Open During Construction
29 episodes - English - Latest episode: about 4 years ago -Michelle Berquist, Rob Muir and Muneef Ahmad reflect on stories behind-the-scenes of "Plangineering" projects.
Homepage Apple Podcasts Google Podcasts Overcast Castro Pocket Casts RSS feed
Episodes
Autonomy (Part 2 of 2)
April 09, 2020 19:45 - 25 minutes - 36 MBThe Plangineers engage experts Sven Beiker and Gary Hsueh to explore the world of autonomous vehicles. Dr. Sven Beiker is Managing Director of Silicon Valley Mobility Gary Hsueh is Director of Mobility Programs at Prospect Silicon Valley In part 2 of this 2-part interview, Michelle and Rob continue their conversation with Sven and Gary to discuss some implications and possibilities of autonomous vehicle uptake. Sven and Gary were kind enough to call in from across the country so we t...
Autonomy (Part 1 of 2)
April 09, 2020 19:25 - 28 minutes - 39 MBThe Plangineers engage experts Sven Beiker and Gary Hsueh to explore the world of autonomous vehicles. Dr. Sven Beiker is Managing Director of Silicon Valley Mobility Gary Hsueh is Director of Mobility Programs at Prospect Silicon Valley In part 1 of this 2-part interview, Michelle and Rob engage with Sven and Gary who break down the basics of "Automated Connected Electric & Shared" vehicles, or ACES as referred to in the industry. Sven and Gary were kind enough to call in from acros...
Indy Johar talks Future Cities Canada
August 31, 2019 18:20 - 23 minutes - 31.9 MBIndy Johar, Visionary, is co-founder of Project 00, Dark Matter Labs, as well as multiple social ventures in England. While doing all of this, he also works with large global multinationals and institutions to support their transition to a positive Systems Economy. In this discussion, Indy explains the necessity of the "boring" revolution to equip our cities with the tools for the future.
Olivia Labonte talks Future Cities Canada
May 06, 2019 16:10 - 18 minutes - 24.9 MBOlivia Labonte, Executive Director of Young Diplomats of Canada, talks about grassroots youth engagement. Olivia, an economist with a passion for global youth advocacy and sustainable cities, distills ideas from the Canada at 100,000,000 panel. She shares insights from her work as Executive Director of Young Diplomats of Canada, a national non-profit organization focused on creating spaces for young people to engage at the highest levels of decision-making.
Derek Ballantyne talks Future Cities Canada
April 05, 2019 02:40 - 17 minutes - 24.1 MBDerek brings his extensive experience in the development and management of housing to answer our questions on the topic. We talk about the merits of piloting policy in real-life versus the pitfalls of policy from the boardroom, and discuss takeaways from the Future Cities Canada Summit 'Housing for All' panel.
Fang-Jui Chang talks Future Cities Canada
March 22, 2019 17:00 - 14 minutes - 19.7 MBFang shares insights from her experiences leading workshops and meetings that aim to tackle diverse social issues. The aim of her work is to deal with cross-government issues and enhance a better organisational culture from inside to outside of the government.
Claire Hicks talks Future Cities Canada
February 26, 2019 11:00 - 13 minutes - 18.3 MBClaire Hicks, Program Manager for Future Ready at WSP Canada, shares successes in sustainability. Future Ready is WSPs global innovation program, encouraging staff and clients to see the future more clearly and design for it today. Claire strives to support teams to deliver resilient, sustainable and people-centred project solutions that are prepared for tomorrow's world. After listening to her discussion, read more about her work here.
Leah Lawrence talks Future Cities Canada
February 10, 2019 14:54 - 16 minutes - 22.4 MBLeah Lawrence is a lifelong advocate for engineering, entrepreneurship and the environment. The President and CEO of Sustainable Development Technology Canada (SDTC) shares behind-the-scenes insights on technology and how 'change management' can be about 'change expectation.' Check her out in 'The Future of Business' panel discussion at the Future Cities Summit.
Geoff Cape talks Future Cities Canada
January 15, 2019 11:00 - 13 minutes - 18.9 MBGeoff Cape, is the founder and CEO of Evergreen. Since being founded in 1991, Evergreen has evolved into a national organization focused on integrating people, natural and built worlds, turning spaces into great places. On-site at the inaugural Future Cities Canada Summit, Geoff talks about how lessons learned at the Evergreen Brick Works site can inform city-building.
Desmond Cole talks Future Cities Canada
December 18, 2018 11:00 - 22 minutes - 31.2 MBDesmond Cole, award-winning journalist, activist and author, speaks to the Plangineers on the heels of his opening keynote at the Future Cities Canada Summit, held November 7-9, 2018 at Evergreen Brick Works in Toronto. Click here to see his intriguing presentation. He points to segregation within the City of Toronto and encourages city builders to similarly call out and use the right language to address what he's seeing. His first book, entitled "The Skin We're In" will be published in...
Future Cities Canada Summit
October 31, 2018 00:59 - 13 minutes - 13.2 MBJo Flatt, Senior Lead of Policy & Partnerships at Evergreen speaks to us about the Future Cities Canada Summit. Future Cities Canada is a new national collaborative that aims to accelerate urban innovation to transform cities for the benefit of us all. The Summit takes place from November 7-9, 2018 at Evergreen Brick Works in Toronto.
Bloom Where You're Planted
September 26, 2018 10:00 - 18 minutes - 17.7 MBAlex Lenarduzzi, Water Resources Engineer at Conservation Halton shares her thoughts on the role of the natural environment and how it co-exists with the urban environment. We talk about: Differences and similarities between practice in the public and private sector The lingering impacts of extreme weather and the human stories around such events Alex's perception of the word "environment" as the "natural environment," rather than "urban environment" Urbanites exploring the natural...
From the Archives: Good or Good Enough?
August 28, 2018 13:23 - 23 minutes - 21.1 MBIn our second episode ever, “Good, or good enough?” Michelle and Rob discuss how paradigms were broken for the revolutionary Deep Lake Water Cooling system. Our ancestors first form of “district energy,” sharing fire in a cave Vancouver’s Olympic village district energy system Sustainable development at the Regent Park Revitalization Discussing Enwave Toronto’s Deep Lake Water Cooling (DLWC) Baffin Island Mining project Creativity is just ingenuity, applied. The DLWC...
The Onion of Discontent
July 24, 2018 11:00 - 16 minutes - 15.1 MBThe Plangineers talk about the illusions and realities of public consultation. Rob explains the methods by which we gather and consider various points of consideration when undertaking city-building initiatives. Dialogue revolves around engaging early and often. Michelle shares the pizza analogy of consultation. We talk about change management and the ADKAR model of: - Awareness - Desire - Knowledge - Ability - Reinforcement
We're All Settlers
June 26, 2018 10:30 - 26 minutes - 24 MBSheila Boudreau, Senior Landscape Architect at Toronto & Region Conservation Authority, shares stories of teaching, engaging and opening up opportunities for indigenous youth. Sheila speaks to us about: How her experiences have been interwoven to shape what and how she teaches Taking care of the forest in a free-range upbringing Why she has embarked upon opening doors for indigenous youth The importance of the Kairos blanket exercise The natural connection of earth and land to in...
Inspired
May 01, 2018 10:00 - 23 minutes - 21.1 MBThe Plangineers, Michelle & Rob, share how their professional fuel often comes from outside their professional lives. We talked about: Voracious reading Understanding people How Ray Dalio's "Idea meritocracy" resonated with Rob Thinking Fast & Slow, in Rob’s case about Floods and Flow Finding the strength to put down a book Michelle’s reflection about how world changing design comes from play, as brought forward in Steven Johnson’s Wonderland How humans are inspired by the thi...
Rules of Engagement
March 27, 2018 10:00 - 28 minutes - 26.4 MBHelen Noehammer, Director of Transportation & Infrastructure Planning at the City of Mississauga shares her take on pink-handled tools and how soft skills help alongside the hard skills in the engineer’s toolbox. Helen talks to us about... How "a little bit of everything" adds up to a lot What happens when "life happens" Changes in the representation of men and women in the engineering industry Using "The Velvet Hammer" Lessons from customer service at Canadian Tire Dealing wit...
The People's (Food) Court
February 06, 2018 11:00 - 29 minutes - 27.4 MBLesley Pavan, Director of Design and Development at the City of Mississauga shares her insights into the lifestyle choices on offer in the rapidly urbanizing city where she both works and lives. Lesley speaks to us about... Her path from humble roots on the farm, to geographer and through a municipal journey to her role as Director. Mississauga's evolution from post-war migration right to being nearly built-out with dialogue on some crucial elements along the way Brownfield redevelop...
Power to the Sheeple
January 02, 2018 11:00 - 23 minutes - 21.6 MBThe Plangineers talk about ingrained falsehoods and the challenge of living up to our professional duty Factual review of engineering data is found here relating to the fact that storm intensities have not increased Rob shared data and engaged specific outlets to expose falsehoods. In this article from Canadian Underwriter, editors consulted Environment and Climate Change Canada to correct the insurance industry Weather Story statement. Here is an example of CBC reporting with an in...
Like Millenials
November 14, 2017 22:30 - 24 minutes - 22.6 MBA “Millenial” is defined as someone born between 1981 - 1997. Our Millenial Planner, Michelle, and Gen X-er Engineer Rob, share their perspectives on the topic of the “Millenial experience,” and challenge the current narrative. Age-ism is a recurring and troubling theme as is the reality of how it may be ever-present, but simply being dealt with differently in an era of tech-savviness. Michelle quotes transportation planner Sam Schwartz and asks, “It’s not about asking ‘How do we plan fo...
The Day After Tomorrow?
July 16, 2017 04:43 - 20 minutes - 18.8 MBThe Plangineers talk about how the input of technical experts can help round out storytelling to add the "why" to the "who cares?" (Sorry for the confusion in the intro...this is actually episode #5, you're right.) Reporting on the GO Train flooding of 2013 may have exaggerated the frequency of this occurrence Check out Rob's CityFloodMap blog post on the matter Discussing the context of numbers and the value of infographics How technical input to the media can add the "why" to th...
ArtWorkX re-cap
June 04, 2017 07:33 - 22 seconds - 334 KBCheck out what went down at ArtWorkX by clicking here
ArtWorkX
June 04, 2017 07:25ArtWorkX fused art & infrastructure at Celebration Square in Mississauga on May 27, 2017. Artists Gaya Kairos, Claudio Ghirardo, Dominic Simone & Nisreen Askar turned otherwise remnant pieces of infrastructure into a creative cityscape mash-up. Kids took turns in a wide variety of interactive crafts. Here you can see the result of their efforts making pipe look good. Credit Valley Conservation was representing and supporting the event. Melanie was ready to answer questions from partici...
Dancing About Infrastructure
May 08, 2017 21:42 - 24 minutes - 22 MBEpisode #4: Dancing About Infrastructure Michelle and Rob reflect on the artistry that reveals our invisible services and why these reminders are an important part of our urban existence Talking about music, is like dancing about architecture. But we’ll try dancing about infrastructure anyway Older underground sewers are brick works of art like the photo shown by clicking here of the Garrison Creek storm sewer Aesthetic inspirations for the Herb Gray Parkway pedestrian bridges Is...
Is the River Longing?
May 08, 2017 11:31In episode #4, Michelle recounts her experience viewing this sign in Calgary for the first time. It was a simple yet powerful reminder of what is around us that can be seemingly invisible.
A Woman's Place is in the...
April 08, 2017 14:00 - 24 minutes - 22.3 MBAt the 100th anniversary of women's suffrage in Ontario, we ask is there a "woman's place" in the Plangineering space? Ontario became the fifth province in Canada to grant women the right to vote on April 12, 1917. This came following more than half a century of activism. Discussing how the controversial dialogue between Jane Jacobs and Robert Moses was storied. Recognizing areas of internal strength and vulnerability. Statistics on women’s representation in engineering from the O...
Good or Good Enough
March 13, 2017 02:34 - 23 minutes - 21.1 MBEpisode #2: Good, or good enough? Michelle and Rob, our Plangineers, discuss how paradigms were broken for the revolutionary Deep Lake Water Cooling system. Our ancestors first form of “district energy,” sharing fire in a cave Vancouver’s Olympic village district energy system Sustainable development at the Regent Park Revitalization Discussing Enwave Toronto’s Deep Lake Water Cooling (DLWC) Baffin Island Mining project Creativity is just ingenuity, applied. The DLWC was a s...
Plangineers
February 07, 2017 01:35 - 20 minutes - 18.6 MBIn the debut podcast, Michelle and Rob talk about what inspired them to urban planning and engineering and why the bridge between their practices is shorter than we think. This month, we talked about: Urban dictionary reference to Plangineer The three pillars of planning: Public Health, Legislation & Architecture Rob's toothpick bridge Discussing how, "Form follows function" The curious case of building the Sydney Opera House Zooming-in versus zooming-out Engineering the Wind...
The Toothpick Bridge
January 29, 2017 23:35In episode#1, Rob talked about the toothpick bridge he built that was, in part, responsible for his inquiry into engineering. Still lookin' good.