Urban Broadcast Collective Urban Broadcast Collective

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 party force in the housing / planning policy - public awareness space.
In Podcast Extra / Culture Corner, Jonathan Nolan recommends a website he has created (https://citydensity.com) which looks at the population density of major cities in relation to distance from the CBD.
Jonathan O’Brien recommends ‘Arbitary Lines: How Zoning Broke the American City and how to fix it’ by M Nolan Gray (https://islandpress.org/books/arbitrary-lines#desc)
He also recommends ‘The Boat’ by Nam Le (https://www.sbs.com.au/theboat/) and https://www.penguin.com.au/books/the-boat-9780143009610
Jess recommends a book ‘What happened to Nina’ by Dervla McTiernan (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/171793386-what-happened-to-nina) and a podcast ‘The Imperfect’ (https://theresilienceproject.com.au/at-home/podcasts/).
Pete recommends ‘Climate - the movie (the cold truth)’ at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A24fWmNA6lM and the Radio Taiso (also spelt Rajio Taiso which translates to ‘radio exercises’) morning exercise program released by NHK - see YouTube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I6ZRH9Mraqw
Audio produced by Jack Bavage. Podcast released 24 June 2024.

PlanningxChange is proud to be a member of the Urban Broadcast Collective.

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 film studios but also ‘the intrically designed new urbanist community of the The Town @ Trilth’. Rob reports that many visitors are excited and drawn to the new urbanism built form and layout.

An engaging interview with a professional dedicated to creating better town life experiences. 

In Podcast Extra / Culture Corner Rob recommends ‘Suburban Nation - The Rise of Sprawl and the Decline of the American Dream’ by Andres Duany, Elizabeth Plater-Zyberk and Jeff Speck https://us.macmillan.com/books/9781429932110/suburbannation and ‘Walkable City - How Downtown Can Save America, One Step at a Time’ by Jeff Speck https://us.macmillan.com/books/9781429932110/suburbannation
Rob also describes the value of travel and taking in new experiences that can lead to better solutions 'at home'.

Jess recommends ‘Foul Play’ by Fiona McIntosh https://www.penguin.com.au/books/foul-play-9781761048012.

Pete recommends ‘I Robot’ by Isaac Asimov https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/I,_Robot.

Audio produced by Jack Bavage. Podcast released 31 May 2024. PlanningxChange is proud to be part of the Urban Broadcasting Collective.

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 Extra / Culture Corner Stephen recommends the British comedy (satirical) program ‘The Thick of It’ (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Thick_of_It). Jess recommends Canva a graphic design software program. Pete has two recommendations. the movie ‘Godzilla Minus One’ (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt23289160/) and the second, a British comedy program from the 1980’s ‘The Young Ones’ (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0083505/) that could never be made these days.

PlanningxChange is proud to be a member of the Urban Broadcast Collective. Audio produced by Jack Bavage. Podcast released 2 May 2024.

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 to do the work to create that for ourselves. Liz is also a public policy expert with nearly 20 years’ experience in urban planning, government advisory, strategy and policy development across a range of consulting and State and Local government roles.

In Podcast Extra / Culture Corner Liz recommends The Geography of Bliss by Eric Weiner
https://ericweinerbooks.com/books/the-geography-of-bliss/

Jess recommends Oppenheimer the movie (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oppenheimer_(film))

Pete recommends: Dragon Sakura TV series Netflix https://www.netflix.com/au/title/81488898 and ‘Modern Talking’ hear their song ‘Who will save the world’. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iDIT-R8LYkg&list=RDiDIT-R8LYkg&start_radio=1 or https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FD_UHyaN3dc

Audio produced by Jack Bavage. Podcast released 9 April 2024. PX is proud to be a member of the UBC.

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 recommends: ‘Wholesome by Sarah’, recipes and a new cookbook coming https://www.wholesomebysarah.com.au

and Pete recommends local history books including ‘The Enigma of Snake Island’ by Rob Ganly https://images.app.goo.gl/HnmAvU3VcHZPgFEGA

PlanningxChange is proud to be a member of the Urban Broadcast Collective. Audio production by Jack Bavage. Podcast released 21 March 2024.

Episode PX113 of PlanningxChange 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 (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 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 industry depends on these changes along with a network of Skyportz sites from which air taxis will operate. These are known as ‘vertiports’.

We note some AAM's aircraft might have alternative power sources or run as hybrids.

Skyportz has over 600 property partner sites in Australia and New Zealand which are ready to activate when regulations permit.

A terrific interview subject with a great passion for new business concepts, cities and aviation.

In podcast extra / culture corner, Clem recommends the great outdoors and getting away form technology (for a little bit). Jess recommends: Duolingo ‘Learning Italian’: www.duolingo.comthe

Pete recommends: ‘A Rebel from the start - Setting the record straight’ by Avi Yemini www.amazon.com.au/Rebel-Start-Sett…ht/dp/B0C91KG18N

PlanningxChange is proud to be a member of the Urban Broadcast Collective.

Audio production by Jack Bavage. Podcast released 1 March 2024.