Hustle & Bustle podcast

This is my first solo episode for Season 3! With the federal election only a matter of days away, I step through the Planning Institute of Australia's Federal Election Platform. In this solo chat, I explain:

• What are the key asks of the planning profession for the next Australian Government? 
• How can the next Australian Government help facilitate more well-located housing, plan for climate action and resilience, create a stron...

In this episode, I’m joined by Bradley Rasmussen  – CEO and founder of Sizztech, the creators of Forecaz, a cutting-edge platform that predicts urban growth and change. Bradley shares how data-driven modelling is transforming the way planners and decision-makers understand land use, infrastructure needs, and future development scenarios.

We unpack the role of urban growth models, how they work, and why they matter. Plus, we explore...

In this episode of the Hustle and Bustle podcast, host Nicole Bennetts sits down with architect and urbanist Peter Richards to explore the art of urban sketching. With over 40 years of experience in architecture and urban design, Peter shares his passion for the role of drawing in the design process and its significance in shaping our cities.

Peter Richards Peter is an architect with extensive experience in projects ranging from sm...

Housing affordability and availability are at crisis levels, but why? And what can we do about it?

In this episode, we sit down with Riley Flanigan, an urban designer, strategic planner, and city strategist at Urbis, to unpack the forces behind Australia’s housing crisis.

Riley has been at the forefront of housing research, policy, and advocacy, including his writing and his contributions to PIA Qld's Housing Working Group. With de...

In this episode, I'm joined by Laura Harvey, Planning Manager at Queensland Airports, and Haleen Singh, Planning Advisor with Port of Brisbane. We explore the unique world of planning for airports and ports—two critical transport hubs that serve as economic drivers, destinations, and catalysts for urban and regional development.

Episode Highlights:

• Laura and Haleen share what drew them to this work.

• A look into a typical da...

In this episode, I sit down with Chris Isles, General Manager of Advocacy, Major Projects, and Economic Development at Redland City Council. With over 20 years of experience in planning, economic development, and major projects, Chris is a well-respected leader in the industry.

As a member of PIA Qld’s Plan Tech working group, Chris has a strong interest in how technology and data can shape better cities. From digital twins to AI a...

My guest today is Adam Beck, General Manager of Business & Market Development at Hub Group and Co-Founder of TEMPO Institute.

About two weeks ago, the American Planning Association released its fourth Trend Report for Planners, featuring over 100 trends shaping urban planning. You can access the report here 2025-Trend-Report-for-Planners-Screen-Reader-Version-r1.pdf

As a trend-scout for this report, Adam shares key insights, su...

In this episode, I sit down with Leisa Prowse, a highly regarded engagement specialist. Leisa is qualified in both planning and communications, and has extensive experience helping planners and developers to secure 'social license to operate' for planning and development projects. More about Leisa here About Us - Leisa Prowse Consulting

We chat about:

- what is social license?

- why is it important and how to go about it?

- we chat...

In this episode, I chat with Julia Miller-Randle, Director of Social Strategy and Engagement at Cred Consulting. 

We chat about the importance of social and community infrastructure.

What is it? Why its important? How its changing? The biggest challenges in funding and delivery of social infrastructure? And some tips and tricks for others interested in championing social infrastructure. 

In the planning news segment, I cover:

1. ...

Paul Burton is an Emeritus Professor at Griffith University. Paul was the inaugural Director of the Cities Research Institute at Griffith University, a multi-disciplinary research centre focused on advancing studies and knowledge of cities. Paul is also a member of PIA Qld’s Division Committee and chairs the Education Sub-Committee.

Paul and I chat about:

1. the current landscape of planning education in Australia
2. key challenges ...

A conversation with Ross Elliott and Guy Gibson from Suburban Futures who co-edited the book "The Next Australian City". This book recently was awarded Overall Winner of the PIA Awards for Planning Excellence in Queensland. 

This interview covers details about the book, what inspired it, who authored the chapters, and how it doesn't shy away from the debates in suburban development. 

THE NEXT AUSTRALIAN CITY : THE SUBURBAN EVOL...

This is the final ep for 2022.

Thank you for tuning into this podcast - whether you listen to each episode or whether you have only listened to 1 episode - it really is appreciated! 

In this episode, I recap my top 5 topics for planning in Queensland:

1. Climate Change

2. Designing with Country

3. Housing crisis

4. Census 2021

5. Olympics 2032

I mention in the episode that I will link the Olympics 2032 Hopes and Dreams Survey - her...

Kerry Doss has established a strong reputation as an experienced urban planner and leader during his career. Kerry has in excess of 33 years’ experience in planning & urban development in QLD & NSW.

Prior to establishing his own consultancy firm, he was the Qld State Planner for 5 years, heading up the Planning group within the Queensland Government. 

Prior to this role, Kerry headed up Brisbane City Council’s City Planning & Econo...

Adam is a smart city guru and urbanist who has worked for private sector consultancies and leading global non-government organisations to advance sustainable community outcomes for over 25 years. Adam is the Head of Digital Urbanism at Ene.Hub. He leads the company's efforts to continually consider what's next for connecting, activating and measuring urban life.   Adam was previously the Executive Director with the Smart Cities Cou...

Rachel is a PhD candidate at the University of Queensland. Her research interests include how cities adapt their urban form to changing conditions such as rapid population growth or decline, natural disasters, de-industrialisation and climate change; using GIS to track changes to urban layouts over time, including city blocks, streets and property parcels and how urban policy influences (or fails to influence) desired settlement pa...

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 y...

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 De...