Pacific Conversations

Peter Newman is the Professor of Sustainability at Curtin University in Perth, Australia, and has written 20 books and over 350 papers on sustainable cities. His book with Jeff Kenworthy ‘Cities and Automobile Dependence (1989)' has been described as ‘one of the most influential planning books of all time’ and the follow-up book 'Sustainability and Cities: Overcoming Automobile Dependence' was launched in the White House in 1999. In 2014 he was awarded an Order of Australia for his contributions to urban design and sustainable transport.

He and Ed got together to discuss the 'Detroit Factor' and how future cities are evolving to face emerging threats from climate change, droughts and natural disasters.

Professor Garry Glazebrook is a transport and urban planner, specialising in the evaluation and design of sustainable transport systems and their integration into the urban environment. He has over 35 years' experience in Federal, State and Local Government, consulting and academia, including positions such as NSW Water Resources Commissioner and Manager of Transport Policy for the City of Sydney.

This week, Garry and Ed discuss the changing face of the urban environment, and the need for high speed rail and dependable public infrastructure in a disseminated world.

Dr David Leaf is the NSW and national convener of Doctors for Assisted Dying Choice in Australia. He is a primary care physician with a busy practice in Sydney and a visiting medical officer at several nursing homes in North Sydney, and is actively engaged in palliative care medicine.

Ed Blakely and David discuss the battle over the right to die in Australia and how assisted dying works.

One of Australia’s leading public policy thinkers, John Daley was the inaugural Chief Executive of the Grattan Institute for its first 11 years. He has 30 years’ experience spanning academic, government and corporate roles.

John and Ed got together for this supersized chat spanning political gridlock both here and abroad, housing and monetary policy, and the role of independent government watchdogs, plus much, much more.

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Robert Yaro was Professor of Practice at the University of Pennsylvania Stuart Weitzman School of Design from 2002-2020. His teaching and research focus on land use, urban development and infrastructure planning for megaregions and metropolitan areas. He is also President Emeritus of the Regional Plan Association, America's oldest and most distinguished independent metropolitan research and advocacy group. Robert joins Ed Blakely to discuss in-depth the future of high speed rail in the United States.

Torkel Patterson is a member of the board of Central Japan Railway Company, operating the iconic Shinkansen between Tokyo and Osaka. He previously served as President for Raytheon International Inc. and in a variety of posts in the U.S. Government. Mr Patterson joins Ed Blakely to discuss developing the future of public transportation, the situation in Japan and how it might be applied to Australia and the US, and associated public policy.

With almost 40 years of experience in public affairs in Japan, Timothy Langley is the founder and driving force behind Langley Esquire. He was the first foreign national to work inside the National Diet, serving as a policy aide to former Foreign Minister Nakayama Taro, and has served as a political attaché for U.S. presidents and diplomats when they visit Japan.

With the 2021 Olympics kicking off this week in Tokyo, Timothy discusses the political implications on the upcoming Japanese election and Japan's COVID vaccine rollout.

Sandra Izsadore is a singer, activist, author and humanitarian born in Los Angeles, California, and Graduate of Redlands University. Known as the Queen Mother of Afrobeat, during the late 1960s Sandra met and revitalized Africa’s revolutionary genius Fela Kuti.

Dana Rawls is the Co-Chair of the Australian chapter of Democrats Abroad’s Global Black Caucus. Democrats Abroad is the official Democratic Party arm for the millions of Americans living outside the United States.

Together with Ed Blakely and Sean Britten, they discuss the attacks on American voting rights and disenfranchisement of Black Americans, historically and today.

Professor Dowell Myers is a professor in the Sol Price School of Public Policy at the University of Southern California, where he directs the Population Dynamics Research Group, and an urban demographer and housing specialist who integrates demographic data with housing, urban planning, and public opinion.

He joins Ed Blakely to talk about the US census, what it says about immigration and population, and how it represents another fight over equality and equity.

Tim James is a strategic advisory leader who has held an array of leadership roles in industry, government, and professional services. He is the Executive General Manager at the Menzies Research Centre, the think-tank for the Liberal Party, where he is responsible for operations and finance.

Tim joined Ed Blakely and Tina Quinn to discuss how grass roots party activism, particularly in recent times, has impacted larger policy in both American and Australian politics.