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The Grimshaw Podcast is focussed on the City – and those who shape our cities. The podcast presents engaging and insightful interviews with architects, city planners, developers, strategists and change-makers. These conversations take place between international guests and your host, Tim Williams, Grimshaw’s Cities Group Lead. Organised into series which reflect a specific overarching topic or theme, the podcasts examine how are cities are evolving, how they have dealt with unprecedented recent growth and how they will adapt to change and regenerate for a better future. The complexities and issues facing our cities have never been so topical and the podcast showcases ideas, experiences and strategies for a contemporary world. Series 1, the inaugural Cities Series features such diverse voices as New York’s urban innovator, Jonathan Rose; Sue Lloyd Hurwitz from Mirvac, one of Australia’s biggest and best developers; Dan Labbad of The Crown Estate; the Hon. Rob Stokes, Minister for Planning in NSW Australia in the Berejiklian Government; Wei Yan, President of the Royal Town Planning Institute; Greg Clark of HSBC; Deputy Lord Mayor of Sydney Jess Scully; Lisa Havilah, CEO of the Museum of Applied Arts and Sciences, The Powerhouse; Lance Jay Brown from the Consortium for Sustainable Urbanization, NY and Selina Mason of Lendlease, London. An impressive and balanced list. Series 2 presents Culture & The City: culture both high and low and culture as a catalyst for renewal. Some of the featured conversations are with Melih Fereli of Istanbul’s Arter; Tim Jones of the City of London, Cultural Mile and Sara Hamka who founded and directs a wildly popular poetry slam in Western Sydney. Other voices will join this group of thinkers and doers as the series rolls out here. About your host Tim Williams, prior to joining Grimshaw, was formerly Head of Cities for Arup. Between 2011 and 2017 he was CEO of the Committee for Sydney, Australia’s leading urban policy thinktank and capital city business advocacy group. Prior to coming to Australia in 2010 Tim had been special adviser on urban policy and planning to five consecutive UK Ministers and helped to create the Homes and Communities Agency, now Homes England. He advised Lendlease on the London Olympic Village. He is an independent advisor for both Cardiff and Canberra, on the future of their cities. He leads Grimshaw's Cities Group providing advice and strategic urban directions for global cities. About Grimshaw Grimshaw was founded by Sir Nicholas Grimshaw in 1980 and today operates with studios in Los Angeles, New York, London, Paris, Dubai, Sydney and Melbourne employing over 650 staff. Grimshaw's international portfolio covers all major sectors and has been honoured with over 200 international design awards. The company's work is characterised by strong conceptual legibility, innovation and a rigorous approach to detailing, all underpinned by the principles of humane, enduring and sustainable design. The practice is dedicated to the deepest level of involvement in the design of its buildings in order to deliver projects which meet the highest possible standards of excellence. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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Check latest episodes from THE GRIMSHAW PODCAST podcast

PLANNING A GLOBAL CITY

2026/10/14

There are few bigger roles in the urbanist universe than planning the future of Greater London. Jules Pipe has that role, as deputy-mayor in Mayor Sadiq Khan's administration. Jules talks with Tim Williams and London-based Grimshaw Partner Declan McCafferty at a critical moment having just issued the new draft London Plan for consultation. How do you plan for a global city, or indeed any significant city? Listen in! This is a useful and engaging conversation in which Mr Pipe talks also about transforming Hackney when he was leader of this major London council and about the role councils played in delivering a community legacy from the 2012 Olympics. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

TO LEAD IS TO COLLABORATE: A CITY'S SUCCESS

2026/09/29

A specific focus of Jess Miller's work has been to transform what she calls the City’s “lazy spaces” into places of collaboration and gathering by introducing reforms to turn unused property into affordable housing and retail, and new spaces for the creative industries, by night or day. A former TEDxSydney curator and board member, Jess reminds us, in whatever city in the world this podcast is being listened to, in that exuberant and inclusive articulacy that she is known for, how important to city-shaping elected community leaders can be. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

RETROFITTING SUBURBS, TRANSFORMING CITIES

2026/09/08

Ellen's work has centered on what happens when aging infrastructure, from shopping malls to office parks, no longer serves the communities around them. As co-author of Retrofitting Suburbia, she helped define a movement and a moment. The book documented how underperforming, car-dominated spaces could be reimagined into walkable, resilient, and socially connected environments. Over time, her research expanded into a growing database of more than 2,500 retrofit projects. These case studies explored how design can address public health, climate resilience, economic development, and equity, all through the lens of reuse rather than expansion. Her work, now seen as central to strategies for the sustainable reinvention of our cities, has made her one of the most influential international urbanists Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

PROMOTING A GLOBAL CITY

2026/08/24

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. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

REPAIRING FRAGILE NEIGHBOURHOODS

2026/08/06

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. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

URBAN INFRASTRUCTURE: TRANSFORMING PERFORMANCE

2026/07/21

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. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

PROTECTING RENTERS AND TENANTS: A GLOBAL DISCOURSE

2026/07/03

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. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

THERE GOES THE NEIGHBOURHOOD: CHALLENGE AND RENEWAL

2026/06/09

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. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

GIMME SHELTER: THE HOUSING HIJACK

2026/05/06

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. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

THE CITY AND AI

2026/04/08

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. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

DOWNTOWN RENEWAL - SAN FRANCISCO

2026/03/13

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. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

REBEL URBANIST

2026/01/29

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. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

HOUSING: PLACE MATTERS

2025/12/19

The international drive to increase housing supply is an opportunity to improve existing communities but also to design and deliver new high-amenity, higher density, low carbon, mixed use settlements. In this episode Tim Williams talks with Sara Waller – title, of Sovereign Network Group/SNG and Kirsten Lees, architect, masterplanner and Managing Partner, Paris for Grimshaw, about meeting this dual challenge. Though, much of the discussion focusses on the UK, where the government is targeting 1.5 million new homes over the next 5 years, many of them in next-generation New Towns, the discussion will be of interest to all those working internationally to make better, more sustainable and inclusive places. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

BETTER HOMES, THRIVING COMMUNITIES

2025/12/04

In the first of two episodes on social and affordable housing , Tim Williams sits down with Mark Washer the CEO of Sovereign Network Group/SNG, one of the biggest providers in the UK, with an asset base of 85,000 homes, to talk about managing a massive business with a big social purpose: to provide good, affordable homes that are the foundation for a better life – with the aim of sustaining thriving communities, over generations. Joining them in the conversation is architect and master planner Kirsten Lees, Grimshaw’s Managing Partner in Paris and Sara Waller, SNG’s Head of Place, a role showing the significant emphasis SNG puts on supporting sustainable communities. In episode One we talk about the demands of running a big social housing provider and developer of affordable homes, under a new Government with housing as a priority. A specific focus is the role social housing providers can play in delivering the 1.5 million homes the UK Government wants to see built over the next 5 years, some of them in the exciting New Towns program. Episode two, has Sara and Kirsten further developing the focus on ‘housing in place’ and the need to design and deliver not just great housing but also great communities. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A BIG & CLEVER IDEA: AUSTRALIA’S HIGH SPEED RAIL

2025/10/29

Tim Parker has massive experience of successfully managing big urban infrastructure and development projects. In this episode, he shines a light on his unique insights from an impressive CV and speaks with both passion and clarity about leading his latest large-scale project: the Federal Government’s initiative to build high speed rail initially between Newcastle and Sydney on Australia’s east cost, with the ambition to build further on this link in future. This is a massive transport undertaking, promoting a low-carbon transition from car and air over to rail, and economic and housing development and community opportunity – a project of national, and we think international, significance of interest to listeners from a wide range of professional and policy backgrounds and countries. Big ambitions for a big country: seems about right to us. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.