The Sydneyist

On this episode of The Sydneyist podcast from December 2024 ‘Can Sydney learn from the Commonwealth?', Elizabeth Farrelly spoke with Hugo Chan about what Sydney can learn from Global examples. Young Sydney architect Hugo Chan was recently elected Youth Representative to the Commonwealth Association of Architects. Hugo believes collaboration and shared learning amongst young architects [...]Read More... from Can Sydney learn from the Commonwealth? 

150,000 NSW children now live in apartments. But very few apartments are designed with that in mind. On this episode of THE SYDNEYIST podcast, UNSW Professor Philip Oldfield joins Elizabeth Farrelly to talk about why this is, and what can be done. [...]Read More... from WHAT’S WRONG WITH SYDNEY APARTMENTS?

We all hate Sydney traffic, but we all love to drive.  How to resolve this conundrum? [...]Read More... from Sydney Traffic Chaos

The extended interview with Gay Hendrickson, professional museum curator and the president of the Friends of the Female Factory in Parramatta. [...]Read More... from The Female Factory

What makes you want to walk, not drive? What makes a city walkable? [...]Read More... from Walkable Towns and Cities

On this episode of The Sydneyist podcast we discuss what makes Paris Paris? Sydney, facing housing, climate and affordability crises gets harder, meaner and more brittle. But Paris – facing the same big-city demands – becomes sweeter and softer, more accessible. What's the secret? Elizabeth Farrelly spoke with architect Tim Williams about what can we learn [...]Read More... from Learning from Paris

On this episode of The Sydneyist podcast we discuss urban heat. How hot is too hot? How does heat affect your body and what can we do about it? Elizabeth Farrelly spoke with Ollie Jay, Professor of Heat and Health at the University of Sydney to talk about what you can do to stay cool. [...]Read More... from Urban Heat and Health

On this episode of The Sydneyist podcast we discuss if Sydney is becoming unliveable. The US-based Walk Score rated parts of suburban Sydney as low as 3% and Australia's Place Score has found that Sydney's liveability is declining. Are our cities becoming unfair, inhospitable, unliveable? Elizabeth Farrelly spoke with ‘Place Score’ founder and CEO, Kylie [...]Read More... from Is Sydney failing us?

KINGS CROSS is traditionally Australia's centre of bohemia and sleaze. It is also our densest neighbourhood by far and a model of walkable urbanism. Now, it is being sanitised to death. What can be done? On this episode of The Sydneyist podcast Elizabeth Farrelly was joined by guest and cultural legend Warren Fahey AM to talk [...]Read More... from How to save Kings Cross

On this episode of The Sydneyist podcast ‘Protesting The Law of Protest’ Elizabeth Farrelly spoke with Professor Simon Rice about our increasingly draconian protest laws in New South Wales. Are we becoming a police state? In NSW, unlike Queensland, Victoria and the ACT, there is no right to protest, protests must be approved by police [...]Read More... from Protesting the Law of Protest

On this episode of The Sydneyist podcast we're looking at trees. Urban heat is rather the topic du jour – as is climate change. And the tree is our best defence – yet still, when push comes to shove, we chop them down. Elizabeth Farrelly is looking quite specifically at the demolition of almost 600 [...]Read More... from Tree Massacre – Royal Sydney Golf Course

Does Sydney have theatres to spare? On this episode of The Sydneyist podcast Elizabeth Farrelly is talking with Duncan McNab about saving the historic Art Deco Metro-Minerva theatre in Sydney’s Potts Point. [...]Read More... from Murdering Minerva

Co-op housing in Sydney is something many fantasise about but few actually do. In many cities, though, it is a commonly accepted and thriving part of urban life. Why is it unusual here and what can be done? On this podcast Elizabeth Farrelly speaks with City of Sydney Greens Councillor Sylvie Ellsmore [...]Read More... from Co-op Housing

NORTH SYDNEY POOL is one of Sydney's oldest and most beloved. The latest refurbishment is running years late and has blown out from $28m to possibly over $100m. On this episode of THE SYDNEYIST podcast, Elizabeth Farrelly speaks with North Sydney Mayor Zoe Baker about how this happened. [...]Read More... from North Sydney Pool Debacle

Creatives in Sydney have always done it tough. Now it's worse than ever. Our artists are leaving in droves. On this episode of The Sydneyist Elizabeth Farrelly asks, can Sydney survive the loss of its creatives?  Elizabeth Farrelly was joined by three artists: writer Mark Mordue, silk-screen artists Peter Bainbridge and actor Kate Mannix about surviving [...]Read More... from Squeezing The Creatives

The Cooks River is the most urbanised, concretised and polluted river in Australia. Now, it is being very slowly brought back to health. On this episode of The Sydneyist Elizabeth Farrelly asks should rivers have rights? Guests: Dr Andrew Thomas, Executive Officer and Jason L'Ecuyer from the Cooks River Alliance. [...]Read More... from How to Revive a River

At long last Sydney has its first queer history museum. From HIV to LOTL (Lesbians on the Loose) from the 1890s to the 78ers to Mick Fuller's apology, it's a story that needed to be told. In a delicious form of revenge-served-cold, the museum colonises the old Darlinghurst police station, a lovely arts and crafts [...]Read More... from QTOPIA: A tour of Sydney’s first Queer Museum – 89.7 Eastside FM

Would democracy work without elections? In fact, might it even work better (think Athens, which had no elections, think Trump, who revels in them) without the nastiness, lies and corruption that elections bring? This is the huge question I’ll be discussing on THE SYDNEYIST this evening with guest Luca Belgiorno Nettis from the New Democracy [...]Read More... from The Sydneyist with Luca Belgiorno-Nettis