About
We conduct research, apply creativity and draw on years of city-making experience to help move your project in the right direction.
Whether it’s articulating your methodology, creating a compelling story or facilitating critical stakeholder engagement sessions, you want us on your side.
In short, we test and validate your ideas with objectivity, data and flair.
We’re open-minded and flexible. But we’re not “yes” people. We challenge your ideas so we can push you forward. By pointing the compass in a different direction to what you initially thought, we can make an impact where and when it matters most.
Manifesto
To us, delivering place-based legacy is about ensuring projects, precincts and cities express their unique identities and stand the test of time.
But it’s not easy to achieve.
It takes more than placemaking, programming and beautification. It relies on the underlying property models, policy settings and a variety of players to contribute to the social and cultural fabric of a place. From the outset, it requires a commitment to long-term outcomes, safe from market forces and political cycles.
We believe
Creativity is the lifeblood of the city.
We want to create cities that are meaningful and inclusive. To us, it’s about more than temporary activations and beautification. It’s about making space to incubate new ideas and weave them into the city.
Building better cities is for today, tomorrow and for years to come.
Generations to come will inherit our cities. It’s our responsibility to be good ancestors and make space for creativity and craft to thrive. We want people to think about the future of our cities so they can make better decisions now.
There’s a link between good process and good outcomes.
You can’t follow a superficial process and expect life-changing outcomes. That’s why we’ve committed to fine-tuning our processes that transform rough ideas into projects that are both spectacular and realistic.
The story behind our name.
Michelle (Left Bank Co.’s founder) grew up in Paris - a city that’s a world unto itself. She named the business as a nod to the Left Bank of the Seine, a place where independent thought has always flourished.
To us, Left Bank Co. is more than a name. It’s the essence of what we stand for. Just as the Left Bank of the Seine shaped Paris’s creative culture, we want to do the same for the cities we work in.
They bring together a really succinct understanding of both commercial and creative issues and needs.
Left Bank Co. tested our ideas in the real world. We had some very challenging proponents who were asking tough questions. “How do we make money out of this?” “How do we determine the highest and best use?” But the team helped us put together a solid case that resulted in very successful outcomes.
Hosting the process was invaluable. Left Bank Co. contributed their own ideas, and pushed us to consider options we didn’t even think were possible. What emerged was something far stronger than what we could have done in-house.
LOCAL GOVERNMENT CLIENT
Our people
We’re straight-talking city shapers. We believe in what we do, and we have the results to show for it.
Michelle is someone you want on your side. A perceptive listener with fearless creativity, Michelle encourages you to think deeper and explore possibilities you never knew existed. Under her expert guidance as a coach, critical friend and delivery partner, brave ideas come to life. She inspires others through her actions.
With more than 15 years of experience and a rigorous evidence-led process, Michelle empowers urban leaders to consider the long-term impact of the decisions they are making today.
Michelle believes we can do better with our cities. She is a champion of continual improvement, and is passionate about generational legacy. We need to create cities that present and future generations can enjoy.
She’s always asking the question, “How can we be good ancestors so our cities stand the test of time?”
What city do you live in?
Sydney
If you could make one change to the city you live in, what would you change?
More permanent space for culture and creativity.
What’s your favourite city in the world? Why?
Paris! Personally, it’s a nostalgic place for me. But as a city it endures, appeals, and creates a magic that can’t be found anywhere else.
What city would you like to visit next? Why?
I am intrigued by Stockholm - they embrace of the harbour, all the islands and the strategic gateway to the North. I haven’t visited it yet, but it’s on my bucket list.
Accreditation
BA European Social and Political Studies, University College of London, First Class Degree, Dean’s list
MSc Urban Planning from Columbia University
Graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors
IAP2 accredited engagement professional
Panel member, City of Sydney Creative and Cultural Advisory Panel
Past experience
15+ years in the urban planning industry
Creative director for the Australian Exhibition at the 2016 Venice Architecture Biennale for The Pool: Australian architecture, culture and identity
Author of the inaugural Lendlease Place Book for Darling Square
Regular contributor to thought leadership and public discourse
Director of innovation at Right Angle Studio, Senior Strategic design at Arup, Urban Planner at PTW Architects
Hahna’s commitment and determination make her invaluable in a project setting. She maximises the impact of projects, bringing social purpose to the places and programs that enrich cities.
Starting out as a creative herself, Hahna has an on-the-ground understanding of creative spaces and how they operate. This lived experience fuels her work at Left Bank Co. ensuring cities are equitable places where room is made for what matters, such as culture, creativity, education and nightlife. Thanks to this background, she has remained committed to improving processes, outcomes and partnerships in our projects by making sense of the nuances of the urban environment.
Hahna is equal parts collaborator and stickler – she runs a tight and structured ship so that ideas can flow and be improved upon collaboratively. She unpacks challenges alongside project teams to reach excellent outcomes that are carefully detailed for implementation.
What city do you live in?
Sydney
If you could make one change to the city you live in, what would you change?
I would even up the distribution of cultural infrastructure across all corners of the city to ensure all citizens have access to creativity, art and culture.
What’s your favourite city in the world? Why?
Amsterdam for the endless canals, rooftops, parks and public squares where life and community thrives day and night.
What city would you like to visit next? Why?
New Orleans, during the annual jazz festival, to make up for my honeymoon that was missed due to Covid-19.
Accreditation
IAP2 Certificate in Engagement, 2020
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Cultural Competence, 2020
MA Arts and Cultural Management (Cultural Policy specialisation), University of Melbourne, Melbourne, 2012 - 2013
BA Design, Honours (Spatial and Object design specialisation), College of Fine Arts (now UNSW Art & Design), University of NSW, Sydney, 2006 - 2010
Past experience
Prior to Left Bank Co., Hahna was the general manager of Sydney’s Golden Age Cinema, studio manager at Right Angle Studio and design manager at Studio Round.
Her experience in arts and cultural policy, management and operations has translated seamlessly into urban expertise around night-time economy, business model design and strategic needs assessments.
Phoebe is not one to shy away from a challenge. She embraces complexity, immersing herself in the many moving parts of city-making projects. With experience in both architecture and urban planning, she understands that not everyone shaping our cities speaks the same language.
She believes that as interpreters and advocates we can create cities that wear their hearts on their sleeves. They can become places where our diverse stories and shared aspirations are legible in both the everyday and the spectacular.
Through her work at Left Bank Co., Phoebe seeks to elevate voices that don’t normally have the ear of decision makers. She wants to bring clarity through authentic engagement and evidence-based strategy in pursuit of cities that express what makes them unique.
What city do you live in?
Sydney
If you could make one change to the city you live in, what would you change?
I would change the way people see the value of social capital. I’d like everyone to take the time to understand the unquantifiable returns of community infrastructure, and consider them at the same level we do dollars and cents.
What’s your favourite city in the world? Why?
Lisbon. Every corner tells you something about the ways people use the city, and how its values and ideologies have developed throughout a complex history. Lisbon lays it all bare!
What city would you like to visit next? Why?
South Korea’s legacy of craft-led townships is fascinating, and makes Seoul a mixing pot of so many lived experiences. I’d love to see how they all fit together in such an ancient and populous centre.
Accreditation
B. Design (architecture), University of Technology Sydney
M. Urban and regional planning, University of Sydney
ACCC Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultural competence
Past experience
Phoebe found a love for the built environment on an overseas trip, travelling before and after a UK-based planning firm internship. She returned to Sydney to begin her architectural career, negotiating complex and lengthy planning processes to advocate for high-quality design outcomes.