Hustle & Bustle podcast

In this episode, Nicole sits down with Amy Marsden, Director of Planning at Therefor Group. Amy brings over 20 years of national and international experience in planning and development, with a strong focus on affordable housing, inclusive communities, and meaningful planning outcomes. Together, they explore: The real-world projects Amy is working on and her role in shaping them The challenge of b...

In this episode, I chat with planner, urban thinker and community engagement guru, John O’Callaghan, Director of JOC Consulting. John isn’t your average planner – and that’s exactly why I wanted him on the show. He’s a creative, a connector, and someone who’s built a career around authentic community engagement and transformational city ideas. Today, we’re talking about one of his passions: the ni...

In this episode, I sit down with Michelle Howard, respected urban planner, social researcher, facilitator, and Managing Director of Collaborations. Michelle is known for her inclusive and thoughtful approach to public policy and urban development, and she joins us to discuss what First Nations allyship looks like in planning—and how we can all embrace it. Michelle shares her insights on: Her caree...

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...

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, an...

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 exp...

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 Q...

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 wor...

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...

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...

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 importan...

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...

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: the current landscape of planning educatio...

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...

The Hustle and Bustle podcast returns after a 2 year break!!  Nicole is excited to kick-start season 3 in this episode. She fills you in on the latest happenings. 

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...

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 C...

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 Executiv...

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...

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...

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; L...

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 Developm...

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 - respons...

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...

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 Q...