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Max Chandler-Mather is Greens MP and, as spokesperson for housing and homelessness, his remit very much overlaps with the world of architecture and design. Earlier in 2024, the party announced plans for a Public Property Developer as a way of tackling Australia’s housing crises, chief among which are issues of affordability and impacts on climate change.

In our podcast conversation, we spoke about this kind of scheme and how it might work in practice. In particular, Chandler-Mather draws attention to the systemic issue of housing being driven by private property developers and the fundamental problem of addressing human needs through the mechanism of profit-making business.

The Greens MP also told me about his background and education, explaining where the interest in housing and design more widely comes from. We spoke about concepts such as the Right to the City, with reference to Henri Lefebvre, David Harvey and others. Chandler-Mather offers further thoughts on what the role of architects and designers might be in relation to housing crises, drawing attention to projects such as Nightingale and the important skills that architects can use to excite the public imagination and show what is possible for our cities.

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