
394I_Harriet Shing, MP for the Eastern Victoria Region. Minister for Housing and Building, Precincts and Development Victoria, and Suburban Rail Loop
14/1/2026 | 41 mins.
"Responsible governance requires you to make decisions that have a long term input - a long term positive impact."Are you interested in the governments’ role for the future of cities? What do you think about urban retrofitting? How can we encourage our politicians to think long term? Interview with Harriet Shing, MP for the Eastern Victoria Region. Minister for Housing and Building, Precincts and Development Victoria, and Suburban Rail Loop. We will talk about her vision for the future of cities, the government’s role, liveability, urban retrofit, and many more. The Hon. Harriet Shing MP has served as a Labor Member for Eastern Victoria since 2014. She has been a Minister in the Labor Government since 2022, and in December 2024 she was appointed Minister for the Suburban Rail Loop, Minister for Housing and Building and Minister for Development Victoria and Precincts. Before her election to the Victorian Upper House, Harriet worked as a lawyer. An accomplished negotiator and advocate, she has extensive experience in industrial relations, employment and discrimination law, and dispute resolution at State and Federal levels. Harriet has worked as a senior policy adviser, lawyer, and industrial relations specialist in the Victorian private, public, and not-for-profit sectors. She has also served as a trustee director on the board of industry superannuation fund Vision Super. As Member for Eastern Victoria Region, Harriet is focused on identifying and enhancing opportunities across the entire region to ensure that local communities thrive.Find out more about Harriet through these links:Harriet Shing websiteHarriet Shing on LinkedIn@ShingvWorld as Harriet Shing on X@harrietshingmlc as Harriet Shing on InstagramHarriet Shing at the Parliament of VictoriaConnecting episodes you might be interested in:No.294 - Interview with Erick A. Brimen about governance experimentsNo.370 - Interview with Vít Jedlicka about new forms of governmentsNo.378 - Interview with Remco Deelstra about the government's role in establishing the future of citiesNo.393R - The economics of adaptive reuse - Comparative cost analysis of revitalization vs demolition and reconstruction at Radex Park MarywilskaWhat was the most interesting part for you? What questions did arise for you? Let me know on Twitter @WTF4Cities or on the wtf4cities.com website where the shownotes are also available.I hope this was an interesting episode for you and thanks for tuning in.Episode generated with Descript assistance (affiliate link).Music by Lesfm from Pixabay

Government's role for the better future for cities - Harriet Shing (394I trailer 3)
13/1/2026 | 2 mins.
Are you interested in the governments’ role for the future of cities? What do you think about urban retrofitting? How can we encourage our politicians to think long term? Trailer for episode 394 - interview with Harriet Shing, MP for the Eastern Victoria Region. Minister for Housing and Building, Precincts and Development Victoria, and Suburban Rail Loop. We will talk about her vision for the future of cities, the government’s role, liveability, urban retrofit, and many more. Find out more in the episode.Episode generated with Descript assistance (affiliate link).Music by Lesfm from Pixabay

393R_The economics of adaptive reuse – Comparative cost analysis of revitalization vs demolition and construction at Radex Park Marywilska (research debate)
12/1/2026 | 14 mins.
Are you interested in the comparison of urban development and retrofit? Our debate today works with the article titled The economics of adaptive reuse – Comparative cost analysis of revitalization vs demolition and construction at Radex Park Marywilska from 2025, by Janusz Sobieraj, Marcos Fernandez, and Dominik Metelski, published in MDPI Buildings journal.This is a great preparation to our next interview with Harriet Shing in episode 394 talking about the government’s perspective on urban retrofit vs new development.Since we are investigating the future of cities, I thought it would be interesting to see a comparison of adaptive reuse and demolition and development. This article proposes adaptive reuse as the optimal strategy for sustainable urban development, reinforcing the importance of preserving existing structures and integrating circular economy principles.Find the article through this linkAbstract: The revitalization of post-industrial areas has emerged as a critical strategy for sustainable urban development, achieving a balance between economic, social, and environmental priorities. This study assesses the transformative capacity of revitalization strategies by conducting a comprehensive case analysis of “Radex Park Marywilska” in Warsaw, Poland. The analysis quantifies the benefits of revitalization in comparison to demolition and new construction methodologies. An examination of the revitalization initiative demonstrates that it yielded a total of PLN 41.15 million in benefits, with PLN 28.13 million attributed to direct cost savings and another PLN 13.02 million resulting from environmental improvements. In practical terms, this equates to a return of PLN 1.93 for every PLN 1 invested—a notably efficient outcome. The project transformed four industrial buildings, significantly increasing usable space in some (e.g., Building L1 by 345% and K1 by 21.6%) while slightly reducing it in others (B1 by 4.7% and I1 by 10.5%). From an environmental impact perspective, the success was staggering: 48,217 tons of carbon dioxide emissions were prevented, and 72,315 tons of building waste were diverted from landfills. To these figures, the study further adds a return in economic activity, the generation of new jobs, and improvement in local infrastructure. The retrofitting of historical buildings to contemporary standards has encountered numerous challenges; nonetheless, the implementation of circular economy principles has succeeded in negating such challenges. Generally, the results show economic, environmental, and social benefits of revitalization projects compared to new, greenfield projects. The case study provides valuable lessons to policymakers and urban planners, rendering adaptive reuse a fundamental approach in achieving sustainable urban developmentConnecting episodes you might be interested in:No.191R - Decision-making approach to urban energy retrofit – A comprehensive reviewNo.300 - Panel discussion on retrofitting the urban fabric for food productionYou can find the transcript through this linkWhat was the most interesting part for you? What questions did arise for you? Let me know on Twitter @WTF4Cities or on the wtf4cities.com website where the shownotes are also availableI hope this was an interesting episode for you and thanks for tuning inEpisode generated with Descript assistance (affiliate link)Music by Lesfm from Pixabay

Urban retrofit and adaptive reuse in Victoria - Harriet Shing (394I trailer 2)
11/1/2026 | 2 mins.
Are you interested in the governments’ role for the future of cities? What do you think about urban retrofitting? How can we encourage our politicians to think long term? Trailer for episode 394 - interview with Harriet Shing, MP for the Eastern Victoria Region. Minister for Housing and Building, Precincts and Development Victoria, and Suburban Rail Loop. We will talk about her vision for the future of cities, the government’s role, liveability, urban retrofit, and many more. Find out more in the episode.Episode generated with Descript assistance (affiliate link).Music by Lesfm from Pixabay

Melbourne as the example of urban change - Harriet Shing (394I trailer 1)
10/1/2026 | 2 mins.
Are you interested in the governments’ role for the future of cities? What do you think about urban retrofitting? How can we encourage our politicians to think long term? Trailer for episode 394 - interview with Harriet Shing, MP for the Eastern Victoria Region. Minister for Housing and Building, Precincts and Development Victoria, and Suburban Rail Loop. We will talk about her vision for the future of cities, the government’s role, liveability, urban retrofit, and many more. Find out more in the episode.Episode generated with Descript assistance (affiliate link).Music by Lesfm from Pixabay



What is The Future for Cities?