Alexa is a housing policy researcher at the Australian Housing and Urban Research Institute (AHURI). An architect by background, she is passionate about expanding architecture beyond traditional bespoke practice and integrating policy and design thinking to have strategic, large-scale impact on housing and urban issues. Alexa completed her PhD at RMIT University on the functions and limitations of high-density housing regulations and the functions and limitations of planning tools to improve design quality in policy and in practice. Her latest research at Monash investigated the opportunities and barriers for the digital transformation of planning to improve urban and housing outcomes.

Andrej is an architect, with extensive public-focused project experience, and co-founder of LIAN, a Melbourne based architecture practice exploring responses to Australia's necessary urban transitions – primarily in housing. LIAN was founded with Lisa Garner in 2020 following success in the State Government’s Future Homes Competition, and subsequent implementation. They are currently engaged in the delivery of projects for Nightingale Housing and Homes Victoria. Alongside practice Andrej also engages in design research, running studios exploring housing with students at Monash University.

Andrew is an Associate Urban Planner at Tract Consultants. He maintains a strong interest in the intersection between culture and the urban environment and draws inspiration from the possibilities presented by under-utilised and overlooked spaces. Through practice Andrew specialises in the planning and delivery of medium-density development with an emphasis on exceptional design, sustainability and amenity outcomes.

Anna is a library social worker at the City of Melbourne and has previously worked in the housing and homelessness sector at Launch Housing. She has a Masters of Urban Planning and a Masters of Social Work from Melbourne University. This education and experience has given Anna an appreciation of how social justice issues manifest spatially and she views her current role as a way to further integrate human rights principles into a public setting and to find ways of making cities more inclusive of people experiencing social issues.

Dr Annette Kroen is a Research Fellow in the Centre for Urban Research. Annette is an urban and regional planner and her research explores suburban growth areas, integrated land use and transport planning, community engagement, and urban resilience

Bryan is an environmental geographer and Associate Professor in the University of Western Australia (UWA) School of Agriculture and Environment. He has expertise in the application of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and Remote Sensing (RS) technologies to a range of environment management issues. Over the past decade Bryan's research collaborations have expanded to include physical activity and health outcomes, sustainable livelihoods, renewable energy and agricultural production.

Camilo is a Research Associate with the Department of Geography, Geomatics, and Environment at the University of Toronto in Canada. His work relates to the social and ecological aspects of urban ecosystems and how people and nature influence each other, with a focus on urban forests and trees. Camilo's research focuses on urban forest management, community views of urban forests, climate change adaptation and urban forests, urban development and urban trees, urban forest governance, and engineered technologies to grow better urban trees. Originally from Cali, Colombia, Camilo has worked in North America, Europe, Latin America, and Australia.

Carl is Foundation Professor and Director of Urban Planning & Design at Monash University. His key research focus has been on the urban development impacts of the cultural industries and the ways that arts and cultural planning efforts shape development outcomes. This work has evolved to focus more specifically on urban manufacturing economies and how zoning and other planning mechanisms shape industry development, interaction, and change. Carl leads the Australian Research Council project 'Urban policy and the changing dynamics of cultural production' which aims to identify new directions for urban cultural policy.

Carlos is a senior urban designer at Hodyl & Co and a committee member of the Urban Design Forum Australia. With a background in architecture, he is passionate about elevating public interest and environmental living quality as a driver of design excellence. Carlos completed a Master's in Urban Planning at the University of Melbourne and an MSc in City Design and Social Science at the London School of Economics, focusing on equity and community engagement in design. With international experience, his recent work in Australia has investigated design excellence in planning systems, community infrastructure, and creative and advanced manufacturing precincts.

Catherine is a Lecturer in the School of Architecture, Design and Planning at the University of Sydney. An urban planner by background, she is passionate about utilising the planning system to deliver more equitable housing opportunities across cities. Her research focuses on housing affordability, planning reform, and the design and outcomes of inclusionary planning policies. She has led and collaborated on research for the Australian Housing and Urban Research Institute (AHURI), the NSW Department of Planning, and the NSW Community Housing Industry Association (CHIA) and has worked with local governments across the UK on developing their affordable housing policies.

Chris is a Vice-Chancellor's Research Fellow in the Centre for Urban Research at RMIT University. He conducts research in the area of transport and land use planning, with a focus on understanding the transport impacts of new residential development. Prior to joining RMIT University, Chris was a Research Fellow and Deputy Director in the Public Transport Research Group at Monash University. He also worked in transport planning for 12 years, both with the Victorian government and in consulting. Chris’ wider research interests span the areas of travel demand management, public transport and land use planning.

Christian (Andi) Nygaard is an Associate Professor at the Centre for Urban Transitions at Swinburne University. He is a social economist and Research Theme Leader for New Ways of Urban Living. Andi is currently leading research projects funded by the Australian Housing and Urban Research Institute and the Community Housing Industry Association in Australia.

Claire is a landscape architect and Associate Director of OCULUS’ Melbourne studio where she has led the successful delivery of a range of education, health, cultural, infrastructure and public landscape projects. Claire is passionate about design advocacy, education and communication and is a Fellow and National President of the Australian Institute of Landscape Architects. OCULUS has commenced a collaboration with PLACE Laboratory, Communication Link and Place Inhabit, on the development of Gender-Sensitive Urban Design Guidelines and an Implementation Toolkit for the ACT Government

Daniel is a freelance environmental planner and designer based in Perth, Australia. He teaches and researches in architecture and landscape architecture at the University of Western Australia School of Design. His work explores ways of mapping and designing with our water systems and ecosystems with expertise across geospatial analysis, sustainability and urban design. A passion for environmental communication drives Daniels' work - sharing, translating, and advocating. www.danieljanmartin.com

Dave is a Senior Lecturer in environmental management in the School of Geography, Planning and Spatial Sciences at the University of Tasmania. He researches and teaches about the reciprocal effects of people on nature (mostly plants, but increasingly wildlife) in cities and beyond, the drivers and effects of environmental management in urban green space and conservation contexts, and outcomes including health and wellbeing, biodiversity and ecosystem services. Dave is currently lead Knowledge Broker in the Sustainable Communities and Waste hub of the National Environmental Science Program (NESP2). He has previously worked as a postdoctoral ecologist at the Australian Research Centre for Urban Ecology and in 2016 was appointed as a Research Fellow in Urban Greening at the School of Ecosystem and Forest Science at the University of Melbourne.

Declan is a Postdoctoral Research Fellow with Urban Planning and Design at Monash University. His research investigates the impact of urban development and policy on rent-sensitive industries, with a focus on cultural production, urban manufacturing and industrial gentrification. His work can be found in leading urban studies journals, including International Journal of Urban and Regional Research, Urban Geography and Journal of Urban Affairs. Throughout his research Declan has aimed to contribute knowledge and evidence toward a more diverse and equitable city.

Emanuela is a researcher and a public policy professional. She is currently undertaking a PhD at UTS which explores how authorising environments and organisational capacity influence participatory practices. She is also a Director of The Public Value Studio, an organisation committed to supporting and building civic participation. Emanuela's practice is centred on community-led, or citizen-informed, policy and action and a deep belief that the tacit knowledge and expertise communities bring to resolving issues is fundamental in bringing about the change that we want to see in our cities, and society more broadly.

Emma is Professor of Housing Research, Deputy Director, NHMRC Centre of Research Excellence in Healthy Housing, Head Housing and Healthy Cities Research Group at The University of Adelaide.

Emma is a co-founder and director of property advisory and project management business at Resin Property. She is passionate about creating spaces that enhance the lives of those that occupy them. Emma is particularly interested in the emerging role of environmental social and governance initiatives and impact investment in property.

Farahnaz is a PhD scholar in the Centre for Urban Transitions at Swinburne University of Technology. Farah’s experience as an urban planner is the foundation of her research in urban analytics. In her research, she develops new models of urban accessibility, analyses socio-economic inequalities, and provides recommendations for driving just urban governance.

Hazel is Scientia Associate Professor at the City Futures Research Centre at UNSW Sydney. She has qualifications in sociology and geography and has been researching in urban studies and housing for 17 years. Her current research focuses on the development, management, governance and planning implications of apartment buildings and estates and the lived experiences of their residents. She is a leading researcher in this field, and is regularly consulted by industry, government and peak body organisations in Australia and internationally. Underpinning her research is a deep concern with how to enable people to feel at home in the places where they live.

Holly is a member of the Interdisciplinary Conservation Science Group at RMIT University. She specialises in understanding how animals move around their environments. As an expert in ecology and spatial modelling, Holly has been using this knowledge to plan cities that support and enhance urban biodiversity. Most recently Holly has been developing a tool for quantifying urban ecological connectivity and working with several development projects, including the renewal of Fishermans Bend (Melbourne). Holly is also a member of the Clean Air and Urban Landscapes NESP Hub and is passionate about translating scientific theory into positive on-ground action for people and nature.

Hyungmo has a M.D.S from the Department of Architecture at Hanyang University in South Korea. He is currently a PhD candidate and research assistant at the City Futures Research Centre, UNSW Sydney. He has over 12 years experience as an architect working on national and international projects in South Korea and has worked as a senior researcher at Korea Institute of Registered Architects. Hyungmo’s key research interest is the relationship between housing design and human experience, with a particular focus on designing apartments that balance the needs of families with children, and developers.

Iris is an architect, urban planner and researcher. She has a passion for working with diverse communities and understanding the effects of migration on the built environment. She is interested in housing, social planning, migration and social diversity in cities. Iris is Senior Research Fellow at the Centre for Urban Transitions where she is leading the Migration and Urban Diversity (MAUD) stream.

James Mant is Director of Places and Precincts at DELWP. James is a passionate urbanist and is responsible for the 202 PIA award winning 20-minute neighbourhood policy and program and the Future Homes program for the Victorian Government. James advocates for walkable, healthy compact places, great design, place based planning and working in partnership with communities.

Joanna Tidy is a graduate of architecture and researcher at The University of Melbourne. She specialises in strategic design and research across a range of projects with a focus on how contextual aspects - social, economic, cultural, political, and ecological forces - influence the built environment and shape the stories of the people who inhabit its places. Joanna’s recent presentations include the ISOCARP World Planning Congress and the Australia-Asia Dialogue for Urban Innovation.

Kaia McCarty-Smith has had a connection to construction since the age of 5, assisting the renovation of his family home in Upwey, ripping down plaster walls and replacing them with mudbricks. This memory inspired Kaia to pick up the tools in his late teens and through his journey from labourer to carpenter to site manager to contract admin, he observed the cultural dynamics and environmental problems that beset the construction industry. While initially critical of what he observed, he wondered whether it was possible to do better and if the construction industry could change. Kaia voiced these thoughts to builders John Raisin and Joseph Moon, and together they formed Wilderness Building Co, to explore what a modern, progressive and environmentally conscious building company could be.

Katrina is a housing scholar with a passion for cross-sectoral partnerships for housing delivery. She has held two Post-Doctoral Research Fellowships at the University of Melbourne, focusing on research, advocacy, teaching and capacity-building for affordable and social housing. In 2021 Katrina joined Umwelt Consultants, working to understand and address the social challenges and opportunities associated with Australia’s renewable energy transition. She is passionate about social justice, housing equity, foregrounding the experiences of people with lived experience of housing insecurity and the policy, finance and design levers capable of making the world a more equitable place.

Kim is Professor of Architecture and Urban Design and Director of InfUr- (Informal Urbanism Research Hub) at the University of Melbourne, where he leads research projects on urban morphology and informal settlements. Authored books include Framing Places, Becoming Places, and Urban Design Thinking.

Kirsten is a Professor of Urban Ecology in the School of Ecosystem and Forest Sciences at the University of Melbourne, and the Leader of the NESP Hub for Clean Air and Urban Landscapes (CAUL). This multi-disciplinary consortium engages with policy and practice across air quality, urban planning, liveability, urban greening and biodiversity, through practical research to make cities better places for people and nature. Kirsten has a deep affinity with frogs and research interests that span urban ecology, conservation biology, animal behaviour, field survey methods and ecological ethics.

Kylie is a conservation biologist at The University of Melbourne within the School of Ecosystem and Forest Sciences. She leads the CAUL Hub’s Shared Urban Habitat Project through the National Environmental Science Program where she works with industry and government to develop a strong evidence base for urban conservation. Whether it’s helping city councils plan corridors that move animals safely through cities, or working with architects to build designer houses for one of Australia’s largest owls, Kylie is always looking for new ways to help nature thrive in urban environments.

Leanne Mitchell is an Australian government worker, writer and anthropologist, convinced that we can all do better to make the world a fairer place. Her work and study over the last two decades - in government, the UN and the not-for-profit sector - has focused on a diversity of homelessness experiences. Leanne is currently (2022) undertaking a Churchill Fellowship to investigate how Councils can respond to rough sleeping. Through international research she aims to develop guidelines that can be put to practical use in Australia.

Dr Lisa Stafford is an applied researcher, educator and planner in inclusive communities and cities, with 20 years’ experience across academia and professional practice as well as lived knowledge as a disabled woman. Lisa’s work focuses on promoting equity in neighbourhood planning, inclusive active and public transport, and universal design streets, open space & public infrastructure. Lisa designs and uses inclusive creative methods to enable all voices to be heard in research and public planning. Currently, Lisa is ARC DECRA Senior Research Fellow, University of Tasmania, a member of Planning Institute of Australia (MPIA), Transport Australia Society, and Disability Leadership Institute. Lisa is also an Includeability Ambassador for Australian Human Rights Commission.

Dr. Liz Taylor is a Senior Lecturer in Urban Planning and Design at Monash University. Often using spatial and historical perspectives, her research develops understanding of long-term urban change and the role of policy settings in it. Her research interests include car parking policies, liquor licensing history, Australia’s new city projects, affordable housing, and industrial land.

Louise Dorignon is a Research Fellow in the Centre for Urban Research, School of Global Urban and Social Studies at RMIT University. Her research investigates high-rise housing, apartment liveability/affordability and the politics of verticality in westernised cities. She is particularly interested in the emotional experience of ‘home’ and in the social relations that shape everyday life in urban housing. She is currently researching low-carbon construction models in Australia and Europe for the provision of more affordable, durable and liveable apartments.

Lucy Lyon currently works and studies in the community housing sector and is primarily interested in how to deliver housing through retrofit strategies at scale. She currently works and lives on the lands of the Wurundjeri Woi-wurrung people of the Kulin and is driven by caring for Country and integrating sustainable design principles in all changes to the built environment. She currently has a background working for local government and the not-for-profit sector providing design, planning and strategic work for a variety of projects.

Lyrian is a Research Fellow, Housing and Healthy Cities Research group, School of Architecture and Built Environment at The University of Adelaide.

Magda is an architect, scholar and educator focusing on autism and inclusive design. She is currently an Associate Professor of Design at the American University in Cairo and a practicing architect at her practice, Progressive Architects. She specializes in autism inclusive design and is the author of the Autism ASPECTSS Design Guidelines, the world’s first research-based design framework for autism worldwide. Magda is also a co-director of the New York based MIXDesign Neurodiverse Studio.

Marco is an environmental scientist and urban planner. His work focuses on the mapping and values associated with urban forests and trees. He is passionate about how to develop biologically-relevant indicators for urban life that make cities a pivot in resolving the challenges of the Anthropocene. He has completed numerous funded projects on the urban forest and is the editor of three books and the author of a forthcoming publication: The City and the Superorganism (2021, Palgrave).

Maria is a Serra Húnter Fellow at the University of Barcelona. She holds a PhD in Geography and her research focuses on the study of social inequalities from an intersectional, spatial and emotional perspective applied to issues such as the right to the city, gender-based violence or LGBTI-phobia.

Matt Novacevski is focused on (re)connecting planning, people and design with place. A second-generation settler of mixed continental European descent, he is completing a PhD thesis at the University of Melbourne on a post-colonial approach to evaluating placemaking interventions. He has also worked across local government, state government and the private sector in various planning and engagement roles that have increasingly focused on revealing and fostering the life-affirming attributes of place.

Meg is a writer, social researcher and cultural geographer who has worked as Deputy Editor at the Big Issue. Meg is the editor of We Are Here: Stories of Place and Belonging, a world-first collection of stories and poems by people who have experienced homelessness.

Melanie is an Associate Professor and Director of the Australian Urban Observatory (auo.org.au) at RMIT University's Centre for Urban Research. She has expertise in liveability and the cross disciplines of applied public health and urban planning, using qualitative, quantitative and spatial research methods and translation of this research knowledge into policy and planning practice.

Merrick is a PhD Candidate at the Faculty of Architecture, Building and Planning at the University of Melbourne. His research, supported by a partnership between the City of Melbourne and the Melbourne Sustainable Society Institute, explores how social cohesion and community resilience is mediated by different housing models. His Masters thesis examined compact city policy and urban densities in Metropolitan Melbourne and 20-Minute Neighbourhoods.

Dr Michael Trudgeon is a founding design director at Crowd Productions, a Melbourne based design studio, incorporated in 1983. His practice focus is on designing strategies to prototype new spatial solutions and user programs for commercial architecture projects and sustainable product service systems. The practice has completed numerous significant built projects including national roll-outs of cinema complexes, financial services networks and major exhibition installations. Michael is a professor of design in the School of Design at RMIT University and co-ordinator of the Master of Design Innovation and Technology Major Project program, the final design studio program. He has he taught into the Masters of Architecture design program in Melbourne and overseas. He has taught masters and undergraduate students in architecture, interior design and industrial design since 1985 at RMIT, the University of Melbourne and Monash University.

Millie is an experienced designer and architect, having completed a Bachelor of Design (Hon.) and a Masters of Architecture at RMIT University. She is the co-founder and co-Director of These Are The Projects We Do Together, an organisation focused on temporary projects, experiments and installations that utilise lighting and projection as integral parts of design outcomes.

A practicing architect at Hayball and the founder of Cities for Play, Natalia Krysiak specialises in the design of child-oriented environments. Her area of research focuses on child-friendly cities and how the built environment can contribute to the health and wellbeing of children. In 2019 Natalia was awarded a Churchill Fellowship exploring best practice for designing child-friendly, high density neighbourhoods in Singapore, Hong Kong, Japan, Canada and the UK. Her research investigates design interventions and policies that focus on neighbourhood liveability for children and parents in urban environments. Based on her research surrounding child-friendly cities, Natalia has founded Cities for Play which aims to inspire and promote strategies for playful environments.

Nicola is a Lecturer in the Sustainability Building Innovation Lab, School of Property, Construction and Project Management at RMIT University.

Nicole is a Professor in the School of Architecture, Design and Planning at the University of Sydney. An urban planner and policy analyst, her research focuses on comparative urban planning systems and approaches to housing and ecological sustainability. She has led research projects on aspects of urban policy and housing funded by the Australian Research Council (ARC), the Australian Urban and Housing Research Institute (AHURI), as well as state and local government. Prior to joining the University of Sydney, Nicole practiced as a planner in several state government roles, concerning local environmental plan making, environmental management, and housing policy.

Paul is an urban planner with Tract Consultants who maintains a longstanding involvement with Melbourne’s nightlife community. He holds a Masters of Urban Planning from Melbourne University where his research focused on the governance of night-time creative economies, including collaborative governance arrangements in Melbourne Music Week, and how Sydney’s status as a global city influenced the implementation of its lockout laws.

Peter Newton is a Research Professor in the area of sustainable built environments at Swinburne’s Centre for Urban Transitions. His research focus is on sustainable urban development, socio-technical innovation and urban transition studies, sustainable consumption and low carbon living, green economy transition, urban experimentation and performance assessment (via iHUB national network), and greyfield precinct regeneration.

Quentin is Associate Professor of Urban Design at RMIT University, Melbourne. His books include The Ludic City and Loose Space. He studied temporary city beaches through an Alexander von Humboldt Foundation Senior Research Fellowship at Humboldt University Berlin and currently leads an Australian Research Council funded project exploring temporary and tactical urbanism through Actor Network Theory and assemblage thinking.

Ralph is Professor of Geography and Deputy Pro-Vice Chancellor, Research and Innovation for the College of Design and Social Context at RMIT University. He is interested in social and policy change to support sustainable urban development and has a specific research interest in equitable low carbon urban transitions, housing and households. He combines research leadership and participation in research projects concerning the environmental, social and policy context of production and consumption in the urban environment.

Robert has a long association with the Australian design, fashion and retail sector as well as government and arts organisations through his work with Craft Victoria, the establishment and leadership of the Fashion Design Council of Australia, and Melbourne Fashion Festivals. Robert has his own strategic planning consultancy, Mr Buckingham, and has led multiple endeavours to promote contemporary art, design, architecture, urban planning, civic engagement and cultural collaboration.

Emeritus Professor Robin Goodman is a former Dean of the RMIT School of Global, Urban and Social Studies. She is an urban planner with broad interests in many aspects of planning, housing and public policy and a Fellow of the Planning Institute of Australia. 

Robina is a Senior Associate at Hassell, a multi-disciplinary international design studio. She has a passion for urban strategies that support creating great places for all community members. Robina advocates for exploring design solutions collaboratively and across disciplines to help make places people love.

Rohini is on the Leadership Team at Museums Victoria, Australia’s largest public museums organisation, as General Manager of the Immigration Museum. She brings three decades of diverse professional and corporate experience across technology, professional services and creative industries. In 2015, Rohini was awarded the Telstra Victorian Business Women’s Award for her strategic vision and leadership.

Salvador is an urban ecologist, biologist and psychologist with degrees in Environmental Engineering and Energy Management. He was the Director of the Urban Ecology Agency from 2000 until 2020 and, since 2021, is the founder and Director of the Urban and Territorial Ecology Foundation. He has conceived the Ecosystemic Urbanism and the “Superblock” concepts and developed research projects in the fields of urban planning, mobility, public space, urban metabolism, biodiversity, economic development and social cohesion. Salvador is also the author of several books on urbanism, urban planning and ecological cities.

Samantha Donnelly is an educator and advocate for safe, affordable, accessible housing for women and children leaving violence. As a PhD candidate in the XYX Lab: Gender + Place, Monash University, and lecturer at University of Technology Sydney (UTS), her research is committed to the inclusion of lived experience and is focused on trauma-informed, best practice design principles for refuge accommodation in NSW. In her design practice, Samantha works with not-for-profit organisations on developments for disadvantaged communities, designs for mental health and trauma-informed services, and housing for women.

Samantha is the CEO of Rock Art Australia. She has worked in numerous international and national cultural organisations and has extensive professional experience in the preservation of cultural heritage. She has held leaderships roles in the public and private sectors through employment and volunteer committee positions including Arts Centre Melbourne, Museum Victorian and the Australian Institute for the conservation of Cultural Materials, the Australian Museum and Galleries Association and as a consultant for numerous local council and remote community organisations. Samantha is passionate about community agency and developing and delivery community led projects and programs.

Sarah is a sustainability and urban planning academic at RMIT University in Melbourne and a leading voice in Biodiversity Sensitive Urban Design (BSUD).

Sarah is an Associate Professor and Australian Research Council Future Fellow with the Centre for Urban Research at RMIT University in Melbourne.She leads a program of applied research designed to influence policy and practice to create healthier built environments. This includes ‘The High Life Study’ which examines the interplay between apartment design policy standards, the design of contemporary apartment buildings, and residents’ health and wellbeing.

Sarah is a postdoctoral research fellow in the Unison Housing Research Lab, a collaboration between RMIT University and Unison Housing. She completed her PhD in the historical geography of live music in Melbourne and Sydney between the 1980s and 2000s. She has published on topics relating to social housing, live music, music industry restructuring, collaborative networks, and learning analytics. As a musician, she has performed with folk group the Taylor Project since 2006. Sarah places a high value on extracting meaningful information from both quantitative and qualitative data sources and on locating immediate policy concerns in a wider historical and geographical context.

Seyed is a Ph.D. research candidate at the School of Aerospace, Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering at RMIT University and a research assistant in the RMIT Centre for Urban Research. He is a member of the RMIT Cyber-Physical and Autonomous Systems Group, RMIT Transport Research Group, and the Australian Maritime Logistics Research Network. His research interest areas are biomass supply chain, supply chain management, transportation and logistics, sustainability, optimizing operations, statistical analysis, lean manufacturing. Seyed has published over 50 research papers in multidisciplinary fields, including industrial and mechanical engineering, transportation planning, information technology, supply chain management, and construction management.

Sharon is the Lived Experience Coordinator at Launch Housing and has lived experience of homelessness herself. She has expanded lived experience participation at Launch to embed lived experience in everything they do. Sharon’s aspirations include the expansion of Launch’s peer-support workforce, client reference groups and co-design workshop. She is also part of the Consumer Participation Practitioner Network (CPPN).

Sian is a Research Associate at City Futures Research Centre, UNSW Sydney. She has a background in psychology, design and urban sociology and a keen interest in the lived experience of urban housing, housing affordability, sustainability and design at the building and precinct scale. She’s worked in various roles in the construction industry in Sydney, London and Auckland, and is committed to translating research into practical advice to make great places to live.

Sophie Dyring is Director of Schored Projects, an accomplished cross disciplinary design studio. She has experience working with both public and private clients including State Government departments, Victorian municipalities and Community Housing providers. As an architect and landscape architect her practice largely designs and delivers social and affordable housing for those most in need. Sophie is a Design Review Panel member with the Office for Design and Architecture South Australia and the New South Wales State Design Review.

Spike is a Peer Support Worker who has been involved in the Rough Sleeper Harm Minimization, Need to Know Homeless and Helping Out projects.

Stephen is a senior research fellow at Swinburne University’s Centre for Urban Transitions in Melbourne, Australia. He is currently engaged in the various disciplines related to urban regeneration; including geo-spatial analysis, urban planning, statutory regimes, community engagement, financial feasibility analysis, urban design and the new business models needed to drive co-development.

Thami is an urban planner and spatial analyst, working in the RMIT’s Centre for Urban Research. He works with cities around the world to prepare plans for urban green infrastructure in his role on the EU Urban GreenUp project.

Tom Alves is Head of Development at the Australian Housing and Urban Research Institute (AHURI), where he runs the Professional Services division and is developing the National Cities Research Program. Tom previously worked at the Office of the Victorian Government Architect and as Acting Director of the Victorian Design Review Panel. He has held academic positions at The University of Melbourne and at RMIT University and has worked in architectural practices in Melbourne and Sydney. Tom has a longstanding interest in housing policy, design, and provision.

Trivess is a Senior Lecturer in the Sustainability Building Innovation Lab, School of Property, Construction and Project Management at RMIT University.

Wendy is an award-winning theatre producer, developing and touring new work with internationally renowned theatre makers. At the beginning of her career, she worked extensively in New York, including founding The Field, an organisation supporting the development of emerging artists. Wendy has also been a board member and director of multiple live arts organisations. More recently Wendy retrained as an urban planner and in 2014 established a niche practice working at the intersection of cities and culture. She also teaches RMIT Interiors design studios and has tutored at University of Melbourne in Urban Design Theory.

Wendy is a Professor and Academic Leader of Housing Futures Research within the Centre for Urban Transitions at Swinburne University of Technology. She is undertaking research funded by the Australian Research Council, the Australian Housing and Urban Research Institute and the Victorian Government. Her research focuses on housing equity and innovation.

Bill has worked at Monash University since 1975 and prior to joining Monash in the transport industry in England, Germany and several States of Australia for 4 years. He has also held visiting positions at Tokyo (Japan), Leeds (England), Oxford (UK), Nanyang (Singapore), Karlsruhe (Germany), Michigan State (USA), Central South (China) and Hong Kong (China) Universities, and the Australian Bureau of Transport Economics and Communication Economics (ACT). He has researched, consulted and published widely in the land-use/transport/environment interaction, traffic, parking, safety, transport modelling, engineering management and education areas.

Zahra is a Postdoctoral Research Associate in the School of Architecture, Design and Planning at the University of Sydney. She is a qualified Urban Planner with diverse experience in affordable housing schemes, land use planning, database mapping and solid waste management services. She has a longstanding interest in studying conflicts of planning policies and practices with local community needs. Her current research investigates housing affordability, housing informality and homemaking practices.