THE SHOW

AI is already live in Australian planning. But will the community trust it? Will planners trust it? Here's how disclosure could change things. Show note: LinkedIn post: https://lnkd.in/p/gPf_hYQn

Australia's data centre investment pipeline sits at $104 billion, with 225 facilities in development. But our planning systems weren't built for this scale. In this episode, Adam Beck unpacks the Planning Institute of Australia's crucial new thought leadership piece "Planning for Australia's Data Centre Growth" and explores: // Why data centre location decisions matter more than ever // The infrastructure demands planners need to anticipate // How to build community confidence through strategic planning // Three practical steps for your jurisdiction.

Listen along to hear about the Digital Planning Directory AU - an independent, industry-led resource for digital solutions transforming planning practice in Australia.

A planner with no IT background built an AI assistant that writes his reports to the council. No code. Less than a day. Ryan Smith from the City of Kelowna, BC (Canada), tells us how he did it, why humans stay firmly in the loop, and how it gave an under-resourced team 30 to 40 per cent of its time back. His message to everyone else: literally anyone can do this. This is Episode 4 of the AI in Planning series on Digital in Place.

Stop telling planners AI is coming. Start talking about capabilities. Town planner and PlanLift AI founder Luke Ferguson cuts through the noise: why grounding AI in real planning data changes everything, why you shouldn't limit your team to one tool, and why AI is an opportunity, not a threat. This is Episode 3 of the AI in Planning series on Digital in Place.

Is AI coming for planning jobs? Professor Tom Sanchez has a calmer answer: get ready. We unpack why it's readiness over hype, tools last, not tools first, and why a well-informed no can be exactly the right call. Plus, why AI now touches every planning role, not just the tech specialist. This is Episode 1 of the AI in Planning series on Digital in Place.

AI won't steal your job. A planner who knows more about AI than you might. Christine Coste, chair of PlanTech NZ, on the gap between getting started and using AI well- when you can drop things in a chat window and when you can't- and why AI is really about making sense of 24/7 data. Episode 2 of the AI in Planning series on Digital in Place. Here are the links mentioned in Christine's discussion with us: PlanTechNZ NZPI’s PlanTechNZ special interest group webpages PlanTechNZ linkedin page NZPI Guidance NZ Planning Institute Digital Planning Guidance which includes the Digital Planning Principles and Digital Position Paper NZPI Guidance on Generative AI for Planners Courts AI Guidance Courts of NZ Guidelines for use of generative AI Training Examples NZPI 2026 CPD Prospectus (see workshops AI Awareness, Data Literacy, Digital Information Management, Emerging Technologies and Resource Management, Ethics and Digital Technologies, Generative AI for Planners, Generative AI: Prompting in Practice and Intro to AI)

Adam introduces the new 'AI in Planning' Series — honest conversations with global planners about how AI is reshaping the profession.

Data centres are landing on planners' desks like never before, and most planning schemes were never designed to handle them. In this episode of Digital in Place, Adam Beck from NEON.URBAN breaks down the essentials: what data centres are, the four key types (including the emerging AI factory), and why Australia's national capacity could surge from 1.4GW today to 7.4GW by 2035. With massive demands on energy and water, and at times no clear rules to assess them, the Planning Institute of Australia (PIA) is calling for a strategic shift — identifying suitable locations ahead of demand, establishing clear definitions, and putting good planning at the front of the process. If data centres are on your radar, this is your quick 101.