THE GRIMSHAW PODCAST

Global cities compete for investment. A key part of that competition involves bidding for and winning strategically important business events and conferences which attract market leaders and top talent in their specialist fields to spend time and money in your city. Beyond the immediate financial and employment benefits for local providers of hospitality and a wide range of services and sectors, the reputational gains for cities can also be significant. Long term, strategic investment can flow from such events and if the offer inside the event is reinforced by that outside it, attendees can often decide that this city is where they want personally to be and their enterprise to flourish. Success in business events tells us about the performance of the city itself and how it is seen by global markets. This is why we wanted to speak with someone promoting Australia's global city to the world, Amanda Lampe of BE Sydney.

Urbanist Richard Florida called Seth Kaplan’s book "essential and engaging ". Tim Williams talks about the book with Seth and also his latest initiative. Flourishing Neighborhoods. We learn what makes places ‘fragile’ and what practical steps local community leaders and social entrepreneurs have taken to fix, repair and restore them to health. Find out about some really powerful exemplars and people across the States and beyond who have succeeded in turning their communities around. Of interest and inspiration to anyone seeking to achieve urban transformation, anywhere.

Mark Coates is a recognised leader in infrastructure policy and digital transformation. In his role, Mark, with over three decades of experience in construction and global project delivery, collaborates with governments, policymakers, and industry leaders globally to champion the adoption of cutting-edge digital solutions, driving efficiency and innovation in infrastructure development. In this episode Mark talks about the work of IPA and the influential Transforming Infrastructure Performance (TIP) Summits he oversees, which bring together leaders in business and government across the globe to tackle shared challenges through innovation, sustainability, resilience, and inclusivity in infrastructure.

The housing crisis is an international one, though it can take different forms in different countries. What is shared is the need to protect and promote the interests of renters, tenants and others who may be vulnerable in our various housing systems. Two people doing great work in their own neck of the woods that is also, we believe, of international significance are the two leaders brought together for the first time for this Grimshaw Cities podcast: Richard Blakeway, England's Housing Ombudsman and Trina Jones, Rental Commissioner for New South Wales. It's an engaging but important global dialogue.

People acquire houses but they live in and come from neighbourhoods. In this timely conversation Andrew talks with Grimshaw's Head of Cities, Tim, about the state of British neighbourhoods and the interventions his Commission, chaired by the well-respected former minister Hillary Armstrong, recommends renewing them. Although the Commission has been focussed on neighbourhoods in the UK, the interventions it recommends are relevant well beyond the UK. 

Everyone talks about the housing crisis.Few talk about the systems producing it.In this special edition of the Grimshaw Podcast, Tim Williams sits down with economist Cameron Murray, author of The Great Housing Hijack, to unpack the political, economic, and urban forces reshaping housing in Australia and beyond.Not just a conversation about property.A conversation about how cities work, who they serve, and what happens when housing becomes detached from civic purpose.

AI will transform how we work in the built environment, yet there are still more questions than answers, and many feel unprepared for what comes next. In this episode, Dr Tim Williams speaks with Tom Sanchez, Professor of Landscape Architecture and Urban Planning at Texas A&M University, and author of Artificial Intelligence for Urban Planning. He offers a clear and practical roadmap for urbanists navigating this shift.

City centres everywhere are seeking renewal. In this episode Robbie Silver, President and CEO of Downtown SF Partnership, tells us what’s creating San Francisco’s new momentum at the city’s heart. Joining us in the conversation is Andrew Byrne, Grimshaw’s Managing Partner for our LA studio.

Journalist, author and activist Elizabeth Farrelly, is the best known urbanist in Australia, with an international reputation. The title of her recent best-selling book, Killing Sydney: the Fight for a City’s Soul, speaks eloquently of her concerns but also of her independent spirit and determination to change the direction of the city she loves. A feisty and characterful conversation full of insights not just about Australia’s global city but cities in general and how communities need to be galvanised to ensure they still provide opportunities for all.