restaurants, shops, workspaces and a school, farm, and a lake. Anna helped Hampstead and Montgomery become the first neighborhood and largest city to adopt the SmartCode, an innovative zoning code that encourages diverse, mixed-use community for all ages and stages of life. She is a member of the National Town Builders Association and the Congress for the New Urbanism.  Interview topics include, New Urbanism, Multigenerational Design, Designing for Sustainable Communities, SmartCode Adoption and Breaking Barriers with New Urbanism. In podcast extra / culture corner, Anna recommends ‘The Bear’ TV series https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Bear_(TV_series) Jess recomm

Episode PX113 is all about Advanced Aerial Mobility (AAM) aircraft, these are typically electric or hybrid powered, air taxis and the like. They have appeared in various science fiction films such as Blade Runner 2019 and Blade Runner 2049 (nicknamed ‘spinners’). They will soon be appearing above our cities and towns. Clem Newton-Brown our guest is CEO and founder of Skyportz (https://skyportz.com), the only Australian business developing a network of landing sites for a future air taxi network. Clem’s background as a former Deputy Lord Mayor of Melbourne, Member of Victorian Parliament and barrister specialising in planning and property development has put him at the forefront of this emerging industry. More details on Clem are found at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clem_Newton-Brown. Clem serves on several Federal, State, industry and international committees advancing the development of the rules and regulations around establishing a whole new era in clean, green electric aviation. The success of the indus

In PX112, our interview guest is Jessica Lee, a principal architect at Fender Katsalidis Architects (https://fkaustralia.com). Jessica discusses the ‘Alba’ project, the conversion of a 1970’s former office building into 150 rooms of age appropriate housing (retirement accommodation and aged care). The site is located within South Melbourne, an inner city suburb in Melbourne, Victoria Australia. The cost of the conversion was $125m (AU). Whilst not being significantly cheaper than a rebuild there were environmental savings according to Jessica. In the interview Jessica discusses the project from start to finish. There was the initial ‘whats the building like’, ‘’whats under the surfaces’, to scoping the logistics of conversions (very different from a vacant site), finding a suitable builder (not all high rise builders have the equipment or skill set to do this type of work), services upgrades and the intricate details of providing contemporary residential accommodation (along with the end user needs).  Jessica

In PX111, our interview guest is Jesse Suskin, Head of Government Relations & Public Policy at Wing Aviation (https://wing.com).  We talk all things drone delivery particularly the experience learnt in Logan in Queensland, Australia where there has been extensive delivery operations over a lengthy time period.  Wing Aviation is an offshoot of Google’s parent company Alphabet Inc.  Jesse Suskin is the head of government relations and public policy in Australia for Wing, a company that sees a future where drone delivery is the safest, fastest and most environmentally friendly way to transport small items. Before joining Wing in 2018, Jesse spent over six years with Google, working in government relations, public affairs, and public policy in Washington, DC and Sydney, Australia.  Earlier in his career, Jesse worked in politics and public service including at the White House as Associate Director of Communications for President George W. Bush, and as Director of Media Services for Massachusetts Governor Mitt

In PX110, our interview guest is Professor Tim Parkin, we talk all things Roman particularly their city life. Tim Parkin joined the Classics and Archaeology department at the University of Melbourne in 2018 as the inaugural Elizabeth and James Tatoulis Chair in Classics. Before this he had spent over 11 years as Professor of Ancient History at the University of Manchester (UK). Tim is a New Zealander by birth who was awarded a D.Phil. at Oxford as a Rhodes Scholar and who, since 1989, has worked in universities in New Zealand, Australia, and the United Kingdom, as well as spending over a year in Germany as an Alexander von Humboldt research fellow. His teaching covers both Greek and Roman history and classical languages. His main research is in ancient history, particularly Roman social, cultural, and demographic history. Among his publications are Demography and Roman Society (1992), Old Age in the Roman World: A Social and Cultural History (2003), Roman Social History: A Sourcebook (2007), and The Oxford Ha

In PX109, our interview guest is Professor Douglas (Doug) Tallamy, the author of many nature books and co - founder along with Michelle Alfandari of Homegrown National Park (https://homegrownnationalpark.org). Homegrown National Parks is a grassroots call - to - action to regenerate biodiversity and ecosystem function by planting native plants and creating new ecological networks. The group encourages homeowners and landowners to substitute native species for traditional garden approaches to encourage biodiversity. There are many resources to help people with the transition on their website. Doug is an American entomologist, ecologist and conservationist. He is a professor in the Department of Entomology and Wildlife Ecology at the University of Delaware. Doug advocates for home gardens and landscaping that bridge the gaps between parks and preserves in providing habitat for native species. He has spoken on the connections between plants and insects and how those relations are important to birds. He has calle

In PX108, our interview guest is Dr Stefan Gruenert, the CEO of Odyssey House Victoria.  Odyssey House Victoria is a state-wide, specialist treatment organisation dedicated to improving the lives of individuals who experience significant or long-term problems from alcohol and other drug use. Stefan describes the work of Odyssey House and the clients they serve. He talks of the various programs on offer. He describes how the OH facilities work and about the knowledge gained in providing effective treatment. Many drug and alcohol rehabilitation projects run the gauntlet of the development approval system. Stefan talks of his experiences with the development assessment process and makes observations about common misconceptions. As a disclaimer, Pete has worked as a planning consultant for Odyssey House. Podcast extra / culture corner Stefan talks about the joys of learning German listening to the podcast ‘Coffee Break German’ (https://coffeebreaklanguages.com/coffeebreakgerman/). Also he recommends the Netflix d

In PX107, our interview guest is Kate Hardwick an exceptional planning professional originally from Australia who now works in South East Asia.  Kate takes the listener on a fascinating journey describing her professional career. Along the way she offers tips to those starting out and also to those seeking a new direction after a number of years in the job.  She talks of recognising and responding to cultural variations and social norms in many different countries. Also in gaining humility and the value, often overlooked, of actually listening and observing. Kate looks back on her early career and identifies key change moments. She also talks of the challenges and rewards of working on large scale 'new world' urban development projects both oin the west and east. There is a particular segment of note on how Singapore does planning. In Podcast Extra / Culture Corner, Kate recommends ‘War Transformed’ by Major General Mick Ryan https://mickryan.com.au/books-%26-writing. Jess recommends the pleasures of farmers

In PX106, our interview guest is James Vincent who is the CTO at NCS NEXT Australia, a global digital, data and cloud services consultancy (https://www.ncs.co/en-au/next/). James is a senior people leader with 25 years’ commercial IT experience and an established authority in large-scale strategic transformation in enterprise environments and delivering business outcomes through technology. In this episode James shares four smart city technology solutions government could adopt to improve citizen services amid a rapidly growing urban population. Smart meters, sensor technology and AI in buildings to reduce environmental footprint are some of the examples that James touches on. With Australia’s population projected to reach 30 million between 2029 and 2033, adding pressure to the quality and delivery of services for the community, James describes how it’s becoming more important to leverage modern technology to improve experiences and the efficiency of infrastructure, public transport, travel and roads.  He ha

In PX105, our interview guest is Torie Brown, Executive Director of the Student Accommodation Council. The Council was formed in 2022 by the Property Council to give a voice to the critically important purpose-built student accommodation (PBSA) sector which provides homes for over 76,500 students per year, a figure that continues to grow.  https://www.propertycouncil.com.au/advocacy/our-divisions/student-accommodation-council Providing vibrant and connected housing options for students underpins Australia’s largest service export – international education. Ensuring a strong pipeline of beds also reduces pressure on the broader residential rental market by providing a safe, student-only housing choice. Torie talks about the vital importance of this type of housing stock and along the way dispels various misconceptions about the users of such housing and the housing type. She talks about the evolution of design practice and how this is linked to the constant feedback provided by occupants. She also identifies

In PX104, our interview guest is Vanessa Schernickau, the Chief Executive Officer of the Geelong Regional Library Corporation (GRLC). The GRLC provides library and information services to residents and visitors across the Geelong region on behalf of five local government councils. The network consists of a central library, 18 community libraries, three mobile libraries and website. It provides free, universal access to lifelong learning, reading and discovery.  The Geelong Library began in 1858 as part of the Mechanics Institute. Vanessa talks about her first library book and a lifetime love of libraries. She talks of the dynamic changes that have led to the modern library model. This model has changed with the times and now a substantial component of user requirements are not associated with physical books.  As the industrialist and great patron of public libraries Andrew Carnegie famously put it more than a century ago, “A library outranks any other one thing a community can do to benefit its people. It is

In PX103, our interview subject is Tim Jackson, a +40 year veteran of local government. Tim recently retired for a second time from the paid workforce after completing his four year role as the State Government appointed Administrator at the District of Council of Coober Pedy in South Australia in February. This was the first time an Administrator had been appointed to a South Australian Council in almost forty years. Prior to his first retirement, Tim was CEO of the City of Playford in South Australia for eighteen years. Playford was and is South Australia’s fastest growing local government area. At the time of his departure, it was the eleventh fastest growing local government area in Australia. Prior to his time in South Australia, he was employed in Victoria by the City of Prahran which became the City of Stonnington after the reorganisation of local government in Victoria in the early 1990s. Tim principal interest throughout his career has been about empowering citizens and employees. Tim has simultane

In this episode, PlanningxChange delves into the history of heritage conservation in Australia. James Lesh is an urban historian specialising in heritage conservation. He is interested in the potential for history and heritage to enhance cities, places and society. His latest book is Values in Cities: Urban Heritage in Twentieth-Century Australia (Routledge, 2022). It synthesises the history of the Australian heritage movement and advocates for innovative modes of heritage practice. James is a Lecturer in Cultural Heritage and Museum Studies at Deakin University in Naarm/Melbourne, Australia. He has previously researched and taught at the University of Melbourne, University of Sydney, and King’s College London. In podcast extra or culture corner: James recommends ‘The Lost City Of Melbourne’ documentary, ‘Monkey Grip’ - film, ‘Dogs in Space’ - film. ‘The Bear’ TV show. Jess recommends ‘King Richard’ film and yoga as an exercise. Pete recommends ‘The Legend of Ben Hall’ (bushranger movie) and on Youtube ‘The m