DESIGN

Beyond Government: Elizabeth Farrelly's Vision for a People-Powered City

With a diverse background spanning academia, media, architecture, philosophy and urban planning in Australia, Dr Elizabeth Farrelly brings a unique perspective to today's urban challenges, championing climate resilience and affordable housing as essential priorities for city policymakers. Frustrated by governmental inertia, Elizabeth has launched The Better Cities Initiative to elevate public voices and foster community-driven urban development. In this interview with Elizabeth, we discuss the need for dignified, adaptable housing for ageing populations, innovative models for inclusive urban living, and transformative tools to inspire and educate citizens about reshaping their neighbourhoods.
Elizabeth Farrelly during her political campaign in 2023.
Elizabeth Farrelly next to her book "Killing Sydney: The Fight for a City's Soul."
As someone who has held a variety of roles across academia, media and urban planning in Australia , what do you believe is the most urgent issue facing urban policy today, and how can cities like Sydney take the lead in addressing it?
For me, the most urgent question in urbanism generally is the dual crisis of climate and housing affordability. We need to resolve both of these very quickly in a way that doesn't exacerbate either. I see it essentially as a design problem, because it’s about balancing conflicting goods and needs. For instance, some argue we should just remove all planning constraints and build hyperdense cities filled with super tall towers to increase housing supply. However, we risk building such unlivable environments - slums even - that people may prefer to inhabit the far-flung urban fringes, worsening sprawl, environmental destruction and climate change. So we need to think holistically.

Our governments have not adequately addressed these critical issues nor prioritised the public interest. That's why I've set up citizens' assemblies and other initiatives, because it's absolutely time to sidestep the government. It's really important, and it's really urgent.

You realise that there is a sort of unvoiced stratum in the culture of thoughtful, big thinking people who don't get represented in our system. They need a voice - that's our constituency. It's not an electorate, but rather a layer of the culture and they deserve to be represented.

"I believe the absolute worst thing to do is to put people in institutions, isolated from the communities and neighbourhoods they love. It’s really important for old people to be able to have the choice of being in the bustling, busy heart of things. Because when you become less mobile, that's what you need. "

Dr Elizabeth Farrelly

In your piece on alternative aged care models in The Saturday Paper, you highlight the importance of allowing people to age in place. How can we adapt existing housing stock to accommodate an ageing population, and what design principles do you think are most critical for making homes more age-friendly?

I take issue with the phrase ‘ageing in place’. It feels somewhat limiting. Like a limpet stuck to a rock, it suggests a static existence rather than evolving and changing. Denial is key! I prefer alternatives like, perhaps, medium-density multi-generational housing or even housing for the third age.

People should be able to age in a way that's dignified and enjoyable. And that implies being connected and engaged and stimulated. It doesn't necessarily mean you stay in the same house. For me, it’s much more about a community. Consider 20 individuals, each with their own quirks—some are eccentric, others intriguing, and some truly endearing, others not so much—living together in a mixed-use community in the heart of Surry Hills, Sydney. Each resident has a spacious bed-sit, a small garden, access to a painting studio, and shared chickens, along with a window overlooking the street. Should they become immobile or unwell, they can simply lean out and request a coffee from the nearby café. Additionally, there may be children living upstairs whom they can babysit while their parents enjoy weekly outings to the movies. I believe the absolute worst thing to do is to put people in institutions, isolated from the communities and neighbourhoods they love. It’s really important for old people to be able to have the choice of being in the bustling, busy heart of things. Because when you become less mobile, that's what you need.

I don't think it's necessarily the case that we can just adapt all of our single family, suburban housing to accommodate that. Some of it is going to have to be knocked down (and in many ways, that can't happen too soon). It’s all built on the idea that everybody can drive everywhere and that isn’t a sustainable model for anyone, but certainly not for people as they get older.

We haven’t given up on the government, but we need to unite and demand a more inclusive, sustainable housing model that serves everyone. The government has a responsibility to establish a clear framework for cooperative housing—as well as providing land that can be used to build homes.

I think that is what the government's role should be—making it easy for real people to be involved in delivering their own housing instead of relying on scholarly developers who are never going to have the public’s interest at heart. 
Elizabeth Farrelly
How does Better Cities Initiative balance the need for citizen-led urban development with the challenge of educating and inspiring citizens about best practices in urban design and the communities they aspire to?
Much of our work is about education—not just about teaching people, but opening their mind to possibilities and stimulating their imagination. It’s about empowering people to know that they can do it for themselves. Being able to imagine something different is really important and there are a number of ways in which The Better Cities Initiative anticipates doing that.

The first is the citizen's assembly, a process that happens over about three months with a randomly selected jury—which is important so that they are demographically balanced to reflect the community, and not just the self-selected ‘squeaky wheels’. At the beginning, they believe that they know what should or shouldn't be done, what they don’t want, what they hate or what they love. But then when they have to deal with the parameters and try to convince their colleagues that they're right, they realise that they need to actually expand their view and either bolster their arguments or change them slightly. They then start to want to hear from other people. And so, the process is fed and nourished along the way with an array of experts, thinkers, and anyone they want to hear from—all mutually self-educated along the way.

This is how a citizen's charter is created, and they are then expected to champion the charter in the community. This charter then sits at the front of all planning decisions in this community from hereon in and informs everything.

Secondly, the next iteration to really bring this to life and help people is what we're calling the Urban Simulation Lab - a large, interactive digital interface which enables people to play, and essentially design their own neighbourhoods. For example, imputting different parameters of height or density or canopy cover or public transport to see what it looks like, see how it feels. It’s a great enabler of people's imaginations and helping them understand practicalities such as a house without trees and birds around it anymore, but on the other hand, no longer having to mow the lawn or worry about twigs falling onto the roof. And being able to walk to the wine bar and talk to people on the way home, rather than rely on taxis.

The final tool is a simple map that displays the entire state or country. It allows anyone to zoom in on any location and see what they can build on their specific patch. This way, you're not relying on a large developer to come and do it for you. You see the rules that apply to the neighbour's piece of land and what they're doing is the wrong thing - or the right thing for that matter. Or you could join them and do something twice as good.

It would be enormously empowering for people to have those three mechanisms that would change the whole system, and for people to be more energised about shaping their communities for the better.

"You need to engage people in a way that prompts deeper involvement and decision-making, encouraging them to move beyond their personal interests. They should be inspired to see the bigger picture and think about what benefits the culture as a whole, rather than just their own particular house or interest or what's next door."

Dr Elizabeth Farrelly

Your organisation's manifesto suggests sourcing global examples to inspire better city-making. Are there particular cities or projects around the world that you see as models for Sydney or other Australian urban centres?
There are many really interesting examples in Europe, particularly in Vienna and Barcelona, where governments make significant efforts to support initiatives like cooperative housing and various forms of co-living, offering diverse and empowered housing products and solutions. Paris is a really good example of sustainable development, implementing actions such as mandating all commercial roofs to be either solar or green and investing billions in new social housing. This was driven by the realisation that Paris was becoming a city exclusively for the rich, threatening the presence of everyday people in the city economy. As a result, Paris now boasts an impressive 40% public housing. To sustain an urban economy, you actually have to have real people involved in a real city in a real way.

I can't think of another country aside from Australia that chooses to destroy its own housing market, with policies like negative gearing, which allows people to own 20 and 50 investment properties while other people can't afford anywhere to live. Our whole system is designed for investment and making money. 
Elizabeth with former Australian prime minister Paul Keating and legendary architect Glenn Murcutt at the launch of the book she wrote on Glenn in 1993. Image credit: Elizabeth Farrelly
Elizabeth interviewing Philip Thalis and Tom Rivard about the great streets of Sydney  and the world for her podcast The Sydneyist. Image credit:  Elizabeth Farrelly
And finally, what would you say is the single most important thing you would like to see implemented today for the cities and neighbourhoods we hope for in the future?
If I could change one thing, it would be to implement a citizen's charter for planning. It would be deliberated upon and agreed by representatives of the populace to sit at the very front of all planning decisions. Every planning act in the country would be preceded by these principles which is essentially like a bill of rights for planning. If every future housing development complies with the charter, planning approvals would be far more efficient and of course, citizen-led.

Unfortunately at the moment, it's the other way around. Currently, it goes straight to the minister's desk for discretionary approval who all too often will approve non-complying developments. The people don't get a look in and nobody's bothering to consider the public interest. A citizen’s charter would flip that on its head, since the public voice is considered at the very start before any decision or plan is made, or any planning decision or approval is granted.

You need to engage people in a way that prompts deeper involvement and decision-making, encouraging them to move beyond their personal interests. They should be inspired to see the bigger picture and think about what benefits the culture as a whole, rather than just their own particular house or interest or what's next door.

It all starts with education. This can be truly inspiring and aspirational—encouraging people to walk through their neighbourhoods, observe what’s happening on their streets, and realise how they can contribute. This is how you start to empower people to be better citizens and to have more control over their communities. You’ve got to believe that change is possible. Otherwise what's the point?
Dr Elizabeth Farrelly is an award-winning writer, columnist, critic, broadcaster, public intellectual and former political candidate. Trained in architecture and philosophy, she is a former City of Sydney Councillor, former Director of the National Trust NSW, occasional academic and author of several books including Bubberland: The Dangers of Happiness and Killing Sydney: The Fight For a City’s Soul. She is currently presenter of The Sydneyist on Eastside Radio and columnist for ArchitectureAU and for The Saturday Paper. In 2019 Elizabeth established The Better Cities Initiative - a not-for-profit organisation designed to transform the culture of city-making by empowering citizen-led design.

Other Interviews

Privacy Policy
Views and opinions expressed by authors and contributors on this website are their own and do not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of the publisher.
©2024 - 2025 The Luxury Of Ageing. 
All rights reserved.