What I do
I am an urban geographer who is passionate about creating thriving, liveable cities grounded in a place-first approach to the built environment.
As a geographer, my methods are informed by a distinct form of spatial thinking, conceptualising urban landscapes as complex assemblages of social, cultural, economic, political, and physical structures.
I have experience working in academic research at the University of Melbourne and in urban solutions consultancy. My speciality is bridging the gap between theory and actionable strategy, focused on progressive outcomes.
My passion for the field is driven by the urgent challenges facing cities globally –– from housing shortfalls and increasing inequity to climate risk and social isolation. Equally, I am inspired by the scale of change and ever-evolving nature of urban landscapes. I love discovering and shaping the creative solutions that transform the built environment into more vibrant, interconnected and resilient places.
Having recently relocated to London, I am partnering with forward-thinking organisations and expert teams across the UK's placemaking and social research areas of the built environment sector.
Skills
Projects
Lewisham Art House Place Mapping Report
Place Analysis
The renovation of the Old Deptford Library marks a major milestone in the building's life as a historic civic and cultural space. I was appointed as an independent consultant to deliver a Place Mapping and Audience Development Report for the Lewisham Arthouse, an artist collective that occupies the Old Deptford Library. I detailed local urban histories, demographics, cultural assets and community networks to support the Old Deptford Library renovation and programming uplift. My report helped guide the Lewisham Art House collective’s vision for the refurbishment of the Old Deptford Library and its future community-focused uses.
View the place mapping report: HERE
State of the Scene
Social Research & Strategic Advice
A first-of-its-kind social and economic research project for NSW, examining the live music industry’s contributions to the state economy, as well as its strengths, barriers, and opportunities to increase its positive social and cultural impacts. I was the project’s lead social analyst, co-designing social research approaches, interviewing stakeholders, and compiling key social findings to deliver recommendations for the NSW Government's ten-year Contemporary Music Strategy.
View the publicly available report: HERE
Committee for Sydney Pro bono Work
Place Analysis
The Committee for Sydney is an urban policy think tank and an Approved Research Institute that advocates for the whole of Sydney, researching and developing solutions to the most important problems the city faces.
Through Ethos Urban's partnership with the Committee for Sydney, I provided pro bono expert advice to assist with the development of their policy papers. This included an issues and trends scoping report examining pressures on Sydney's care sector workforce, as well as providing urban geography-focused advice on the benefits of street food vendors on the city's social and cultural landscape.
View the scoping report: HERE
Black Lives, White City
Thesis
At the University of Melbourne’s School of Geography, I conducted empirical research to investigate entanglements of race, place and identity amongst young Afro-Australians. This examined how processes of racialisation shaped understandings of Black identity amongst young Afro-Australians, processes of cultural hybridisation, and how Afro-Australian placemaking is reshaping the city’s racial geographies. My final thesis received First Class Honours and is currently being prepared for future publication.
View the full thesis: HERE
Harbourside Community Resilience Plan
Strategic Advice
Mirvac's mixed-use redevelopment of Darling Harbour, adjacent to Sydney CBD, is a key project representing the revitalisation of one of Sydney's most important urban renewal precincts. I contributed to the development of a community resilience framework to help Mirvac achieve LEED certification. I undertook a review of academic literature as well as international, state and local policies to inform the project’s community resilience framework. This involved developing recommendations to shape development outcomes around strengthening social bonds between future residents of the development to increase community resilience through shared social capital networks.
