Australia is in the midst of a housing crisis. But amidst the political and media debate about the fixes to our housing woes, public housing has slipped from view. There's concern that funding commitments are a far cry from the broad based approach to public rental housing which has supported so many Australians in the past, including Prime Minister Anthony Albanese. So where does Australia go from here? Join Rebecca Pinkstone, Chief Executive of Homes NSW, Alistair Sisson of Macquarie University, City of Sydney Councillor Sylvie Ellsmore, plus public housing tenants Norrie May-Welby and Karyn Brown at this Festival of Urbanism event recorded in late 2024. Photo: Wedge-Tail Pictures

What is ‘public’ about our urban and regional transport systems - and how public should they be? Are our leaders actually serving public interests and values around public transport? Should a stick in the ground really count as a bus stop? And what the heck is a 'beg button'? In this episode of City Road a rich panel of speakers delve into the big questions surrounding public transport at the recent Festival of Urbanism, including Dr Ian Woodcock, Emma Bacon, Neill Miller, David Babineau, Dr Rebecca Clements and Dr Crystal Legacy. Photo: Andrew Thomas/Flickr

With housing *the* hot topic this election, a panel of experts at the recent Festival of Urbanism battled to convince a live audience that the private market could (or could not) solve Australia's housing crisis. This debate features: - The Hon Doug Cameron, Former Senator - Sharath Mahendran, Urban Planner and creator of YouTube channel Building Beautifully - Emily Sims, Uralla Shire Council - Stephanie Barker, Executive Director, Strategy and Engagement, Willowtree Planning - Luke Cass, editor, Honi Soit Newspaper 2023 - Emeritus Professor Peter Phibbs, Henry Halloran Research Trust, the University of Sydney Commentary This debate also features commentary from Michael Koziol, Sydney editor, The Sydney Morning Herald and is chaired by Professor Nicole Gurran, Director, Henry Halloran Research Trust. Thanks for listening. See you next time on City Road. Host: Bill Code Editor: Mikayla McGuirk-Scolaro

Welcome back to City Road. In this episode, we reflect on 2024's Festival of 'Public' Urbanism and its panel discussion on how the public life of great cities takes place in our cultural buildings and civic spaces – from libraries to museums, town halls, streets, parks and playgrounds. This special Denis Winston memorial lecture, delivered by Dr Caroline Butler-Bowdon, State Librarian and award-winning author and curator, celebrates our crucial public infrastructure as the cornerstone of public and democratic life. The keynote address is followed by an eminent panel conversation between Dr Rob Stokes, former Minister for Planning and Public Spaces, and Professor Jennifer Barrett, Professor in Museum Studies and Pro-Vice Chancellor Indigenous at the University of Sydney. The annual Festival of Urbanism is brought to you by the Henry Halloran Research Trust with the assistance of the University of Sydney School of Architecture Design and Planning. Thanks for listening. See you next time on City Road. Host: Bill Code Editor: Mikayla McGuirk-Scolaro

This final episode of the Infrastructure Governance Incubator series focuses on a plenary discussion centred around the findings of the ‘Infrastructure Governance Incubator’ - a multidisciplinary collaborative research project across three universities – which took place at the State of Australasian Cities conference in December 2023. This discussion sought to contribute to a renewed research agenda for Australasian infrastructure governance, considering the current state of governance challenges and potential future directions. It draws on findings from the Incubator’s case study of the Western Sydney Parkland City in New South Wales, Australia, across multiple critical issues discussed across this podcast series: planning on unceded First Nations land, accountability and social legitimacy, collaborative governance and integration, and power and politics. Panel members: A/Prof. Tooran Alizadeh, Dr. Rebecca Clements, A/Prof. Glen Searle, A/prof Dallas Rogers, Elle Davidson (University of Sydney), Crystal Legacy (University of Melbourne), Liton Kamruzzaman (Monash University). Discussant: Jago Dodson (RMIT) This podcast series is sponsored by the Infrastructure Governance Incubator, a three-year (2020-2023) collaborative research platform—funded by the Henry Halloran Research Trust—across three universities (The University of Sydney, The University of Melbourne and Monash University) and in partnership with Planning Institute of Australia (PIA) NSW & Victoria. Audio recording and editing by Mikayla McGuirk-Scolaro.

Infrastructure planning is intrinsically political – but are there significant differences between how we expect infrastructure planning to occur and the reality of how it plays out? Are our current approaches to the relationship between planning and power working? In this fifth episode, we build on learnings from Victoria and consider the politics behind infrastructure decisions with Dr James Murphy, drawing on the latest book, ‘The Making and Unmaking of East-West Link’. We consider the roles of electoral strategy, the making of political rationale, and community resistance to ask how we might better unpack the way we think about infrastructure politics. Informed by: Murphy, J. C. (2022). The making and unmaking of East-West Link. Melbourne Univ. Publishing. Host: Dallas Rogers (University of Sydney) Guest: James Murphy, Crystal Legacy (University of Melbourne) This podcast series is sponsored by the Infrastructure Governance Incubator, a three-year (2020-2023) collaborative research platform—funded by the Henry Halloran Research Trust—across three universities (The University of Sydney, The University of Melbourne, and Monash University), and in partnership with Planning Institute of Australia (PIA) NSW & Victoria. Audio recording and editing by Mikayla McGuirk-Scolaro and Dallas Rogers.

The evidence shows that increasing new housing production alone won’t solve the affordability crisis. At this special event, the NSW Minister for Housing and Homelessness, the Hon. Rose Jackson MLC and a panel of experts from industry, academia, and community sectors, will outline strategies for unlocking affordable supply, from social housing to the ‘missing middle’. KEYNOTE ADDRESS The Hon. Rose Jackson MLC, Minister for Housing, Homelessness, Mental Health, Youth, the North Coast, and Water PANEL Katie Stevenson, Executive Director Property Council of Australia NSW Mark Degotardi, Chief Executive Officer, Community Housing Industry Association NSW Dr Catherine Gilbert, the University of Sydney Emma Greenhalgh, CEO National Shelter CHAIRED BY Professor Nicole Gurran, Director, Henry Halloran Research Trust

Water security is one of the most contested issues facing urban and regional communities across Australia. For growing inland cities like Canberra, conventional assumptions and approaches to water supply, catchment management, and urban planning must be reimagined in the context of climate change. This special event hosted in partnership with the Planning Institute of Australia examines the increasingly complex debates surrounding water security and asks whether and how inland cities can ever achieve true urban resilience. This event is co-hosted with the Planning Institute of Australia. SPEAKERS Professor Barbara Norman, Foundation Chair of Urban and Regional Planning and Director of Canberra Urban and Regional Futures (CURF), the University of Canberra Danielle Francis, Manager Policy and Strategy, Water Services Australia Dr Jason Alexandra, Research Fellow, Transformational Climate Adaptation and Water, ANU Institute for Climate, Energy & Disaster Solutions, ANU Institute for Water Futures. Dr Danswell Starrs, Water Science, Monitoring and Modelling Manager at ACT Government CHAIRED BY Dr Maxine Cooper FPIA, FEIANZ, Adjunct Prof UC, Chair ACT & Region Catchment Management Coordination Group, Chair Landcare ACT, and Deputy Chair National Landcare Network.

We know we must end sprawl and densify our cities, but are tall towers the answer? Can the skyscraper solve our affordable housing problem? Does high density necessarily mean high-rise, and do such developments stack up environmentally – or do they exacerbate issues such as urban heat? What are the wider benefits or disbenefits of hyper-density in terms of urban design, street making, community cohesion or accessibility? Join Saving Sydney author Dr Elizabeth Farrelly and a panel of experts for a robust discussion on whether Sydney should ‘go up or go out’, and whether this is even the right question. PANEL Dr Fiona Foo, Cardiologist Professor Cathy Sherry, Law School and Smart Green Cities, Macquarie University Tim Sneesby, Manager Strategic Planning, Waverley Council  Professor Michael Chapman, Chair of Architecture and Design, University of Western Sydney CHAIRED BY Dr Elizabeth Farrelly, author, journalist and Henry Halloran Research Trust Writer in Residence

How are Australia’s Indigenous and settler histories recognised and confronted in cultural heritage conservation and urban planning practice, alongside wider struggles for native title, land rights, and spatial justice? Join this conversation with a panel of experts across Indigenous history, archaeology, heritage conservation, urban planning and design. SPEAKERS Professor Bronwyn Carlson, Head of Department of Indigenous Studies, Macquarie University Stephen Gapps, Senior Associate Historian, Artefact Heritage Services Seth Dias, PHD Candidate at the USYD school of Architecture, Design and Planning Innez Haua Jess Herder, Senior Associate, Thirriwirri CHAIRED BY Professor Michael Mossman, Associate Dean Indigenous Strategy and Services, the University of Sydney

In recent years a new movement known as ‘YIMBY’ (‘Yes In My Backyard’) has emerged. ‘YIMBIES’ argue that planning and regulatory barriers serving local ‘NIMBY’ (‘Not In My Backyard’ property owners) block new and higher density housing, causing affordability pressures across the market. By contrast, many so called ‘NIMBIES’ reject the proposition that ‘supply’ is the only solution to high cost housing. In this session, housing advocates and experts debate the proposition that supply side barriers are to blame for Australia’s housing crisis and recommend strategies to fix the housing system. SPEAKERS Eamon Waterford, CEO, Committee for Sydney Max Holleran, Lecturer in Social Policy, the University of Melbourne Melissa Neighbour, Principal Planner, Sky Planning Michael Koziol, Sydney editor, The Sydney Morning Herald CHAIRED BY Professor Nicole Gurran, Director Henry Halloran Research Trust, the University of Sydney

Episode 3: Innovating urban governance: the Creative Bureaucrat Does creativity have a place in City Hall? The idea that bureaucracy should or can be creative certainly runs counter to common ideas we have of city government. But recently, that has begun to change. Innovation in city governance is being recast as ‘creative problem solving’. Drawing on stories from city governments around the world, in this third episode of ‘Innovating Cities’, Tom Baker and Pauline McGuirk discuss what it takes to build creative capacity within bureaucracies. Tom Baker is Associate Professor in the School of Environment, University of Auckland. His research focuses on how public policies are made and implemented, addressing social, institutional, ideological and spatial dimensions. Pauline McGuirk is Senior Professor of urban geography and Director of the Australian Centre for Culture, Environment, Society and Space, University of Wollongong. Her work revolves around critical studies of urban governance, its changing geographies, material practices and politics, and the differential implications for urban places, communities, subjectivities and power. For more information about our podcast series, including transcripts, go to: https://uow.info/innovating-cities Find out more about our research project Innovating urban governance: practices for enhanced urban futures at: https://www.uow.edu.au/the-arts-social-sciences-humanities/research/access/research/rce/ Special guests Anne-Marie Croce, Program Lead, Customer Experience Transformation and Innovation, City of Toronto Brad Badelt, Director of Sustainability, City of Vancouver, CityStudio Vancouver. James Corless, Executive Director, Sacramento Area Council of Governments Eliza Erickson, former Director of Innovation and Strategy, Office of Innovation and Technology, City of Philadelphia James Wagner, Chief Financial Officer, Office of Performance, Strategy and Innovation, City of Tulsa Arna Ýr Sævarsdóttir, Service and Digital Transformation Manager, Department of Services & Innovation, City of Reykjavik Michele D’Alena, Director, Civic Imagination Office, City of Bologna Kris Carter, former Co-Chair, Boston Mayor's Office of New Urban Mechanics Terrance Smith, Former Director of the Innovation Unit, City of Mobile This podcast episode was supported by the Australian Research Council under Grant ARCDP200100176 Innovating urban governance: practices for enhanced urban futures, a joint project by the University of Wollongong, the University of Sydney and the University of Auckland. Audio recording and editing by Jennifer Macey. Additional editing by Emily Perkins. Coordination by Laura Goh. Special thanks to Brian Dwyer.

With rising recognition of the health and environmental benefits of active transport, there are increasing struggles between users of footpaths, roads and curbs. Not only are streets important transportation routes, as demonstrated over the Pandemic period, they have also become recognised as important public spaces for social activities, from dining to market stalls or food production. This session interrogates the emerging struggles over street spaces still dominated by roads and parking. SPEAKERS Tegan Mitchell, Manager Major Transport Projects, City of Sydney Dr Rebecca Clements, Postdoctoral Research Fellow, the University of Sydney Benjamin Carr, Co-founder, Lug+Carrie e-bike hire CHAIRED BY Dr Jennifer Kent, Senior Research Fellow in Urbanism, the University of Sydney

Australia’s legal frameworks for biodiversity conservation and environmental protection are intended to preserve and enhance the nation’s natural and cultural heritage while enabling appropriate forms of urban development and infrastructure. Yet Commonwealth Environmental Protection & Biodiversity Conservation law has been deemed unfit for purpose, while the states pledge ongoing reforms to make land use systems faster and more responsive to enable residential development and major projects. Key issues include certification and offsetting processes for biodiversity or heritage and whether alternative approaches, from avoiding development altogether to better protecting and enhancing conservation outcomes are possible. PANEL Rachel Walmsley, Head of Policy & Law Reform, Environmental Defenders Office Rowena Welsh-Jarrett, Indigenous Heritage Expert, Bila Group Associate Professor Ed Couzens, Law School, the University of Sydney CHAIRED BY Professor Rosemary Lyster, Climate and Environmental Law, the University of Sydney Hosted in partnership with the Sydney Environment Institute.

Meaningful public accountability in infrastructure governance This episode considers the challenges of, and possibilities for, meaningful accountability in infrastructure governance. Public accountability is often publicly demanded or politically signalled, but much more rarely unpacked or discussed in depth. This episode discusses the importance of accountability in infrastructure and planning governance, and its multiple intersecting social understandings. We discuss the importance of scrutinising our current accountability approaches, power relationships, and contextual challenges in order to build more open and collaborative governance. We also hear insights from Roberta Ryan, the Independent Community Commissioner involved with the Western Parkland City. Researchers present: Rebecca Clements, Tooran Alizadeh Guest: Roberta Ryan This podcast series is sponsored by the Infrastructure Governance Incubator, a three-year (2020-2023) collaborative research platform—funded by the Henry Halloran Research Trust—across three universities (The University of Sydney, The University of Melbourne, and Monash University), and in partnership with Planning Institute of Australia (PIA) NSW & Victoria. Audio recording and editing by Mikayla Scolaro and Dallas Rogers.

Episode 2: Innovating urban governance: Design Thinking What is design thinking and how might it be useful for city governments? In this second episode of ‘Innovating Cities’, Robyn Dowling and Sophia Maalsen discuss how design thinking is being conceptualised and operationalised in city governance innovation. Drawing from examples internationally and in Australia, they ask what design thinking means to those who use it, what it is used for, and how using design thinking may open up new opportunities to address urban problems. Robyn Dowling is Dean of the School of Architecture, Design and Planning, University of Sydney. Her current research is concerned with the ways in which urban governance and urban life are responding to climate change, technological disruptions and the diffusion of innovation practices. Sophia Maalsen is Senior Lecturer in the School of Architecture, Design and Planning, University of Sydney. She is currently researching the application of computational logics and technologies to “hack housing” and address issues of housing affordability and innovation. Her research is predominantly situated at the intersection of the digital and material across urban spaces, housing and governance. For more information about our podcast series, including transcripts, go to: https://uow.info/innovating-cities Find out more about our research project Innovating urban governance: practices for enhanced urban futures at: https://www.uow.edu.au/the-arts-social-sciences-humanities/research/access/research/rce/ Special guests Eliza Erickson, former Director of Innovation and Strategy Office of Innovation and Technology, City of Philadelphia Arna Ýr Sævarsdóttir, Service and Digital Transformation Manager Department of Services & Innovation, City of Reykjavik Kris Carter, former Co-Chair Boston Mayor's Office of New Urban Mechanics Terrance Smith, Former Director of the Innovation Unit City of Mobile Duane Elverum, Executive Director and Co-Founder CityStudio Vancouver Anne-Marie Croce, Program Lead Customer Experience Transformation and Innovation, City of Toronto Shane Waring, Lead Dublin Beta Lab This podcast episode was supported by the Australian Research Council under Grant ARCDP200100176 Innovating urban governance: practices for enhanced urban futures, a joint project by the University of Wollongong, the University of Sydney and the University of Auckland. Audio recording and editing by Jennifer Macey. Additional editing by Emily Perkins. Coordination and additional scripting by Laura Goh.

There is ongoing concern about the localised impacts of globally owned platforms on the ways in which we use our homes and cities. From the housing market and neighbourhood impacts of Airbnb style platforms through to the less visible implications of automated urban systems, this session asks how communities can best understand and harness digitalisation to create positive opportunities, while managing risks. PANEL Professor Simon Marvin, the University of Sydney and the Director of the Urban Institute at Sheffield University Dr Luke Hespanhol, Senior Lecturer in Design, the University of Sydney Cecille Weldon, Proptech Association Australia Dr Allan McCay, Deputy Director of The Sydney Institute of Criminology and Academic Fellow, Law School, the University of Sydney CHAIRED BY Dr Sophia Maalsen, Lecturer in Urbanism, the University of Sydney

From preserving heritage to defining flood planning levels or calculating open space requirements, planning processes, and decisions are inherently bound by assumptions and practices from the past. In this inaugural lecture, Dr Robert Stokes, former minister for Planning, Public Spaces, and Cities, will reflect on how these ‘wicked’ assumptions shape contemporary cities and define their future trajectory. Following Dr Stoke’s lecture, an eminent panel of policy and industry leaders will discuss whether and how outdated and detrimental planning assumptions can be contested and overcome. KEYNOTE Dr Rob Stokes, Former Minister for Planning, Public Spaces, Cities, Infrastructure, Transport, Education, Environment and Heritage PANEL Dillon Kombumerri, Principal Architect  Government Architect NSW,  Department of Planning and Environment Davina Rooney, Chief Executive Officer, Green Building Council of Australia (GBCA) Michelle Cramer, Future Communities Leader, Australia, GHD PANEL CHAIR Professor Nicole Gurran, Director, Henry Halloran Research Trust

Episode 1: Innovating urban governance: the work of Innovation Units In this first episode in the Innovating Cities Series, Pauline McGuirk and Tom Baker discuss what innovating city governance means and explore one key example of urban governance innovation in practice: innovation units. Drawing from research on innovation units in the United States, Europe and Australia, the team tackles questions around how these innovation units work, what they hope to achieve, and the challenges they encounter in practice. The episode also raises wider questions about the longer termed implications of working in ‘innovation mode’ for urban governance. Guests Pauline McGuirk is Senior Professor of urban geography and Director of the Australian Centre for Culture, Environment, Society and Space, University of Wollongong. Tom Baker is Associate Professor in the School of Environment, University of Auckland. Thanks to our special guests Eliza Erickson (former Director of Innovation and Strategy, Office of Innovation and Technology, City of Philadelphia); James Corless (Executive Director, Sacramento Area Council of Governments); Nico Diaz Amigo (Chief Innovation & Data Officer Office of Accountability, Performance, & Innovation, City of Syracuse); and Shane Waring (Lead Dublin Beta Lab). Innovating Cities Series Across the series of episodes the Innovating Urban Governance team will be exploring these questions in conversation with practitioners from around the world about their insights in to the work of innovating city governance and its implications

New Orleans and Australia's Northern Rivers are miles apart but share similarities when it comes to natural disasters. This session shines a light on the difficult questions confronting communities as they seek to rebuild more resilient settlements in the wake of devastating natural disasters. Drawing on the experiences of flood urbanist Professor Elizabeth Mossop, and community leader Dan Etheridge, both of whom were at the front line of the New Orleans Hurricane Katrina response and rebuilding process, this special event asks what lessons can be learned from that experience and what planning, design, governance, and financial frameworks are needed to help other communities affected by catastrophic disaster and ongoing climate risk. PANEL Professor Elizabeth Mossop, Dean of School of Design, Architecture and Building, University Technology Sydney Dan Etheridge, Director Living Lab, Northern Rivers Jamie Simmonds, Principal Consultant, Water Technology CHAIRED BY Nicole Gurran, Professor of Urban and Regional Planning, Director, Henry Halloran Research Trust, the University of Sydney