Hustle & Bustle podcast

Luke Brannelly - Master planner to tech creator

Luke Brannelly is the founder and Managing Director of the V2i Group, which combines his 35 years of experience in the planning industry as an Urban Designer and Master planning Consultant, 20 years within the digital story and visualisation industry, and the past decade of diversifying these skills into a variety of other industries, including: health, education, online learning, and underground mining induction.
Over the past 6 years, Luke and his team have successfully incorporated many of the new technologies they had developed in other sectors back into the planning industry. With the launch of the interactive 3D software platform V2i Realtime (www.v2irealtime.com), the creation of project-specific ‘digital twins’ enabled a more effective and efficient journey, from “Vision to Implementation”, for all stakeholders.
More info on Luke's company here: V2i Realtime | Join the Revolution
A favourite quote of mine from Luke during the podcast is "Solving problems in the virtual world is so much easier, faster and cheaper than in real life."
A surprising quote from Luke "I've been told by a top tier firm that they believe the majority of built environment professionals can't understand 2D plans. Is it any wonder that the general public struggle to understand what their communities will look like in the future."
I ask Luke these questions:
Where did the concept of v2i come from?
What inspired you to pursue something so innovative?
How do you see the digital tools you’ve built changing the future of planning?
What are some of the key challenges and barriers to rolling out v2i more broadly?
A great recent article featuring V2i Realtime as one of 3 global companies which is transforming the global urban design and master planning process! https://www.unrealengine.com/en-US/spotlights/unreal-engine-is-helping-real-estate-developers-to-accelerate-urban-master-planning 
Hope you enjoy this discussion!

Dr Stefan Hajkowicz - 7 megatrends that will shape next 20 years

A once-in-a-decade report from CSIRO, Australia’s national science agency, identifies seven global megatrends that hold the key to the challenges and opportunities ahead.  The report is called Our Future World 2042.
A lead author of this publication, Dr Stefan Hajkowicz, joins me on the podcast this week to discuss the 7 megatrends. 
 
The seven global megatrends are: Adapting to climate change; Leaner, cleaner and greener; The escalating health imperative; Geopolitical shifts; Diving into digital; Increasingly autonomous and Unlocking the human dimension. 
 
Dr Stefan Hajkowicz is a principal scientist in foresight and strategy at CSIRO, working in the field of strategic foresight. He has devoted his career to helping governments, companies and communities comprehend patterns of change so they can make wiser choices and secure better futures. Stefan has published widely in the international scientific literature. His work involves a combination of original research and the provision of consulting and advisory services.
Link to the publication is here
Seven megatrends that will shape the next 20 years - CSIRO
 
Dr Stefan says “We analysed thousands of data points collected over decades. Some of the trends we identified have been widely discussed, while others are newer and directly related to our experiences during the pandemic.
 
"We are, for example, just beginning to understand the potential long-term impacts of the pandemic on mental health and chronic illness.
 
“We anticipate that while the pandemic sped up digital transformation, the real explosion in our capability is yet to come. In this environment, digital skills will become more valuable, but rather than replacing human intelligence, technologies like AI will assist us in doing our work better.”  

Upendo Kowero - How does culture influence planning of cities and regions?

Upendo is a Chagga woman from the foothills of Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania. Her diverse upbringing across many countries has nurtured her passion for and proficiency in three languages, as well as her particular interest in how built environments can support cohesive, equitable and productive communities. Upendo has a Bachelor of Urban and Environmental Planning with honours, Masters of Development Practice, Politics of Global Development, Graduate Certificate in Mediation and Conflict Resolution and is IAP2 accredited.
Upendo has over 15 years of professional planning experience across the areas of strategic planning, policy formulation and implementation, and development assessment. She has extensive experience researching, drafting and implementing State policies through the Queensland planning framework.
Upendo has she worked across a diversity of strategic projects with several Aboriginal Shire Councils.  During her time with the Queensland Government, Upendo was on the advancing Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander interests in land use planning project steering committee as the local plan making/amendment process expert. She also drafted the Planning Act 2016 planning scheme template . Upendo recognises and continues to learn and discover improvements needed to truly advance Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander interests in the Queensland planning and development framework.   
I chat to Upendo about:
Her upbringing and your journey to Brisbane
What led her to studying planning
Her university experiences - what were some of the challenges faced in understanding the western approach to development and land use?
Her tips and/or advice for current international planning students and/or academics
What role does culture have on the Qld planning system? – what are some of the shortfalls?
Her advice for planning practitioners in navigating culture in planning
A piece of advice from Upendo – "As planners, we professionally organise places and people and consequently end up putting people into different categories/boxes. I think it’s important to remember that these are just organizational categories and not people’s identities. It is also confusing when new categories are developed and used without your understanding…for me, a key one is People of Colour (POC) which has created a lot of debate on who it captures. It’s also vitally important to be cautious when using them in public or consultative environments because people could take offense or be uncomfortable to be a representative of that category (i.e. grouping of people based on one or two elements)."
Great advice!

Farnoosh Shokoofan - young people are 100% of future

Farnoosh Shokoofan is an energetic and innovative planner currently working as a strategic planner at Toowoomba Regional Council. She was awarded a Bachelor’s degree of Urbanism and completed her Masters of Urban Design in 2018. Farnoosh has worked as a planner both in Iran and Australia within various planning and development disciplines. She is the Queensland PIA Young Planner convener - responsible for leading the young planners. 
Born and raised in a ‘megacity’, Farnoosh is enthusiastic about people and places. Her interests include placemaking, behaviour settings and analysis of users’ behaviour, and natural disaster resilience, specifically landslide resilience. 
I chat to Farnoosh about some of the key issues and opportunities young planners are facing, including:
What led her to becoming a planner
What she would like to do with the next 5 years of your career
Key issues young planners are most passionate about
The changing role of a planner
New skills that young planner are bringing to the profession
Hope you enjoy this chat :)

Dale Bracewell - Global city transport leader

Dale is a mobility thought leader - enabling transformative and resilient sustainable solutions. At the City of Vancouver, Dale led the transport planning for many years including for the 2010 Winter Olympic Games, created their first Active Transportation team, and most recently led their Transportation Planning, including new sustainable mobility actions for the city’s Climate Emergency Plan. As a visionary strategic planner, Dale has enjoyed providing inspirational keynotes on Vancouver’s sustainable mobility growth and success to cities globally. Dale is a global thought leader with expertise in transport planning. 
I chat to Dale about:
 His most memorable projects during his time at City of Vancouver as City Transport Manager.  
 What Dale enjoyed most about his time at City of Vancouver
 His top tips for navigating the political and community pressures as a public servant, whilst delivering on best practice outcomes. 
With Brisbane and Queensland preparing to host the 2032 Olympics and Paralympics, key lessons from Vancouver hosting the 2010 Winter Olympics
 Best advice for other City executives responsible for city transportation planning
 Insights into Dale's new career journey into strategic foresight.
Dale shares the importance of data led decisions, how communication is the key to success, the importance of finding your north star, how connecting with people create the best memories, and many more pearls of wisdom. 
Hope you enjoy this insight discussion!!

Michael Papageorgiou - Planner’s value & Urban acupuncture

Michael Papageorgiou is the Director of an Urban Planning consultancy based in Brisbane. He has 40 years’ experience in the planning industry, including senior executive planning roles in State and Local Government, in both Queensland and Victoria. Michael is a Fellow of the Planning Institute of Australia (PIA) and has had an active role in PIA. Michael was the inaugural Planner in Residence at Queensland University of Technology (QUT).
Michael has maintained a great interest in public realm and open space policy and implementation throughout his career. He has been responsible for the planning and delivery of numerous Centre Improvement and Urban Renewal programs and projects, all with a significant public art component in Brisbane, Gold Coast, South Melbourne, St Kilda, and Frankston, as well as in regional areas.
Michael shares:
His top career highlights
His motivations and drivers as a planner
Key opportunities and challenges we are facing in our cities and regions
The value that planners bring to improving our cities and regions
I hope you enjoy this chat !

Patrick Gorr - Australia’s energy crisis & future of hydrogen

Patrick Gorr is a Arup's Global Hydrogen Leader. His specializes in energy and hydrogen, and the transition to net zero energy production. Patrick is a chartered accountant by profession, Patrick holds a Bachelor of Business, Economics, Accounting and International Trade from Swinburne University of Technology, and has held senior strategic roles, in Australia and Europe, with the Victorian Government, International Development Law Organisation and EDF Energy.
The Energy crisis has been all over the news recently, as the East Coast of Australia is at risk of black out, due to peak demand expected to exceed supply. Patrick explains what's been happening in the energy markets, and what the solution is. 
We chat about:
The energy crisis 
What the solution is for more reliable and sustainable energy production and supply
Why Hydrogen is seen to be part of the solution to our energy crisis
What is preventing Hydrogen from being mass produced and replacing our unrenewable sources
What projects Arup leading globally to help unlock more opportunities for hydrogen to be produced, exported and used by consumers
Here is a quick fact sheet shared by Patrick to help explain the Lack of Reserve in the energy market
https://aemo.com.au/-/media/files/learn/fact-sheets/lor-fact-sheet.pdf?la=en#:~:text=A%20forecast%20LOR%20occurs%20when,LOR%20becomes%20an%20operational%20reality.
Hope you enjoy this chat :)
 

Dr Margaret Cook - Learning from history

Dr Margaret Cook has been a freelance historian for many years, working in the heritage, museum, government and private sectors. She holds a PhD in history from the University of Queensland and her current research interests include natural disasters, rivers, water politics, and environmental history. Margaret is a history lecturer at the University of Sunshine Coast, a Research Fellow at Griffith University and holds Honorary Research Fellow positions at La Trobe University and University of Queensland.
Margaret’s recent publications are:
A River with a City Problem: A History of Brisbane Floods,
an edited collection with Scott McKinnon, Disasters in Australia and New Zealand: Historical Approaches to Understanding Catastrophe, and
a co-authored book Cities in a Sunburnt Country: Water and the Making of Urban Australia.
In 2020, Margaret was awarded the John and Ruth Kerr Medal of Distinction for excellence in historiography, historical research and writing.
This conversation builds on an earlier chat with Martin Roushani-Zarmehri in April where he referenced Margaret's research and publications, specifically that many of our urban settlements are on flood plains based on historical reasons.  
In this chat, we take a deep dive into Margaret's publications and passion, and find out what lessons we can take from history to shape more resilient communities.
We chat about:
Margaret's publications
What inspired Margaret to research so deeply into water issues
Why it is important that we understand and learn from history
What the key learnings are about human behaviour, especially during natural disasters
Buy back schemes and how we use them to become more resilient
Behavioural change can happen
I hope you enjoy this chat. 

Prof Barbara Norman - Planning Renaissance

Prof. Barbara Norman is the Foundation Chair of Urban and Regional Planning and Director of Canberra Urban and Regional Futures at the University of Canberra. She has a substantial professional background having worked at all levels of government and her own private practice. Her current research and teaching interests include sustainable cities and regions, coastal planning, climate change adaptation and urban governance.
Professor Norman is a highly esteemed professional, including:
immediate past Chair of the ACT Climate Change Council
Visiting Fellow at the Australian National University
Life Fellow and past national president of the Planning Institute of Australia
Life Honorary Member of the Royal Town Planning Institute (UK)
qualifications include a Bachelor of Town & Regional Planning, Masters of Environmental Law and a PhD on sustainable coastal planning  
contributing author to IPCC 5 WG 2 report on Impacts 2013
awarded an Australian Centenary Medal for her contribution to the community through urban and regional planning.
In this episode we chat about:
Barbara's career highlights
What motivates her
The importance of planning
Tackling climate change
Her new book to be launched at COP27 later this year
Some of the key takeaways from this discussion:
the value of planning is being restored and going through a renaissance
planners are driven by common good / community good 
we can achieve much more when we cooperate and collaborate  - would be great to see all Australian Planning Ministers coming together 
its time to embed climate change in planning law across Australia
we need to map existing climate risks across Australia to identify areas of vulnerability, and then prepare place-specific plans for most vulnerable communities.
must not add to the legacy of vulnerability 
need to upskill planners and built environment professionals to gain confidence in planning for climate change
we are past the point of climate guidelines - its time for regulations. Industry want certainty
Insurance industry are looking to planning profession to be proactive 
Carbon neutral developments are lacking evaluation and monitoring 
90% of built environment will still be here in 2050 - focus on re-use and improving existing urban fabric to create resilient and sustainable outcomes
possible legacy for Brisbane 2032 would be to embed climate change process in everything we do
References referred to by Barbara:
IPCC report on Adaptation - link
Glasgow Climate Pact - outcome of COP26 - link
Hope you enjoy this chat :)

Top 10 lessons from Planning National Congress 2022

I spent the week in Hobart last week, attending and presenting at the Planning Institute of Australia National Congress. The theme was Opportunities in times of crisis, and this was the first time in 3 years that PIA has held a national planning conferences in person. 
In this episode, I summarize the top 10 lessons that I have acquired from the amazing sessions attended.
From the housing crisis, to human centered planning to designing with country and so many more! 
Looking forward to hearing what you think about my top 10!
(You might hear my kids & husband in the background, as I recorded this at home on the weekend) 
More info about Congress can be found here - Planning Institute of Australia