Planning Xchange

In this episode of PlanningxChange, Jess Noonan and Peter Jewell are joined by Stefanos Polyzoides, Professor of Architecture and Dean of the School of Architecture at the University of Notre Dame. Stefanos is also one of the founders of the Congress for the New Urbanism and has spent much of his career considering urban design, traditional urbanism, regeneration and the repair of cities. The discussion looks at the challenges facing post-industrial cities that have experienced long-term losses of employment, population and economic purpose. Stefanos discusses the effects of deindustrialisation not only on jobs and wealth, but also on civic institutions, confidence and the physical condition of cities. Drawing particularly on South Bend, Indiana, the conversation considers what may allow declining cities to find a new economic role. Topics include universities and other anchor institutions, political leadership, affordable land and housing, local entrepreneurship, infrastructure and the need for cities to identify assets that distinguish them from other places competing for investment and population. The discussion also considers whether regeneration must necessarily mean renewed population growth. Stefanos suggests that future cities may sometimes need to become smaller and more concentrated, particularly as population decline becomes a wider international issue. This leads to a discussion about walkability, suburban sprawl and whether cities can adapt successfully to a smaller physical and demographic footprint. Peter, Jess and Stefanos also discuss work, craftsmanship and making as sources of both economic and personal identity, including Stefanos's concerns about the decline of traditional building crafts and his scepticism about predictions of a society in which technology removes the need for human work. The conversation then turns to Gary, Indiana, a city created around the steel industry and subsequently affected by technological change, population loss, environmental problems, racial segregation and extensive disinvestment. Stefanos describes regeneration in a place such as Gary as a process rather than a single project, where every intervention matters. Existing social bonds, churches, neighbourhood organisations and community networks are discussed as essential assets. Stefanos reflects on Notre Dame's work in Gary and the importance of first listening to residents rather than arriving with predetermined solutions. The episode concludes with the lessons of twentieth-century urban renewal. Rather than wholesale clearance or the search for a single transformative project, Stefanos argues for a large vision implemented patiently and incrementally, learning from each intervention and building upon the assets that remain. This is the first of two PlanningxChange episodes examining the future of post-industrial cities. In the second, Professor Marianne Cusato of the University of Notre Dame joins Peter and Jess to look much more closely at Gary, Indiana, and the practical work now underway there. Podcast Extra / Culture Corner Stefanos recommends Urbanism as Civic Art: A Handbook of 150 Exemplary German Precedents, edited by Christoph Mäckler in collaboration with Birgit Roth. The book documents examples of urban spaces, courtyards, squares and streets from German cities. Stefanos contributed the introduction. He also recommends ANTA, the journal of the University of Notre Dame School of Architecture. Jess recommends Liane Moriarty's Big Little Truths, the sequel to Big Little Lies. She also recommends running, having recently completed the 10-kilometre event at the Melbourne Marathon and begun training for a half-marathon in Hobart. Peter recommends J. L. Carr's A Month in the Country, the short 1980 novel about a First World War veteran who spends a summer in a Yorkshire village restoring a medieval church painting. Peter reflects on the book's themes of recovery, community, memory and the rhythms of local life. Stefanos picks up on Peter's recommendation with a final reflection on recovery after shock, and on the importance of sometimes disengaging from media, opening our eyes and learning to see the world immediately around us again.

In this episode of PlanningxChange, Jess Noonan and Peter Jewell speak with historian and writer Robyn Annear about cities, memory and the art of noticing. Robyn has written extensively about Melbourne, lost places, everyday life, archival fragments and the small details that open up larger stories. Her recent book Shutter City looks closely at early photographs of Melbourne, but the conversation ranges more widely across her work as a historian and writer. The discussion explores place-based history, the previous lives of cities and towns, and the question that sits behind much of Robyn's work: what was here before? Robyn reflects on how photographs, newspapers, buildings, signs, shopfronts, street furniture and passing figures can reveal the ordinary rhythms of urban life, including work, trade, movement, amusement, language, humour and sociability. The episode also considers whether history has become a niche interest, how historical knowledge can help planners, architects and city managers resist generic "anywhere" urbanism, and how memory can survive even when buildings and places change. Robyn also discusses AI-generated versions of the past, the danger of confident but invented historical narratives, and why human curiosity and judgement remain central to historical understanding. Podcast extra / culture corner Robyn recommends the poetry of John Clare, Jess recommends Pete's children's book Kaizo at Dog Beach (soon to be released on Amazon), and Pete recommends the Korean drama Teach You a Lesson on Netflix. Podcast released 29 July 2026.

In this episode of PlanningxChange, Jess Noonan and Peter Jewell speak with Maree Marshall from Urbis about waste, resource recovery and the city. Maree has worked in the waste and resource recovery sector for more than 25 years, advising councils, government agencies and designers on how waste systems operate in practice. The discussion begins with the ordinary household bin, but moves quickly into the larger planning and infrastructure questions behind waste collection, recycling and recovery. Topics include FOGO, glass recycling, container deposit schemes, textile waste, op shops, apartment buildings, transfer stations, repair spaces, tool libraries, landfill, waste-to-energy and the idea of local circular economy hubs. Maree explains why recycling is not the whole solution, and why better outcomes depend on reducing consumption, separating materials properly, designing buildings and precincts more intelligently, and making reuse and repair easier for communities. The conversation also considers how waste moves through cities, whether Australia relies too heavily on trucks, the role of technology and AI in sorting systems, and the importance of realistic policy that works for households, councils and the built environment. Podcast extra / culture corner includes home repairs, tuckpointing, the op shop challenge and Peter reading Virginia Woolf's Mrs Dalloway. Episode released 1 July 2026.

Living Better for Longer: Blue Zones, Longevity and the Places We Create Guest: Marcus Pearce What do a small Greek island, a mountain village in Sardinia, and a Californian faith-based community have in common? They are among the world's famous Blue Zones - places where people routinely live into their nineties and hundreds, not because of miracle diets or expensive health interventions, but because of the way their communities are structured and how people live their everyday lives. In this episode, Peter Jewell and Jess Noonan speak with Marcus Pearce, longevity educator, host of the 100 Not Outpodcast, and founder of wellbeing experiences to Blue Zone communities. Marcus shares his personal journey from sports journalist to one of Australia's leading voices on healthy ageing and wellbeing. The conversation explores what planners, designers and policymakers can learn from places where longevity is not the exception but the norm. In this episode we discuss: What Blue Zones are and how they were identified The six recognised Blue Zones, including the recent addition of Singapore Marcus's personal transformation from sports media to longevity advocacy Why attitudes towards ageing can significantly influence lifespan The role of social connection, purpose and community in healthy ageing What makes places such as Ikaria (Greece) and Sardinia (Italy) unique The importance of walkability and natural movement in daily life Why loneliness may be one of the greatest public health challenges of our time The relationship between urban design, wellbeing and longevity How modern technology and changing work patterns may be weakening social connections Lessons planners can draw from village-scale living and human-centred environments Whether Blue Zone principles can be applied in contemporary cities Marcus also reflects on the concept of an "ageing mentor" - someone whose approach to life and ageing inspires us to think differently about our own future. Key Takeaway The most powerful lesson from the Blue Zones may be that healthy ageing is less about individual optimisation and more about creating places where connection, movement, purpose and belonging occur naturally. In other words, the environment often shapes healthier behaviours without people consciously trying to pursue them. Guest Marcus Pearce Host of the 100 Not Out podcast and founder of Blue Zone-inspired wellbeing experiences. Marcus has spent more than a decade interviewing centenarians, longevity experts and wellbeing leaders, helping people rethink what it means to live a long and meaningful life. Podcast Extra In Culture Corner: Marcus reflects on David Attenborough's remarkable longevity and asks: Who is your ageing mentor? Jess discusses The Mushroom Tapes by Helen Garner, Sarah Krasnostein and Claire Hooper. Peter talks about rediscovering fountain pens following a recent trip to Japan. Podcast released 29 May 2026.

This episode explores spogomi, the Japanese-born idea that reimagines litter collection as a competitive, team-based sport, transforming one of the least appealing aspects of urban life into something energetic, social, and unexpectedly joyful. We are joined by Masanori (Max) Tamazawa and Kazuhiro (Hiro) Yagasaki of the Spogomi Institute, who trace the evolution of spogomi from a local response to everyday urban waste into a global movement. What began as a way to address litter in Japanese cities has become a structured sport, where teams collect, sort, and score waste within a defined time and place, shifting behaviour from obligation to participation. That shift is powerful. Spogomi reframes public space. The overlooked, the discarded, the "back of house" of the city becomes a site of play, collaboration, and shared purpose. It suggests a different way of engaging with urban environments, where care, competition, and community overlap, and where something unattractive is reshaped into a fun, collective expression. The movement has scaled rapidly. The first Spogomi World Cup in Tokyo in 2023 brought together teams from 21 countries, while the 2025 World Cup expanded to more than 30 countries, reflecting its growing global reach and appeal. How can urban managers and promoters harness this new sport to create better civic places? What lessons can be learnt from the experiences so far. Max and Hiro explain the motivation of its creator, how the sport was created, how it plays out and the expressions it takes on in different cultures. A truly wonderful export from Japan.  There are many videos of the sport on Instragram and YouTube see for example: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SLNooXSOK0I and https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XA3qOiXxsNg. More on spogomi at https://en.nf-spogomiwc.com The spogomi website is currently being updated. When complete we will add. Podcast released 4 May 2026.

In this episode of PlanningxChange, Jess Noonan and Peter Jewell are joined by Jared Jones, founder of Middle Housing Partners (https://middlehousingpartners.com) in California, to explore the growing challenge of delivering housing within established neighbourhoods. The conversation begins with a striking observation: in parts of California, access to home ownership is increasingly shaped by inheritance rather than income. From this starting point, the discussion turns to the question facing many cities - how can housing supply increase when established areas remain largely unchanged? Jared outlines his work delivering what is often described as "middle housing" - small-scale, incremental projects such as duplexes, triplexes and accessory dwellings that sit within existing suburban fabric. These projects, sometimes referred to as "quiet density," offer a way to add housing without large-scale redevelopment, but are not without their challenges. The episode explores the practical realities of this model, including planning controls, approval pathways, infrastructure constraints and the cumulative impact of fees and delays. It also considers the broader implications of housing scarcity, not only in terms of affordability, but for community life, labour mobility and the functioning of cities. Drawing on experience from California, the discussion reflects on what lessons may be relevant across different planning contexts, particularly the role of state-led reform, the balance between local discretion and more consistent, rules-based approaches, and how small-scale housing can be enabled within established neighbourhoods. An interesting discussion with a housing creator who has learnt the gritty way by doing and perseverance. Jared has many insights including a message of respect for those in the assessment role is also most welcome. Episode released on 6 April 2026.

In this episode Jess and Pete talk about whats on their minds and potential future interviews. Episode released 28 February 2026.

Driverless and autonomous vehicles are moving steadily from concept to reality, raising important questions for cities, streets and planning systems. While the technology is often framed as a transport or engineering issue, its impacts are likely to be felt far more broadly — shaping travel behaviour, land use, and the way urban space is organised. In this episode of PlanningxChange, hosts Cam Alderson and Jess Noonan are joined by Cern Basher to explore what autonomous vehicles could mean in practice. The discussion focuses on the economic and systemic forces behind driverless cars, rather than technological hype, and considers how cost, scale and incentives may influence how — and where — autonomy is adopted. The conversation examines potential implications for parking, congestion, public transport and equity, as well as the risk of unintended consequences such as increased travel demand. Rather than assuming a single future outcome, the episode highlights the uncertainty planners must work within as new technologies emerge. This episode also marks PlanningxChange's first video release, alongside the regular audio format, and introduces a new hosting arrangement — continuing the podcast's tradition of practical, practitioner-focused discussion about the forces shaping planning and cities. Podcast released 26 January 2026.

In this episode of PlanningxChange, Jess and Peter speak with Mary Reilly, a planner and educator with deep experience in rural land-use issues. Mary helps us unpack the widely discussed Old Mission case from Michigan - a dispute between wineries and a township over land-use controls that resulted in a major federal damages award (approx $50m US). The discussion does not explore the legal merits or the ongoing appeal; instead, it uses the case to illuminate broader lessons for planners everywhere. Mary reflects on how agricultural areas are changing, how councils manage risk, and how planning systems can better balance rural preservation with economic adaptation. She also draws on her teaching experience to explain how real cases help future planners understand complexity, conflict, and the value of clear decision-making. Five Key Themes We Explore 1. What the Old Mission case reveals about zoning and regulation Mary outlines how restrictive controls can create tension when agricultural enterprises diversify into tastings, events, weddings and food service — activities that increasingly blur the line between "farm" and "commercial." 2. Balancing preservation with economic survival Many farms depend on supplementary income. Mary discusses how planners can support this economic reality while still protecting landscape character, amenity and long-standing rural values. 3. Managing risk for councils and planners A large damages award raises questions about insurance coverage and liability. Mary talks about how planners can help councils navigate uncertainty through clearer drafting, transparent process and sound policy grounding. 4. The unique pressures on small rural municipalities Old Mission, like many small townships, has limited planning resources. Mary explores how smaller councils can respond to complex disputes and why early community engagement can prevent escalation. 5. Lessons for planning education and practice Drawing on her academic work, Mary explains how real planning conflicts — like Old Mission — help students and practitioners think critically about regulation, equity, and the evolving expectations placed on rural land. Podcast Extra / Culture Corner Mary recommends Zoned in the USA by Sonia Hirt (https://www.cornellpress.cornell.edu/book/9780801479878/zoned-in-the-usa/#bookTabs=1) and 'Paris Tea'. Jess recommends going off-line and embracing being bored. Pete recommends furniture beeswax (https://gillysaustralia.com.au) and maintaining the things around you. Episode released 27 November 2025.

In this episode, PlanningxChange travels to Vietnam to speak with Olivier Souquet, French architect and co-founder of DE-SO Asia, a Saigon (Ho Chi Minh City)-based design studio renowned for projects that weave together climate, culture, and poetic sensibility. Since establishing DE-SO Asia in 2016, Olivier has guided a diverse body of work across Vietnam—from rural schools and urban housing to major civic and cultural landmarks, including the new City Planning Exhibition Center in Ho Chi Minh City. His practice embraces both rigorous environmental awareness and a deep respect for local materials, geometry, geography, and traditions. Olivier discusses his architectural philosophy—shaped by influences such as Édouard Glissant's call to "act in your place, think with the world"—and the realities of designing in Vietnam's tropical context, where rain, heat, and humidity shape the rhythm of daily work. He reflects on building responsibly in a time of ecological change, how poetic gestures sustain creativity, and why uncertainty ("Au Vietnam, rien n'est jamais sûr") is part of the country's charm and challenge. This is a conversation about architecture as adaptation, empathy, and imagination—rooted in place yet globally aware. Key Topics Origins and philosophy of DE-SO Asia Practicing architecture across French and Vietnamese cultures The Family Garden studio: daily rituals, nature, and community Designing the Ho Chi Minh City Planning Exhibition Center Balancing civic responsibility with poetic intent Advice for young architects and reflections on Vietnam's creative energy About DE-SO Asia Founded in 2016 by Olivier Souquet, DE-SO Asia is a Vietnamese architectural and planning firm working at all scales—from regional masterplans to public buildings and landscapes. The firm collaborates with public authorities, private investors, and international partners, and is recognised for its environmentally conscious, site-responsive designs grounded in local knowledge and craftsmanship. 🌐 de-so.asia Culture Corner/Podcast Extra Olivier recommends the 1961 French classic film 'Last Year at Marienbad' directed by Alain Resnais (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Last_Year_at_Marienbad) and the works of Ridley Scott in particular Blade Runner and Inception; and the music of Hans Zimmer www.Hans-zimmer.com. Jess talks of returning to play the violin; Pete talks of a 4000km return road trip travelling through rural Australia and the delights of the countryside, small towns and farming districts. Episode released 5 November 2025.