Episode 5 of The Grimshaw Podcast ‘The City Series’ features Deputy Lord Mayor of Sydney, Jess Scully. Hosted by Grimshaw’s Cities Initiative Lead, Dr. Tim Williams, Episode 5 explores Jess’s motivation to move Australia from an extraction economy to a knowledge and creative economy, and her senior leadership role in Australia’s largest city during a time of crisis.

Prior to entering politics, Jess was a curator of Sydney’s VIVID Festival which rapidly became the most important event in the winter calendar with its associated program of cultural and thought leadership talks which explored the context of Sydney’s urban situation. So, who better to be elected in 2019 as Deputy Lord Mayor of the City of Sydney?

Having changed the face of civic politics by advocating for and empowering those who were previously not involved, encouraging them to have a say and to participate in the life of their city, Jess is connecting people with creativity, and preparing communities to take advantage of opportunities. Jess focuses on several key issues in the community including the revitalisation and growth of Sydney’s night-time economy, exploring new models to address the housing crisis, nurturing a transition to the workforces and workplaces of the future, and protecting our digital rights in the public realm.

Committed to opening up local politics to younger and diverse individuals to expand who plays a role in shaping the life of the city, Jess is also an author of Glimpses of Utopia which dissects how society is rising up to confront our challenges in the world with creativity, resilience and compassion and how harnessing technology and imagination can reshape our world to be fair and sustainable.

Join Tim and Jess for a critical conversation on the future of Sydney’s creative industries and what this means for Sydney’s CBD in the context of a pandemic. 

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