
Live event: Regenerating Country with First Nations practitioners
From City Road Podcast by Stories about cities and urban life
May 12, 2026 · 59 min
About this episode
The episode discusses the regenerative capacity of Country and the application of First Nations knowledge in design and landscape recovery.
What is the regenerative capacity of Country and how can First Nations knowledge be applied to achieve meaningful design outcomes and recover degraded landscapes? In this engaging live recording, we hear from experts Jess Herder, Principal, Thirriwirri, Adjunct Senior Lecturer, Sydney School of Architecture, Design and Planning; Peter Cooley, CEO, IndigiGrow; Koolyn Gordon, Housing manager, Bridge Housing; and Daryl Wells, Open Spaces Manager, Muru Mittigar. The panel discuss collaborative design outcomes in social and affordable housing projects; the fragility of the Eastern Suburbs Banksia Scrub along our coastline and the importance of planting native plants which use less water and contribute to ecological wellbeing and regeneration; and the need to integrate meaningful consultation with First Nations people and groups in planning and design processes, drawing on First Nations expertise and knowledge. This recording from the 2025 Festival of Regenerative Urbanism was held by the Henry Halloran Urban and Regional Research Initiative.
People in this episode
Guests: Jess Herder, Peter Cooley, Koolyn Gordon, Daryl Wells
Topics covered
- regenerative design
- First Nations knowledge
- social housing
- ecological wellbeing
- landscape recovery
- collaborative design
Keywords
- regeneration
- First Nations
- design outcomes
- native plants
- consultation
- urbanism
- ecological wellbeing
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: Thirriwirri, IndigiGrow, Bridge Housing, Muru Mittigar, Henry Halloran Urban and Regional Research Initiative
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